The 9th Wonder of the World: The Pakistan-China Karakoram Highway

The word highway, well, is a bit misleading here. The N-35 or the Karakoram Highway is the world's 9th wonder of sorts as it is a two lane-sometimes one lane- hard surfaced road from Pakistan to China. It is the world's highest road climbing to over 15,000 ft. over much of the Karakoram Mountains.

Considered to be a 9th Wonder because of the difficulty it was to build it. It took 20 years from 1959 to 1979. It was opened in 1986 and 1000 workers lost their lives creating it out of the solid rock along and over mountains. The 810 mile long road is a marvel to look at in pictures and defies understanding at times as to how it was built! The road begins from Abbottabad (where Osama Bin Laden was killed) and ends in Xinjiang, China. The road passes five of the eight highest mountains of the world and nears four of the world's largest glaciers.

It attracts many tourists and hikers or mountain climbers since the road allows them easy access. Daily bus service from the two countries began in 2006. If you plan to go, the best time is late August-September or April-May due to weather which frequently close the road for hours.

When you look at photos, you are convinced it is, indeed, a 9th Wonder!