“Rippled sand + moving water + rock” is one of my favourite natural “recipes”, especially when other humans and human-made structures are not part of the “mix”… or are only a tiny, discreet element.
“Remote” ocean beaches are not the only places that offer such delight.
The pictured location is much more than 1,000 kilometres straight-line-distant from any ocean shore – and there is absolutely no “straight line” (let alone “same-day”) transport route to one.
By definition, when a river flows through a valley that bears its name, that river’s bed is the lowest ground within the local landscape.
The pictured low spot – just a little upstream of where this river flows into one of the world’s most significant rivers – is more than 2,700 metres above sea level.
I took the photo at 4.16 pm on 15 May 2024, as we were driving from Skardu to Khaplu, in northern Pakistan.
Initially, the road climbs high above the Indus – the river which drains almost the entire nation.
It then drops down into the valley where the Shyok River flows into the Indus; after stopping to admire the rivers’ confluence, we then hugged the lower edge of the Shyok Valley.
The photo was taken circa 40 minutes drive upstream from the confluence.
The road does it best to stay just high enough and distant enough from the Shyok’s reach; in flood, the river becomes hugely wider and more “ferocious”.
Subject to favourable weather – and an absence of avalanches, earthquakes, rockfalls and other not-so-rare occurrences in this part of the world – it is not a “bad” road, but should only be tackled in a robust 4WD with generous clearance, and a skilled driver.
It is hard to believe that anywhere on “our” planet offers a more jaw-dropping “afternoon drive”.
Splendid as the pictured location is, on that afternoon we enjoyed a number of even more spectacular Karakoram vistas.
On Pelican Yoga the best is yet to be published, Karakoram-wise.
Meanwhile, this will link you to some single-image Karakoram “teasers”.
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