ABBOTTABAD: THE HUB TO NORTHERN AREAS OF PAKISTAN:

ABBOTTABAD:

I have been wondering what to write in the introduction of this post ..thinking, thinking and thinking…. And then I came across this wonderful poem by Major James Abbott (the first deputy commissioner of the district 1849-53), which he wrote for Abbottabad and It is gives a perfect introduction to Abbottabad. Here is how it goes:

I remember the day when I first came here

And smelt the sweet Abbotabad air

The trees and ground covered with snow

Gave us indeed a brilliant show

To me the place seemed like a dream

And far ran a lonesome stream

The wind hisses as if welcoming us

The pine swayed creating a lot of fuss

And the tiny cuckoo sang it away

A song very melodious and gay

I adored the place from the first sight

And was happy that my coming here was right

And eight good years here passed very soon

And we leave our perhaps on a sunny noon

Oh Abbottabad we are leaving you now

To your natural beauty do I bow

Perhaps your winds sound will never reach my ear

My gifts for you is a few sad tears

I bid you farewell with a heavy heart

Never from my mind will your memories thwart.

(Major Abbott)

…..and I have nothing else to say, I think Major sahib has said it all

INFORMATIVE THINGS ABOUT ABOUT ABBOTTABAD:

First of all for entering most of the northern areas of Pakistan, you will have to pass through Abbottabad.it is the hub for tourism of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa region, murree, Kashmir , Baltistan etc.

Located at a hight of 4,120 ft, it is surrounded from all four sides by Sarban hills.

It has a large number of schools, colleges, military institutions(including the Pakistan Military Accademy), medical colleges(Ayub medical college) and other educational institutions due to which it is also know as “THE CITY OF SCHOOLS”

The climate is extreme in winters and summers, with a mild temperature in spring and autumn, like most of the cities of Pakistan.

The people at a larger scale speak “Hinko” where as pushto is also a common language but communication is easy in urdu (in case you don’t know Hinko or Pushto) while English is also understood ( it’s the city of schools remember:P)

HOW TO REACH ABBOTTABAD:

We used to travel to the northern areas quite often when we lived in Peshawar and we used to go every where by our own car …it was fun passing through various places and our father telling us about the specialities of each place and the famous things that city had…but everyone is not going there via Peshawar so we will leave it here.

You can enter the city via road very easily ,via the high way or the motorway,if you like travelling by train then it is going to take you till Havalian rest you will have to cover by road.

And of course via air transport( I did not know there was an airport there:o)

WHERE TO GO IN ABBOTTABAD:

I remember we once went to Abbottabad in fact it was the last family trip we had together (then we all got married and got busy :P), we stayed in the forest rest house and we convinced our little sister that the chawkidar (gatekeeper,security guard, also the housekeeper and the cook of the rest house) was a JIN…it was a fun trip.

Anyway we used to go out in bazars shop all day, dine out and what not.

From there we went to Thandiani, then to Dadar ,Chattar planes, muree, etc it was one long trip nevertheless we enjoyed a great deal.

Now coming back to Abbottabad, now some of the places which are of interest in Abbottabad are

The old British buildings…no one to be specific but you can walk around and feel times turning to the British era..its a fun thing to do .

Then you can go to Bazars,dine out, do shopping, just walk around (it feels like walking on mall road in murree)

ILYASI MOSQUE:

Once you got to Abbottabad people will ask you whether or not you visited the Ilyasi masjid..it is a mosque built over fresh cold water springs..which also open into the mosque for ablution purposes. Apart from that on one side of the masjid there are shops and restaurants which serve Pakoras, their specialty they call it, they are yummy no doubt..also fish caught from the fresh water springs are also available.

SHIMLA PAHARI:

Shimla pahari is one of the most liked by the locals for spending some time absorbed in nature and filling ones lungs with fresh air and refreshing smell of pine. Do make a visit to it and walk on the steep mountain (3km) or you can go on your vehicle of course..

MANSEHRA:

At a distance of 24 km from Abbottabad is the place with a very lively bazaar, Mansehra, which is famous for the three granite boulders on which edicts of Ashoka the great have been inscribed.now that’s something worth seeing.

