SAFAR ARCHIVES

Off to Isloo!

Thursday, March 31, 2005 | 23 comments

by

Mehmi Sarfraz



photos courtesy

Farhan Zaidi



The plan to go to Islamabad was hatched on the spur of the moment when Zaheer announced that he is bored and therefore would like to go on a long drive (his idea of a long drive also included an overnight stay). The five of us – me, Romi, Zaheer, Farhan and Ali – left Lahore around 7:15pm on 21st March. We stopped to get the car tank full first and also get some stuff to eat as it was decided not to stop much along the motorway. Farhan took to the driving seat and we reached Islamabad in three hours time.
View of Islamabad from Daman-e-Koh

Upon reaching there we asked for directions to “Blue area” so we could have dinner at ‘Jehangirs’ which is a good desi-food restaurant. The dinner was scrumptious and everyone ate to their hearts content. After dinner we drove around “Blue area” to search for lodging. As you drive around, you come to Constitutional Avenue and can see the Presidency and the Parliament House along the way. These buildings are magnificently built and reek of the power that they hold.

After a little while we found a very nice guesthouse ‘Chateau Royal’. It was very cosily built and the rooms were spacious and welcoming.

The funny part was when the waiter took our luggage and went to place it in the girls & guy’s rooms accordingly – he thought the two large suitcases must belong to us girls while the handbag and the backpack must belong to the guys. It came as a jolt to him when he found out the medium-sized handbag was the female’s total luggage and Zaheer made some flippant comment about us being the only two females in the world who travelled so light.

A couple of hours were spent in playing cards and then we decided to call it quits for the night as it was decided we’d go to Murree (a hill-station near Islamabad) in the morning.


Rise & shine everyone


In the morning everyone got ready (though Ali was hopping around half-naked in the lobby and only when a female shrieked at the horrific sight did he put his shirt on) and then we had our breakfast in the breakfast room. The scenic beauty of Islamabad and the clear sky made the morning more beautiful and exquisite. Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan is located against the backdrop of Margalla Hills. It is one of the most peaceful places to be in and one of the most well planned cities. The roads are of high quality and well maintained; greenery and the hills compliment the serenity of the city.


On the Way to Murree

Journey to Murree


We set out for Murree, the most popular summer resort of Pakistan, around 11am. The traffic was light and the weather pleasant. Murree is an hours drive northeast of Islamabad but the drive is nerve wrecking especially for people like me who has a height phobia. The roads are narrow and the turnings are dangerous. Traffic is heavy on most days though this day was an exception but I still kept reciting various prayers even though Zaheer was driving with veritable ease. To add fuel to fire (for my phobia), Farhan narrated a thrilling story of his experience in Yosemite where his life was saved by sheer luck during one such drive. It was a very interesting story though it played havoc with my mind at that time and the speed of reciting the prayers considerably rose in my heart. There were green pine-covered slopes all around the road and made the whole view extremely breathtaking.


Murree


Poor Egg-seller Patanis at Kashmir Point

Finally we reached Murree and went via the “Mall” (which is a shopping area located at the center) to Kashmir Point, which is at the northeast end. As soon as we got out of the car, the chilly wind hit our faces and froze the limbs. Snow was still lounging in some corners but it was so dusty that it seemed more like a dirty stone than snow. Two Pathan kids asked us to do riding but we decided to walk on our own so that we could enjoy the scenic view at our own leisure. A street vendor offered to sell film rolls to us and also take our pictures but we didn’t need any of that since we had the magician photographer Farhan with us.

We passed by St. Denys Girls High School and the Murree Church on our way and kept walking towards the President house (formerly known as Governor House). A pine-covered forest is found on one side of the road while magnificent mountains can be seen on the other.

Icy Peaks from Kashmir Point

The reason we chose to visit Kashmir point instead of it’s counterpart Pindi point was because Kashmir point offers a much more fascinating view of the magnificent natural sights. At a near distance one can see lush green fertile valley and hills covered with snow. The panoramic view mesmerizes the viewer and one just keeps gazing at the icy peaks as if transfixed by the sheer beauty of nature. The beauty of the valley casts a spell on your senses and the sight that befalls bewitches the audience. When sunlight falls on the icy peaks, it dazzles the eyes as such it makes the mountain tops look so alluring and makes one wish that time would stop and they can enjoy the tranquility of such a place. The howling wind and the chirping of birds works as the perfect background music.

