On our seven-hour 117km jeep ride from Skardu to the trailhead at Thongol (2850m), we drove through the 40km Braldu Gorge, where the road is blasted out of the rocks next to the roaring Braldu River. The sickeningly narrow gravel road sometimes slants dangerously towards the Braldu River. You have to withstand being scared constantly for two hours with your life clearly in your driver’s eyes, hands and feet. 'Oh well', I thought. The scariest thing for me was when the jeep had to do three-point turns around hairpin curves. He'd get to the edge with the foaming Braldu River hundreds of metres below, and then reverse back up the hill. 'I hope he knows the reverse gear', I think to myself.