PAKISTAN 🇵🇰 The Hunza Valley Left Me Speechless | Ep 5

Hunza Valley, Pakistan was everything I hoped for, but my Rakaposhi hike took an unexpected turn when I got sick in the mountains. This episode goes from Karimabad and Eagle's Nest to Hapakun and Rakaposhi Base Camp. In Episode 5 of my Pakistan travel series, Ali's dad picks us up in Raikot for the drive north along the Karakoram Highway. We stop at Junction Point before reaching Hunza, where a hot shower, clean hair, and reliable Wi-Fi feel like five-star luxuries after Fairy Meadows. Getting connected again also lets me find the former Pakistani students from New York who inspired this entire trip. Eight years after telling them I wanted to visit their country, I am finally here. In Karimabad, I try traditional Hunza food, explore the bazaar, learn about local gemstones, and shop for a pashmina, handmade earrings, and an apricot-wood spoon. Then we head to Eagle's Nest before beginning a two-day Rakaposhi trek. Hapakun is my first night ever sleeping in a tent. I am already dealing with a headache and body aches, but by the second day my stomach gets much worse. What I believe was food poisoning turns a beautiful hike into repeated outdoor bathroom stops, an exposed cliffside trail, and one of the hardest days of the trip. I still make it to Rakaposhi Base Camp, where a Pakistani family welcomes me with chai. The illness was miserable, but the hike showed me I was stronger than I thought. Would you keep hiking if you got sick in the mountains? Subscribe for Episode 6 and more honest travel stories from a Brooklyn girl choosing life outside her comfort zone. Dreams die in the comfort zone. WATCH THE PAKISTAN SERIES Episode 4, Fairy Meadows Road:    • PAKISTAN 🇵🇰 The World's 2nd Most Dangerous...   Episode 3, Islamabad to Raikot:    • PAKISTAN 🇵🇰 My First Day Was a 12-Hour Roa...   Episode 2, Why I Traveled to Pakistan:    • PAKISTAN 🇵🇰 Why I Traveled to Pakistan | Ep 2   Episode 1, Packing for Pakistan:    • PAKISTAN 🇵🇰 Packing for 2 Weeks in the Him...   CHAPTERS 00:00 The mountains became my bathroom 00:22 Driving the Karakoram Highway to Hunza 03:00 Reconnecting with my former students 03:40 Traditional Hunza dinner 04:41 Exploring Karimabad 13:13 Eagle's Nest at sunset 15:45 Rakaposhi trek: day one 17:25 Hapakun and my first night in a tent 20:47 Day two: the real hiking experience 24:34 The exposed path to Rakaposhi Base Camp 30:13 A warm welcome at base camp FIND ME Instagram:   / whereintheworldisgillian   TikTok:   / princessgilliansan   X: https://x.com/gilliansan_ Twitch:   / princessgillian   Travel guides and more: https://whereintheworldisgillian.com/ ORIGINAL MUSIC: I wrote, produced, and used my own voice on both tracks using @suno specifically for this episode. One Foot Forward: https://suno.com/s/w2hCKELydkOpyvIv Eight Years Later: https://suno.com/s/D4MofNwonenk5A7I #HunzaValley #Rakaposhi #PakistanTravel #Karimabad #NorthernPakistan #SoloFemaleTravel #KarakoramHighway