A View from Pir Sohawa

Our thrilling excursion was cut short at a point where a landslide had fallen recently so we had to turn back, and decided to go back to Islamabad. With a heavy heart at leaving the peace and tranquility of such a beautiful valley, we drove back to Islamabad. The song “Yeh haseen vaadiaan …” from “Roja” was on in the car and it fit the bill perfectly. I enjoyed the drive back to Islamabad as now we were going downhill.


Back in Islamabad


Luki in her usual bad mood near Daman-e-KohWe got back in Islamabad around 4pm and went to “Pir Sohawa”. On the way up you can find a lot of monkeys sitting on the road enjoying treats from the tourists. Pir Sohawa is on the way up from Margalla Hills and when the Indian cricket team toured Pakistan last year, they were taken on a trip there too. We stayed there for a few minutes and then decided to go down to “Daman-e-Koh” – a low hill overlooking Islamabad.


Daman-e-Koh


Daman-e-Koh is often described as a terraced garden in the heart of Margalla hills. One can enjoy a glorious panoramic view of Islamabad from up there and it boasts of a very nice restaurant so you can fill your tummy and enjoy the picturesque view alongside. The food was very delicious and wholesome.

Faisal Mosque from Daman-e-Koh
You can see a clear view of the whole city of Islamabad from up here. One can see The Shah Faisal Mosque at a distance, which was a gift from Saudi Arabia and is named after late King Shah Faisal. It is one of the largest mosques in Asia and its main prayer hall can accommodate 10,000 people at one time. The architecture of this white stoned mosque is a unique blend of old Arabian style and modern architecture.

Rawal dam can also be seen from up here, which is the main water reservoir for the residents of Rawalpindi/Islamabad.

Sunset from Daman-e-Koh

The panoramic view of Islamabad enchanted us and we stayed there till sunset. Watching the sun set from Daman-e-Koh was an enthralling experience. The change in light was so exquisite and the different colours in the sky captivated the viewer. The scene looked right out of the world’s most beautiful painting. It is at times like these that one really marvels at the universal beauty of nature. Time was short or else we would have loved to stay there for a lot longer.


Hang-out


Our next stop was “Hang-out” -- a sheesha-bar in Islamabad. Sheesha is a special sort of smoking pipe with flavoured juices inside it which makes the experience of smoking more pleasing. The ambience of the place came as a nice surprise to us. As you enter the bar, the pleasant aroma of scented smoke hits you and the superb décor is eye-pleasing - it is a delightful blend of western, Arabic & traditional designing. As we were all full, we decided to have light snacks instead of proper dinner. The little tidbits of food were nice; their mango ice cream is specially recommended while the soup wasn’t up to the standard. The good thing about this bar was that people of all ages could come and enjoy – apart from the usual teenagers hanging around, there were families enjoying the food and atmosphere.


Back to Lahore


Time flew and soon it was time to leave Islamabad. We left for Lahore at 11pm and this time Zaheer wanted to test Romi’s driving skills (she flew his test with flying colours and Zaheer is now a full-fledged fan of her driving).Cinderella's Broken Slipper Farhan regaled us with more thrilling stories of his life and at 2:30 am we were back in Lahore after a tremendously entertaining trip.


Our only loss on this trip was my broken shoe * sniff sniff*
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Conquering Sinhgadh

Thursday, March 31, 2005 | 4 comments

by

Sushanth Rao



I was all excited and so were my friends. All of us were taking a break from work and had planned a good five days of exciting fun. We were going to Sinhgadh, one of the Forts which once belonged to the great Shivaji. Sinhgadh (1290 m above sea leve), was once known as "Kondhana" and is located 25 km away from Pune. All of us had different ideas of how it would be, but we were all sure of one thing. All of us were going to have great fun at Sinhgadh!

