Gilgit, Pakistan is a fair sized city on the way to the Shigar Valley. My friend Saeed told me he used to have 5 rock shops in Gilgit, but he was forced to close them all. I asked him why, and he told me that there was some fighting between Sunnis and Shias in the area. Apaprently there was a lot of shooting. As Saeed said, "Life first --- business second."

I assumed all of this was a long time ago. When I got to town, I was surprised to see government troops manning mounted machine guns in the back of pick up trucks. I asked Saeed when the fighting had occurred. He told me "About five weeks ago..." and we left town quickly. The rock shops are still mostly closed.