THANDIANI:

At about 31km from Abbottabad is Thandiani and they named it just perfectly..it really is very very cold there..it offers lovely views , really chill winds blow…I cant think of anything else other than how cold it was there brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr:P

And apart from these places you can also go to Ayubia, the Galiyat areas and day trips to Murree..suit yourself and enjoy exploring the wonderful city...

Ohhh I almost forgot..if you have a friend from Abbottabad and he/she lives in a village there, it is a mussssstttttttttt to go and live in that village. Abbottabad has wonderful wonderful villages.

WHAT TO SHOP IN ABBOTTABAD:

Buy anything you like and everything you like..it has everything from traditional to conventional and you might want to buy dry fruit which comes from up north.

MY RECOMMENDATIONS:

If you are planning to go to Abbottabad …well plan a little wisely and don’t plan just till Abbottabad you might want to go further up north once you take out time to go to Abbottabad. Enjoy Abbottabad:)

SWAT VALLEY: THE SWITZERLAND OF PAKISTAN:

SWAT VALLEY: THE SWITZERLAND OF PAKISTAN:

SWAT VALLEY

I was surfing through  T.V channels and stopped at the entertainment news showing that the skiing was ON in Swat ..yes I was sooo jealous of everyone who was there:/

Anyways right now I cannot go there but I decided to write a  post about it:D

I went to Swat with my family a good 10 years ago(OMG seems like yesterday)

It was lovely. We loved everything about it. The weather was lovely, the people (blond with blue or green eyes)were warm, there were a million tourists(as If whole Pakistan came to Swat for vacation) and the places we discovered while hiking were WOW…like we were in wonderland or in some sort of a fantasy world.

Two things that I remember about Swat are

1: We were staying at this motel not very far away  from PTDC (in Malam Jabba) and out of nowhere clouds came and it started pouring heavily..all our plans for the day were postponed and us all siblings were like NOW WHAT TO DO….well we ordered for French fires and sat in the window of the room to enjoy them and we could not believe what we saw:  we were above the dark clouds and the rain was pouring beneath us :D  our room was on the first floor.It was awesome and it made our day and we told everyone that we were above the clouds and it was raining beneath us:D

2: A local there at the motel told us that there is an awesome waterfall not far away  from here and you can easily reach there by a 1 hour hike..so we set off to discover by ourselves this waterfall..it was a tiring hike and we were like lets go back papa there is no waterfall, that guy has made a fool of us ,..but father insisted that we were almost there , so we kept on the move and suddenly our father stopped and we were like WHAT? He said come see for yourself..and we could not believe what we saw,,it was a green pasture as far away as we could see, flowers everywhere and horses moving about freely, running, grazing..it was WOW…I just don’t have the words the describe the beauty..we all had goosebumps at seeing such beauty…any ways after a long hike we did reach the water fall and it was also lovely but could not stay for long as It was getting dark and we set off towards our motel.

There are many places that no tourist guide or magazines or your friends can’t  tell you about once your are there, allow yourself to seek some adventure and you will come across many beautiful and worth treasuring experiences.

SOME FACTS ABOUT SWAT:

Swat is a valley which has gone through many rulers such as Alexander the great, Mahmud of Ghazni, the Chinese pilgrim, Fa-Hsien,Sun Yun,Hsuan-Tsang and Wu-Kung and civilizations, whose traces can be found here and there. It has seen the Buddhist , the Ghandara, the Hindu dynasty, and the Muslim rule as well.

It was a Princely state and was annexed to Pakistan in 1947.

The people of Swat are mainly Gujars ,Pashtuns and Kohistanis. The people claim them selves to be the descendants of the army of Alexander the Great.

The religion followed is Islam and people understand the national language as well along with the local languages.

The valley falls in the premises of the province Khyber Pakhtunkhua and is located at a distance of 160 km from the federal capital Islamabad.

It forms the upper valley of the river Swat (hence the name) and goes up to the Hindu Kush mountain range.

Saidu Sharif being its capital while the most famous town being Mingora.

