Not in a hurry? Go to Murree!

After a day of recuperating from our mountain expedition back in Abbottabad, we set out again, this time heading back towards Islamabad, stopping in Nathia Gali and Murree.

As we drove to Nathia Gali, we stopped briefly in Harno, where the locals had created a lift that transported people from one side of a deep valley to the other. I'm pretty sure the lift was made from the back covering of a truck bed, painted light pink and suspended by a wire. It looked extremely precarious and unsafe but we ferried across the valley for fun none-the-less. The lift is used mainly by the villagers who live on each side of a gorge, a common means of transportation since it's timely and difficult to go around or through, otherwise.

We had lunch in Nathia Gali in an outdoor restaurant selling grilled chicken and rice (I still wasn't eating much at this point but I was starting to get my appetite back!). As we ate and chatted, we watched as a family of monkeys made their way from tree branches to housetops in the area overlooked by the restaurant. We saw the same type of monkey the next day along a road somewhere. I spend a lot of time taking pictures of them. I'm pretty sure this was the first time I'd seen monkeys living in the wild!

We walked through Ayubia National Park. It was a 4K hike, winding along a mountain cliff. Beautiful, natural sites! And the trees were on strike. Periodically, there would be a sign on a tree, expressing a grievance of nature. My companions were not as enthralled by the hike and needed to take frequent breaks as we went (which usually meant I get a chance to take more pictures!).  We started the hike in the afternoon and it was quite dark by the time we got back to the car.  At the end of the hike, we went down a small street that had some stalls set up with purses and little nicknacks. I think this was the first time I'd seen a tourist-focused area.

We drove back into town and had dinner across the street from where we had lunch. I tried a sweet and sour soup, which was reddish-orange in color and a syrup-y consistency. It sounds weird but I quite enjoyed it! It had an initial sweet flavor but had hot pepper flakes in it that gave it a spicy aftertaste.  We had other food as well, but I can't remember what it was! Probably chicken, rice and Nann :)

After eating we went to the house where we were spending the night. One of the guys I was traveling with is related to a Government official, who has access to this house. It was sitting on a hill just outside of town in a gated area. There were a few houses on the property. The part we stayed in had two or three bedrooms and a lawn to enjoy the sunrise in the morning. Before heading to bed, we played card games and ate dried fruits and nuts. The power went out at some point, as it did throughout my travels in the country (they really need to fix their wiring!) and I ended up in a pitch dark washroom, unable to see or move from where I was. I eventually made it out alive though!

On our way to the house for the night, we actually pulled over to the side of the road (in the dark) and got out for an impromptu dance party. We cranked the car speakers up to full blast and the guys got out and started doing a traditional style of dance. I didn't know it and not much of a dancer in general, so I just stretched my legs and recorded the moment on my phone. It was these small moments of spontaneous fun that really made the trip fun. These guys were a hoot to travel with.

The next day, we woke up "early" and drove to Murree. Murree is a small touristy town with street stalls with clothes, souvenirs etc. We walked through and poked around the shops. I bought a light-weight cloth that is normally worn like a shawl around the shoulders. The stalls had simple cloth, machine woven/patterned cloth, and cloth with hand-stitched embroidery work.

A little outside of the town, there was a chair lift that took you to a look-out point. It took a long time to get through the lines and I wasn't blown away by the view. They had some half-hearted tourist attractions at the top. At the bottom and top of the lift, there were winding lines. I was getting stared at a lot and the fact that we were in close proximity to people and couldn't get away from them did not put me in the greatest mood. I don't mind the stares and the pictures if they're in passing, but the stand in a line for an hour while everyone is looking at you... not super fun. One guy asked to take a picture of me. I declined (a little rudely) and his friends laughed at him. We then continued to stand near each other for an hour... awkward...

Once we got back to the car, we drove to the bus station near Islamabad and got on a late bus to Lahore!