Location of Sinhgadh

Historically, Sinhgadh has always been a place of great military significance, be it for the Marathas or the Mughals. Sinhgadh has always been associated with stories of bravery. The locals tell us that Sinhgadh is a place where valour is etched on every stone and the soil has turned red by the blood of martyrs! This fort is infused by tales of bravery. From the times when a Koli chieftain, Nag Naik, stoutly defended this fort (AD 1328) against the might of the Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq for nine months to the times of Jaswant Singh, Aurangzeb's commander, who dragged his guns up the fort's steep shoulders to avenge the insult to Shaista Khan, who had been rebuffed by Shivaji. It was at this very fort that Shivaji's general, Tanaji Malusare launched an attack to recapture the fort. In the ensuing battle, Tanaji valiantly laid down his life but captured the fort. A grieving Shivaji is known to have said, "Gad ala pan sinh gela" (The fort is won but the lion has gone). And this is how the fort got its name: sinh (lion's) gad (fort). Sinhgad lived up to its reputation even during the Indian freedom struggle. Lokmanya Tilak, the freedom fighter, had a bungalow atop here and Gandhiji is said to have asked for water from Sinhgadh whenever he was imprisoned at Pune.

The Fort EntranceBut again we were more interested in fun than the history. The bus ride along the steep roads was just the beginning of it all. Finally after a 2 hour journey from Pune we reached the entrance of Sinhgadh. From that point onwards it was all walking. As we walked through we could feel the tiredness of the 2hr bus journey fade away. The air was so fresh and the gentle winds caressed you wherever you went. Our first target was to reach our dormitory, which was an old nunnery converted into a tourist bungalow. It took us about 30 minutes to walk from the entrance to the bungalow. On the way we could see many small huts and also some houses, one of which belonged to Lokmanya Tilak. Once we reached the bungalow, looking around we could see nothing but grass, trees and of course, the walls of the fort. As it was almost bedtime, most of us freshened up and went to sleep, anticipating a very busy day ahead.

The View over the Fort Walls


Day two started with all of us going to take a look around the place. The place was so beautiful. With a glance across the walls you could see miles of open space. It seemed as if we were looking down from the windows of an airplane. We took a walk around the fort appreciating its grandeur and history.. There were monuments dedicated to Shivaji's son and also to a Mughal chieftain and we saw the wall, which Tanaji is said to have scaled. One look would be enough to scare, even the experienced climbers. It was almost straight and looked very slippery. It seems the soldiers had to scale this wall at night because the other sides were well guarded (The locals say they used a chameleon with a rope tied to its tail instead of the hook). The fort also houses a mammoth stable carved out of rock. There are also many small ponds including the famous Dev Taki. You can also see the NDA (National Defense Academy) khadagwasla from the top of Sinhgadh.

Day three was more fun. Although, we started late we were in for some high quality trekking. We took a ride to the base of the fort and started our trek and it was one of the more difficult routes we took. On the way up, you could spot these little rest spots made by the locals who made this climb daily. It was amazing to see these people making this climb to the top daily, though there are buses that they can take to the top. We saw little kids and old men climbing at a pace, which we could never hope to build up. Nonetheless, it was an amazing climb up to the top. The only thing we could see from below was the Doordarshan Broadcast tower which was at the highest point in Sinhgadh. After hours of trekking with generous breaks in the middle we reached the top. We had conquered Sinhgadh.

Rappelling from the FortDay four was a rock climbing and rappelling day. Though most of us were pretty new to all this, it was one thing we couldn't miss. Under the trained guidance of our guides, we started our climbs. Though I did not particularly like the climb, rappelling was the activity I really enjoyed. Coming down the high cliffs was so much fun. I had been totally scared to take the first step, but after that it was pure enjoyment. That night our organizers had arranged for a treasure hunt which took us all around the fort. I had seen nightlife in the cities but never on a Fort before this. This was in addition to the nice campfires we used to have almost on all days.

Day Five was the last day of our stay at Sinhgadh. We packed our stuff and moved out. But not before we had devoured an amazing local meal prepared by the local chef. The curd in small clay pots that you get in Sinhgadh is just amazing! If you are a foodie, there is a special preparation called Sinhgadh style chicken, which is made on order. I think it is this sweet curd, buttermilk, Kanda bhaji, Pithle-Bhakari (Roti) and Chicken that drag many tourists here. It was a 2 hour drive back to Pune and the next day it was time to head back to the office.

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