The view changes quickly from narrow red canyons to neck craning views of mountains raising 15,000 feet above the road.

Just as I started to develop neck cramps from gazing skyward, we emerged out of the canyon onto the Sarikol Pamir and sand dune encircled Kumtagh (Sand Mountain) Lake.

Camels roam freely along the length of the Karakoram Highway. They are still used extensively by local populace to transport goods to remote villages.