Skardu is the capital of Baltistan, the newly formed province of Pakistan. It is situated at the border of Chinese Xinjiang region and Indian-occupied Kashmir at an altitude of 2438 meters in the Karakoram mountains. The native people of this marvelous place are a mixture of Tibetan and Caucasian stock and speak the ancient Balti language. Due to Baltistan's closeness to the Tibetan culture it is