Our trip to Murree

31 Km Long trail — Gharyal Camp to Bhurban

Nature has a way of taking us places we put our focus on. Like if you wake up, early, walk out, you find a trail into the hills, broken bricks and cracking leaves. It feels real strange when you walk some minutes on it — you find a good quiet place. Like the one you have been dreaming for so long. You sit here and feel the calmness.

We get exactly what we want. We want time, to create a side hustle, increase our financial freedom, create art, win heart, help a community — we get it. Life is simple, when we put our priorities first. Our family wants us happy, job wants our excitement, friends want our wins. Everyone wants us to be happy and fun. It is only we ourselves, who put giant barricades of excuses on our ways.

Walking the Mall Road

Mall Road, one of the oldest tourist attraction in Murree

It is actually a drive on the Mall road. You find yourself alone, kind of shy, people staring at you — what the .. are you doing this early in the morning. You cross a dhabba (a small shop), meet some dead end streets, say salam (hi) to hotel owners, look at wrappers on road. But still keep walking — hoping you find a spot to sit and write.

Our days are so diverse. Colorful actually. Same spot, road, hour, mindset — and when you change one bit, everything changes. Your world views, political preferences, worries and methods. Ideas 💡 flash past, life gets better.

I have traveled mall road a lot many times, I can’t say the count. But now, when I walked it, empty and moments before it is stormed with people — it felt changed, hmm, beautiful. One tiny change in perception, has given me a new view to this rock star hill station.

Maybe I stick to the purpose of changing the world. But it might come from building motivation to write. Or through thorough stories. I might focus more on my mental health instead of content. Maybe I do not repeat the same mistake twice.

French Toast - Galyat

1 Km short of Ayubia National Park

You need a gas burner, a fry pan, eggs, milk, oil, sugar, and bread. Make a cocktail of all liquids. Keep the surgery a little high. Pour oil in pan. And put the cocktail-dipped bread on your pan. In under 5 minutes— you get well browned tasty french toast.

We have been here for an hour almost. Had the toast, the tea and now what? There is boredom and laziness slowly creeping in.

Make a todo list, a set of actions, that you love. That when you are done with one exciting job you can start the next fun one. Write an article, the structure initially, slowly build the content and polish it until it looks lovable.

In the moments in between, when there is confusion mounting — ask yourself to enjoy the silence. The safety you have right now. The surety that the path you have walked until now has been perfect. Failures were a necessity to reach here. Next you have the same freedom, experience, lessons, a lit metallic road - to drive to your dream.

Lesson — Do not do a thing twice that makes you feel ugly, bored, or sad. This simple rule leads us to beautiful destinations.

Go Slow Walk - Pipeline Track

1892, British Army built a pipeline. Today it is a rain-forest thick jungle track on top the pipeline — named, pipeline track.

This is a 4.5 Km track. We have covered 2.5 Km. Since morning, I feel tired. Thinking, what is the hurry?

A rush, a race, to win, be the first, clear exams, catch a flight, a continuous struggle to show up. What if this life was nothing but a deep slow walk of fresh ideas. We could walk what we had planned. Slowly and steadily we could win it all.

Completing our tasks, is easy. When you break these into tiny chunks, it becomes fun. Finish them when you are in your flow zone. Build nice foundations. Good projects. Working machinery. That look good inside out.

Living is easy — when it is slow. It is hard when you are in a rush.

Drive on old Murree to Islamabad Road

Old Murree to Islamabad Road — now replaced with the new Express Way

It took us 2 hours to leave Ghariyal Camp Murree and reach Islamabad via the old road. We feel the old road still is better than the new Express Motorway. Better sceneries, a little more polished and less crowded. You get your old flash backs. Old hotels. Old fuel stations. You feel what it was like when there was no internet.

We found Chattar Park closed, Rawal lake closed, Margalla hills trail too hard to climb — and now sitting at Fatima Jinnah Park, drinking tea / eating mangoes.

Still not ripe !

Conclusion

We got home at around 1630 hours. Tomorrow it is the same day again. But a new me. Tomorrow, I know, the chaos I felt last week — was just another bump on the road. When looked from a distance, or 2 days down, it is tiny. As you travel time, tragedies disappear. You feel whole again. You find, time is still here, there is no hurry, you can write all the newsletter you want. You can create all the vlogs you want.

The most important lesson of this trip was — we don’t have to be in a hurry. Things happen fast when we follow a not-todo list. Without negativity, addiction, evil — the good becomes a natural outcome. We take better decisions on our own. Gradually we start reviving the inner peace and start feeling great over these small accomplishments.

In times, there comes the calling to do bad - or smoke - or stay up late at night. Here, don’t forget the promise you have made to yourself :—

Whether it rains, or storms, or the world falls upon - to overcome the addictiveness, I am not going to get out of the tub. I am tied to its base, the ice cubes are floating, nerves are tightening - but I am never going to go back to the dark old past.