listening to: wind
thinking about: foooood
Yesterday was absolutely great. It was a much needed refreshing ending to what’s been a wondeful summer!We’d planned this day trip quite a while back, so it was nice to see it finally being materialised. There we were, 12 of us, packed into a little Chinese van (as my cousin called it)with lots of expectations and even more food.(we are, after all, your typical pakistani family) The driver was excellent, in the sense that we weren’t showered with cheap filmi songs (initially) or random insults to passing vehicles.If the whole gang was with me, it would’ve been by far more exciting, knowing all the wacky things we do together!(PS: romi, we passed by a small cafe called “Romy Refreshments”…good alliteration,eh?)It’s been a good decade since I was driven up a mountain on a single-vehicle lane with 2 way traffic, the nauseating effect was a little intimidating, and even more so since I’ve been nursing an upset stomach for a while now.
As i looked through the cracked window, the view was superb, brilliant, breath-taking; bascially everything i had imagined it to be and more. For those who’ve been here before, even that would be an understatement.It was simply nature, as raw and untouched as it gets and yet at the same time, it resembled a canvas on which every nook and corner was painted and polished with perfection.Here we were, in Murree.
Our first stop was Mall Road, where we all helped ourselves to khoka ice-creams, capuccinos and tea, which mind you, were definitely at par with Starbucks and Baskins.A brisk walk,some pictures and a bumpy ride later, we stopped further up ahead to snack on some tea and pakoras in Nathya Gully.(Note how we still haven’t touched any of the food we brought from home)Next was Ayubia National Park, where we trekked for a good hour or so.The walk was exciting, and I encountered some really really REALLY unique characters on the way!In fact, at one point i was laughing so hard, i nearly tipped over into the endless sea of trees below us.Don’t worry, i shall not deprive you:you”ll hear about these “people” in person.Before we got back on to our van, i was chased by a stupid goat which happened to fall in love with the shawl i was wearing,let alone myself.Bhai would’ve had a field day if he’d been there(bhai, ask zeina for dets).Yes yes, laugh as much as you want, but i tell you, i could’ve died out there!!Yes, that’s what i want,SYMPATHY!!
Next was a pit stop for the loo, which turned into a lodge-cum-motel-hunt, and last, but not least, a half an hour long horse ride.Since it had been quite a while since we ate, we were in frantic search for lunch!And there we found it, at the Taj Mahal Restaurant and Hotel, a rickety old place with scrumpdelicious broast chicken!It so good, it’s been advertised in places like the NY Times and the News, and has been rated as the 4th best eatery in Pakistan.(These newspaper clippings have been modestly framed on the restaurant walls)The view from the restaurant was all those adjectives i’ve already mentioned.We were literally (and figuratively) in the clouds, and it was the most soothing moment of the day.
After food, we were again in search for somethign to consume: tea!(oh,by this time, we’ve munched on half of the goodies in the van).Since it was already 5:30 pm, we decided to head back home and hunt out refreshments on the way.En route to Abbottabad, we managed to find some khokas opposite a long and winding river.We stopped for a bit, nourished ourselves and then it was high-time we made a move.
The drive back down was peaceful;practically everyone in the van was fast asleep (except, for obvious reasons, the driver, as that would’ve caused slight problems).I looked out of the window and did not stop until we got home.I was at one with nature and even the 3 hour ride back couldn’t satisfy my eyes: there was still so much to see.
That was the end of our outing, and boy was it worth it!For those of you who haven’t already, GO FOR IT!It’s heaven on earth.
I shall sign off on a rather amusing note, which i found written on the rear of one of those huge colourful trucks. It was a little contradictory to the whole soothing and peaceful aura of the whole journey, but i must share it with you because it (quite literally) brought us all back down to earth!
“Speed meri jawaani.Overturn mera nakhra”