It is said that Buddha himself came to swat and preached the people there during his incarnation as Gautama Buddha. Swat is considered as a holy land of Buddhist learning and piety among the Buddhist world.

Buddhist art also developed and flourished throughout India and china from swat.

GHANDARA RUINS

Many stupas and Buddhist Monasteries were built.

Butkhara-1, containing the original relics of Buddha was found in the excavation sites of swat.

Temples, fortresses and other architectural buildings were built by the Hindu rulers whose traces can be found in various locations.

HOW TO REACH SWAT:

One can go via road or by air as well. Regular flights take off from Islamabad to the Swat capital town of Saidu Shaif and if you want to go via road you can take a 160km drive from Peshawar or a 250 km drive from Islamabad. Local buses and taxis will also take you there but going by your own private vehicle is what I would suggest.

WHERE TO STAY IN SWAT:

There are various hotels where you can stay and enjoy your trip such as

PTDC(Pakistan tourism development corporation) motels in Malam Jabba, Miandam, SaiduSharif,

The Swat Continental Hotel.

Hotel White Palace

Swat Serena Hotel

And Any other local hotels you can easily find.

PLACES TO VISIT:

Swat is a vast valley offering various tourist attractions but some of the places worth visiting include:

MARGHAZAR:

WHITE PALACE MARGHAZAR

In Marghazar you can visit the Safad Mahal or the White Marble Palace of the former ruler of swat. It can be reached from Saidu Sharif by covering a distance of only 16 km.

 MALAM JABBA:

MALAM JABBA SKI RESORT(PTDC)

Malam jabba is where I stayed..it a beautiful hill station located at 40 km from Saidu Sharif. It is home to the largest ski resort in Pakistan. Unfortunately we went there in summers so could not skiL but the same area offers a wonderful experience via chair lifts during summers:D… PTDC(Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation) owns the Malam Jabba ski resort and offers a ski slope of 800m with the highest point being 9200ft.

The resort is equipped with everything needed for skiing, roller/ice skating, snow clearing machines, chairlifts, food, telephones etc etc.

BAHRIN AND MADYAN:

WONDERFUL VIEW OF BAHRIN

These places are famous for their bazaars filled with the traditional handicrafts including tribal jewellery, embroidered shawls, carved wooden doors, pillars, balconies and what not.

SWAT MUSEUM:

SWAT MEUSUM

Almost half way between Saidu and Mingora is the Swat Museum. With the help of Japanese aid the galleries are rebuilt and shows a vast collection of Ghandara sculptures from the various Buddhist sites in Swat telling the life story of Buddha. Beads, coins, terracotta figurines and utensils, precious stones, various metal objects, weapons are displayed. If you want to know about the Ghandara civilization this museum is a must visit.

KALAM:

KALAM VALLEY

Kalam is a pure nature lovers spot.if you want to just relax and ease yourself out you must go to Kalam for a day or two.it is about 6800ft above sea level. Here the two rivers Ushu and Utrot join in to form the Swat river.

GABRAL VALLEY:

Is home to more than 44 medicinal plants, which are collected during the month of may and June. The valley is surrounded in the north by the Chitral District.

An export of 75 herbal drugs take place from this area and more than 200 are locally traded.

THE LAKES:

BASHIGRAM LAKE

Some  of the most famous lakes include the Pari Lake, the Kundol Lake, Bashigram Lake, the Spin Khwar( wild stream) Lake and the Daral Lake.

The lakes are famous for tales of the dwelling fairies, potato and turnips harvest which are known for their delicious taste, the surrounding mountains covered by pine and cedar trees, for camping, and herding for the locals.

MY RECOMMENDATIONS:

With all the recent fights going on there in swat I wonder if it still the same..one of my friends husbands is posted there and he says it still is like Switzerland here,

So if you want to enjoy beauty and indulge yourself in ancient civilizations or explore the valley by yourself you should go to the Switzerland of Pakistan before it is too late and everything is destroyed(GOD FORBID).

