How good are Apricot Tours if you get injured in the Karakoram ??? - I have being on numerous high altitude trips around the world and this is the first time that I have being unlucky enough to have to leave early because of an injury. A low level wall at Jhola camp I stood on, collapsed making me fall back over onto my out stretched hand. I carried onto Paiju but my back and my hand were really playing up by now. I knew it was a gamble to carry on and hope that things got better. But if they never, I knew I would not be able to tackle the fixed lines or self arrest if I had too on the GLA, as my left hand was now completely useless. So it was decided that the hardest decision was the correct decision ie go back and split from the team at Paiju. Far from an easy decision and to be honest, quite emotional knowing your 28 day trip is over before its barely started. Apricots guide Mussa, arranged for me to go back from Paiju with a mule a guide and a porter, a tent and supplies to last us while sleeping back at Jhola that night before making it back to Askole the next day. We actually made it back to Askole the same day with me sat on the mule a lot of the time. We camped at Askole that same night. The very next morning at 06:30 a jeep took me back to Skardu. We were back at the Concordia Motel by midday. I was allocated a room straight away, asked if I needed to be taken to hospital or a doctor to come and see me. My room, meals, transfers were all taken care of as was everything else at the motel by Janan Alam, Apricots General manager at Skardu. My flight back to Islamabad from Skardu was arranged by Sideeq Akbar from the Islamabad head office. Sideeq also met me in person at Islamabad airport with a transfer to a local hotel. Sideeq actually sat and had a meal with me at the hotel, and was keen to make sure that I was happy and safe and was there anything else that he and Apricot Tours could do for me. He also came back just before I left for my international flight home, just to make sure that everything was fine and that I was happy with the service that Apricot had given. Even though it was no ones fault, Sideeq was really apologetic and kept saying I am so sorry that you have leave so early Mr Roy. A taxi arranged by Sideeq then picked me back up and took me back to Islamabad airport. I cannot see what Apricot Tours and their staff could have done better for me, they paid for absolutely everything and Sideeq Akbar is a star asset to the company. He made sure that everything I needed was done before I even knew I would need it. I was a little hesitant at 1st, booking direct with a local Pakistan Company, as I had always used the big well known UK expedition companies in the past, who simply send out an International ML but use a local company themselves. But I must admit, I was completely blown away by how efficient and caring Apricot tours were When I got back to the UK, I was treated by the NHS for a fractured Scaphoid bone in my left hand. My wife said this is my last expedition. But I have plenty of time to work on her.