Up early and repack from my big backpack into my small backpack for an overnighter in a home stay in Jizeu/Gizeiv Village in the Bartang Valley. The courtyard by day is even prettier than last night. Breakfast arrives- a rice porridge with salty milk, cherries, bread, biscuits, sweets and condensed milk and apricot tea. I love this stuff! M and B rock down 20 mins later and out of there by 0830. Back up the lane way and a quick Orbit Supermarket stop to buy sweets and chewing gum to share. We resume on the bumpy, dusty road across the river from Afghanistan, Gigantic looming hills and cliff faces. Afghanistan alternates between mountains/landslides and green oases with crops and flat roofed mud brick houses. A little later there are a smattering of mud brick houses with tin rooves and upper ventilation open roofed sections. There are schools and a military base with US Humvees. I can see groups of kids playing soccer, women in the fields and motor bike riders. A constant is a single track path etched
from the dirt, the road appears to drop off the side of the cliff but reappears later. We reach our first checkpoint of the day 3 hours later.
Lunch is another hour down the road, we eat at a restaurant built up into a hill, its beautifully green and shaded, there are waterfalls running and a woman is cooking over the fire with an enormous pot. Lunch is (a half serve please... honestly... just a half serve... you are too generous...) plov with beef and salad and very good fresh bread. We soak up the atmosphere for over an hour entertained by a cheeky magpie. Toilet stop across the road... very terrible. Worst yet... very, very awful.
An hour and a half we arrive at the Bartang Valley- it is an oasis, really green with fruit trees and flowers, people are selling apricots from the village. Another 40 minutes sees us at the swing bridge over the Bartang River that will take me to Jizeu Village. Exciting! Its now nearly 4:30 and is hot and windy as we cross the bridge (less sturdy than many of the Nepali swing bridges Ive crossed). The first part of the walk
is along a shale stone trail skirting the river, we reach a confluence of rivers- its mesmerising to see the clean blue and muddy grey waters mix. Pretty easy walking at this stage (except for the hills!), we go from a landslide area with km markings to a to Jiseau Village sign- this is actually a trap for the unwary! Theres still many kms to go! The trail after this lush and green, bird life appears.We reach the village where there are 3 tourists in residence, we dont stop- we are aiming for the 3rd village another 2 km on. The villages are about 1km apart and are more like hamlets really. Its a real transition from the dusty bumpy road of the jeep to these fields of dried and harvested crops. We reach our village around 7pm in the fading light.
Mohammed has planned for us to stay at Munira Homestay- it looks really lovely- sleeping room inside the home stay is a room within another large cavernous room. There is an Israeli couple already set up. Mohammed asks me if Id like to sleep outside instead- I am totally keen to do that.
There is a little platform under the trees that we are going to eat dinner in- but first tea, biscuits and cherries. Then a procession of plates- a glass of yoghurt, a potato spaghetti dish, then soup with bread... then sugared nuts and chocolates and more tea. Completely full- an enjoyable meal with of the Israelis. The out as soon as the last plate is whisked away- a thick mat, blankets and quilts. The platform transforms to my outdoor sleeping space. Its awesome! and I sleep really well with the occasional apple falling on the tin roof to punctuate the silence.
