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To travels and trunks

A lover and a fighter, out to see the world.

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Hi, I’m Clara

I’m an author, writer and traveller, but most of all I’m a storyteller. Come with me, and let’s go see the world.

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Truly a fruitful partnership with @deansmole who provided endless encouragement when I got tired of hiking, helped me balance on precarious trails and held my hair back when I vomited from altitude sickness 🤢😹 💯 my ride or die ✨

Humans of Pakistan 🇵🇰

For years, this was a village instead of a lake. Then in 2010, a landslide occurred, damming the Hunza river and causing water levels to rise so much that five villages flooded. Today the massive, turquoise body of water is called Attabad lake, named after one of the villages that was destroyed. The lake is tranquil when I visit, the damaged stretch of the Karakoram Highway long repaired. Colorful boats give joyrides to tourists or serve as a backdrop for photos. There is a holiday-resort vibe to the area, and new hotels overlooking the lake are being built. There are few signs of the disaster, until I walk along the water’s edge and my guide Sultan points out the walls of homes peeking from the surface of the water, their inhabitants long gone. It is hard to believe that something so beautiful came from tragedy.

Tried a bunch of new workouts this week including @9roundeastcoastroad, @barrysbootcamp and @row.revolution. Find out which was the toughest in today’s issue of The Straits Times😅 Big thanks to @zhangxuan_v and @dreamygin for making my sweaty self look decent in these photos😹🙏🏼

Our driver Shahid seemed a reticent man, or maybe he just didn’t speak much English. But on the second last day in the Hunza valley he asked if we would like to try local Hunza food, rather than the Pakistani naan and curries we had been eating for most of the trip. There was no signboard indicating the home style eatery he took us to, no menu to choose what was for lunch - just a smiling middle aged lady in a small kitchen, who we later learnt was his wife. “Yoghurt, Hunza bread and apricot oil? Tea?” he suggested. We agreed and set off for our trek, returning two hours later to a house that smelt like a bakery. Hunza bread turned out to be a thicker, chewier version of crepes - just nice, as I had been craving pancakes that morning. And the yoghurt, served steaming hot from a communal bowl, tasted like blue cheese with barley-like grains mixed in, pungent in the most delicious way. I still think wistfully about this meal, and how unlikely I will get to taste such food outside of Hunza again.

All smiles in this photo but half an hour later I concussed from a massive altitude-induced headache... one of the few times in my life I went to bed without a shower 👻 Gonna be sharing my experiences traveling in Pakistan and North Korea at a talk on Exotic Destinations next Friday, 28 June! Come hang out with me at the next @thetravelintern community Friday. 7 Jalan Kilang; 1945h till late; register for free at bit.ly/ttifridays. Hope to see you there 😘

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Tag: winter

这是个好日子: On travelling and loneliness

这是个好日子: On travelling and loneliness

Inner Mongolia in winter can be a cold and lonely place, but good company makes it a little warmer. Continue reading 这是个好日子: On travelling and loneliness

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