Perreault Magazine - 85 -
In Varial’s words,
“Every encounter and every meal reminds us that in this region, which fully awakens the senses and intensifies the emotions of the traveller, life expectancy stops short at 50 and the infant mortality rate verges on 60% — the highest in the world. From Ishkahim to Erjhail — one of the last of the Corridor villages to border with China — we will probably walk more than 450 kilometres over the course of 30 days, following in the footsteps of Marco Polo and Alexander the Great in crossing the entirety of the Wakhan Corridor. The Wakhan Corridor is considered one of the most remote and difficult-to-access regions in this part of the world, but also one of the most stable. It’s populated by two tribes…, who live in peaceful co-existence while trying to survive in a great expanse where the altitude and lack of resources render it practically uninhabitable”.