3 days in Azad Jammu & Kashmir

If I could take a brush and paint the mountains and the moors,I would splash the hillsides yellow and cover them in gorse.I'd take the finest needle and the darkest thread of green.And sew a line of bracken along the landscape

Pakistan - The country having the magnificent blue lakes,where beauty prevails like the enthralling sight making eyes gaze,the land ranging from highest of 5 mountain peaks to the plateaus so unique,where scorching deserts show their worth and enchanting Indus glitters with mirth. The land where canvas is like picturesque landscape, perilous mountains and serene green bodies.

Life gives us pleasant and astonishing moments sometimes. Same happened with me, in the hustle-bustle of life, I planned a tour with my best friend, but then things got entangled and I couldn’t join. She got angry and for me her happiness was everything. 

I somehow, managed and reached there on the spot just before the departure. That was the best moment, first tour of life so far but best tour of life. We headed towards Azad Kashmir where valleys, mountains and beauty mingles creating a sound but profound image.

As we departed from Faisalabad to explore, the smell of love with peace in air started playing rhythm of beauty in our ears. Start of journey seemed slow and boring till we reached our destiny. As we reached Muzaffargarh, AJK, everyone went to sleep while we got enchanted deep by the view of roaring water, blue and cloudy sky. Me and Monika both did videography there, took snaps and felt the beauty. After breakfast, we went out to explore and interact with local community. 

There, we saw a group of people going straight ahead with drums in hands of few and baloons in others. That was quite captivating, the way they were moving. A group of men and women accompanied by their children,it all bewitched us that we rushed behind them to see where rally would end. We walked behind them, till we reached their Holy place. There the climate was noble like the priest dancing in the love and in the crowd,everyone in search of God. We stayed there for one hour, captured photos and then moved ahead. Walking aimlessly, cutting lame jokes, we found a shopping mall there. We kept on moving, found there the wooden artistic things and purchased few.

Playing there with the street children, exploring and interacting with the local people, we spent whole day there and returned to hotel with others. In night, we planned to explore in adventurous way, so we 8 peeps went out. The place where our hotel was situated, was few kms away from the city. We were walking towards the city when some local people told us, it would take 4-5 hours to walk and reach there.

 Suddenly, a jeep crossed us, we shrieked loud to stop it. The driver stopped and gave us lift to city. We stood behind it and sang songs , cracking the deep silent night till we reached city. To our shock, that was the same city we explored whole day. We told driver and he said, its the only central market over here. We laughed as we could and then explored it again till the midnight. After returning back to hotel, we played ludo and cut jokes. In the morning, we headed to Pir Chanasi top. As we reached Pir Chanasi, first mischief was waiting for us standing with opened arms. As we stepped on snowy road, one of us fell down by slipping and then, our whole gang was laying on road, laughing with pain. Then, we went onwards, met local people there and felt the snowy beautiful nature there. After returning back from Pir Chanasi, we walked aimlessly on Mall road of Murree. There was life in the snowy huts, there was beauty on the roads so dangling, there was fear while crossing bridges but there was love all over. We came back but it seems, Mountains are calling again. We thought we are having fun, cutting lame jokes, fighting with snow and slipping in snow but, we were making memories. The best nostalgia is travelling and then, smiling while remembering.

Author: Momina Ahsan

Rotaract Club of Faisalabad

RID # 3272