KAGHAN : THE VALLEY OF LAKES

INTRODUCTION:

BEAUTIFUL VALLEY OF KAGHAN

One of the places I have never been to but so much want to visit is the Kaghan Valley ..why ? because I want to see the Saiful Muluk lake in full moon, they say that the rays of the full moon give the feeling as if fairies are descending on the lake from the sky…now that would be a sight worth seeing..

p.s I always thought that Naran and Kaghan were names of a single place:P because who so ever went to visit anyone of the places also visited the other and when asked they would say “we went to Naran Kaghan” not entirely my fault is it:P

FACTS ABOUT KAGHAN VALLEY:

Going upwards from Abbottabad and north east of Mansehra District you will reach Kaghan Valley.

Most of the valleys are named after the rivers which flow or the people who discovered them but this valley is named after the town Kaghan, instead of the river that flows throughout the valley the Kunhar river.

Babusar pass is the highest point in the valley and is at the height of 13,690 ft, whereas the valley has a premises of 155 km.

The languages locally spoken are Gojri and Hindko and no worries if you don’t know them both because Urdu(the national language) is also commonly understood.

The people of the valley are basically the herders and you will find them every where along the road side, in pastures, moving their herds according to season.

HOW TO REACH KAGHAN:

If you choose to visit Kaghan between the months of May to September, you have made the right choice. Summers are the best season to visit the valley.

Kaghan can be reached via road from Abbottabad, Mansehra and Balakot. You will be travelling on the road beyond Naran valley which will open onto the Babusar Pass. Also consider the monsoon season while planning to visit because the roads are blocked and movement is restricted during that time due to the heavy rainfall.

Again buses and taxis will take you there but going by your own vehicle is much preferred.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN KAGHAN:

Glaciers, dales, mountains, lakes, streams, waterfalls, forests, villages…you name it. Everything beautiful is there and what makes it more attractive is that it is still not polluted by humans..i suggest one should plan a visit before it does.

Among the various places some which friends and family highly recommend of visiting include:

SHOGRAN VILLAGE:

SHOGRAN

A village surrounded by mountain peaks covered in forests and the river Kunhar flowing through it…seems like a wonderland. The famous Siri paye lake is found there.

LAKES:

Dudipatsar Lake, Saiful Muluk Lake and Lulusar lake are most famous among the dozens found the valley.

THE DUDIPATSAR LAKE:is hard to reach and involves a hiking of tough 7

hours but the effort is worth the green pastures and blue green water of the lake that welcome you.

DUDIPATSAR LAKE

THE LULUSAR LAKE offers the most breath taking view with its snow capped mountains, its L shaped lake in which the blue green water stands still reflecting those mountains and imagine flowers everywhere in all most every possible color …..simply wow..

LULUSAR LAKE

THE SAIFUL MULUK LAKE:

SAIFUL MULUK LAKE

Now that’s where Naran comes in..a 3 hour drive from Shogran village will take you to Naran from where you can go to visit the famous Lake Saiful Muluk.

Its your own choise wether you want to walk to the lake or hire a jeep.

The lake is famous for a folktale “Qissa Saiful Muluk”, a folktale about a Persian price and a fairy and the lake being their meeting spot.

The lake is an oval in of one mile diameter 10,587ft above sea level and has the clearest water with a greenish tone.

CAMPING: while you are there in Naran visiting the lakes you can also go and do camping on the Babusar Top.

FISHING: the chief sport of the valley, you can enjoy fishing in the river or can just visit the fishing farms as there are many local fish farms there offer the best quality of fish. Trout and Mahasher are the yummy types which are famous and are stocked in silvery waters.

WHERE TO STAY:

PTDC NARAN

Apart from the local rest houses and hotels available, there is a PTDC (Pakistan tourism) motel complex at naran and Balakot so suit yourselfJ

SHOPPING :D

My favourite part..now in Kaghan one of the handicrafts you should buy are the artistically carved Walnuts,I have seen some of them..my friend brought them and they were awesome…and another famous thing are the Namdas, the woolen felt rugs while woolen shawls, embroidered shawls and shirts are also avalibale.

These places have cottage industries running and you can find yourself having excellent bargains.

MY RECOMMENDATIONS:

DUDIPATSAR LAKE

It is a must must must place to visit and my friends and family have highly recommended it and I will make sure that I do visit it asap:) and so should you.