Diary of the expedition of the 7 Summits Club on Broad Peak. Day 1. Alexander Abramov and Lyudmila Korobeshko arrived in Pakistan

Lyudmila Korobeshko, Director of the 7 Summits Club:

Exploration at Broad Peak, Pakistan.  Day 1. The first of July. At 4 a.m. we landed in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, where we were warmly welcomed by one of the brothers Saed - Anwar. A few cups of Pakistani tea (mixed tea with milk and cardamom), a few photos for memory, and we are already flying further to Skardu (2450), a town in Baltistan, from where expeditions to the Karakoram mountains begin.

It's also hot here - about +25-30 (well, at least not +45, as in Islamabad). The road from the airport is blocked by strikers, we are going to detour. Half an hour later we arrive at the Summit Hotel in Skardu, give the documents to the military to obtain permits and fall asleep.

We wake up around 15.00, have a snack with mixed fried rice, which we have loved since Tibet, and go to buy gas and other small things. However, Friday evening is a Muslim day off - many shops close early. Therefore, we just decide to relax and go to the barber shop to clean up. Sasha shaves, I take pictures, five more locals just sit next to each other and talk to the hairdresser and us. The owner of our hotel brought us to the barbershop. On the way, he told me that three years ago in the winter, a Russian expedition to K2 stopped with him (apparently, it was with Artem Brown).

A short walk before going to bed - through the noisy streets of Skardu, very close to the noise of the Indus water ... Tomorrow, if the documents from the military are ready, we will go to Ascole. Or we'll wait here for another day.

P.S. We met Nims on the way to Pakistan. First on the poster, and then in person.  We agreed to meet again in a week under K2 and Broad Peak.