We have arrived! At 12,000 feet, Karakul Lake literally takes your breath away. After a surprisingly delicious meal in a concrete cantina next to the lake, we decide to take an afternoon stroll.
Though the lake is only three miles in circumference, my severe altitude sickness– pounding headache, shortness of breath, inability to concentrate– meant the walk took more than two hours. Miraculously, I was still able to take some decent photos. And to this day, eight years later, I remember the entire experience as if it were yesterday. Continue reading