A Trip to Nathiagali

Haan jee haan…to is nae naweele forum main main ne socha ke entry maari jae… :~) about a week back i was supposed to attend a meeting in isloo on monday to main ne socha thori se party ki jae aur saturday ko he wahan nikal lia jae. Had a couple of friends there so thought of teaming up with him and going to Nathiagali over the weekend.

Alrighy…here is the ba-tasveer safarnaama aur chand bay-maqsad tasveerain too :~D

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A chashma (meri aankhon ke ilawa wala) enroute to Nathiagali

Thora aur aage barhay to mera dost..who happens to be a local of isloo, stopped the car. Uchaltay koodtay hum loug..do chaar chataanon ke oopar se nikal kar idhar aa nikle. Yeh hai janab…mushhoor-o-maaruf Muree Brewery ki awwalein factory.

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A View of the defunct Muree Brewery

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Agar aap thori mehnat karein and read the plate at the top of the old building…it reads ‘Muree Brewery-1860’

It’s an impressive piece of art…though sadly unkempt-with arches that tell the fate of its once-imposing edifice.

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Muree Brewery ki Aik Arch talay-mera dost aur main

Climbing up the winding road to Nathiagali with breath-taking sites that captivate the passer-by to no end, we reached the base-stop to Nathiagali. This is a view down the ‘Prestige’ hotel (i hope i have gotten the name right). It’s a good place for ‘mounh-haath dhona’ aur thora se fresh-up hona. Yahan yeh sab karna is liay bhi zaroori tha ke ab hum ne aage jaana tha.

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A view from the hotel terrace where we stopped…taaza dam hone ke liay

Hotel se thora aage aik church hai. Supposedly, it is the oldest church in this area…and it still conducts service. Main ne kaha thora pose maar kar idhar bhi tasveer khinchwai jae…itni dair main tap tap do teen boondain parnay lagi thein.

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Yeh view hai church ke bahar se

Main ne zabardasti zidd ki uncle se (paadri sahab) se ke main ne andar jaana hai. Unhon ne pehle to oopar se neechay mujhay ghoor kar dekha…phir pata nahin kia sochte huay..aankhon ke isharay se kaha ke chalay jao. Main to is chakkar main tha ke andar ‘ehd-o-paimaan’ ho rahe hoon gae aur main live! witness kar loon ga…par andar to mere jaise chand nojawaan aur nojawanian foto lene main masroof thay. Kher…main ne bhi le li. photo i mean.

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…aur yeh church ke ander se!

Oye Hoy... Khan jee aap chaa gaye hain sir jee...aik dum fust kilaas.

Oh Murree, I would love to spend my retirement years in a cottage built on one of it's hills.

lovely photos khan jee and lovely place :k: .. i like the greenery.

how far is nathiagali from Isb ? what else can be done there ?

kya style hai :smooth: .. its the same pose in each pic .. aise lagta hai keh copy & paste kyia gya hai her pic main .. just like the guy on the top of the WTT.

It is quite possibly the most beautiful place I have seen.

Nathoagali is a great place,.. and we used to visit every year in summer/.. Khanu pura "hero Hira Lal " lag raha he..

On to the Mushkpuri Hiking Track

Haan to taaza-dam ho kar hum ne kamar kasi ke ab Mushkpuri ke hiking track par chala jae. Pehle he doston ne naveed dai di thi ke kamar kass kar aana-taqreeban 2-2.5 hour ka hiking track hai. Pehle to dil main aai ke kanni katra jaein..aakhir nanhi se jaan..zindagi pareshan...socha raaste main apne saath 'hand!' ho gaya to wapas karachi aa kar to kisi ko mounh dikhane ke qaabil nahin rahein gae. Kher, doston ne tarha tarha ke taane tishnay de kar track ke liay raazi kia.

Yeh jo tasveer nazar aa rahi hai...is main chehra jo khila khila lag raha hai..yeh hiking ke aaghar par he hai..aage to pata he hai ke kia hona hai. Note: Is neechay wali tasveer main joggers mere apne nahin..dost se mustaar liay thay..jo safar ke aakhir main apne sole se mehroom ho chukay thay..dekhna kitni mehnat se hiking ki thi.

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Mushkpuri Top: Taking the first steps!

Raasta self-balancing hai...shuru ke 20-25 minutes tak achi khaasi charhai hai...jis se thori dair main he hum shehrion ki himmat jawab dene lagti hai-jab banda girnay ko hota hai to slope kam ho kar level ho jaata hai. Raasta bara he dilkash hai....more than the mushkpuri top itself, one enjoys the sights within that await the hikers.

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One such sight on our way up...

Sparing you the details of how many of us collapsed on our way up (mazaak) and how many breaks we took to reach the top...fast forward kar ke we finally reached the top. Wah wah...kia party chal lahi thi oopar i mean kia scene tha. seeti bajata hai It's much like the Saiful Muluk phenomenon. Until the last turn, you are unaware what awaits you...same was the case here. We were cursing under our breath ke kambakht kab khatam ho gi hike..when we turned and it was there. Saari mehnat wasool ho jaati hai oopar pauhanch kar. It's so serene and peaceful...with a few families around (woh bhi ghoron par beth kar aaein thein..hum to paidal he gae thay) and clouds and light playing their magic...it was almost self-rewarding for the effort we undertook.

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The clouds at play at Mushkpuri top

Mujhe thora shughal soojha to socha ke thori still-life bhi ho jae...phir main ne pata nahin pathar..kaghaz, teen dabbay aur yahan tak ke aik lady-bird ko pakar kar us ki bhi pics le lein. Aik jhalak:

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A class in still-life photography at Mushkpuri top

Is neechay wali tasveer ke baare main mere doston ka kehna hai ke yeh to switzerland lagti hai (zahir si baat hai ke they have never been to switzerland...par perspective ki baat hai. aap switzerland walon ko bhi yeh keh sakte hain ke they have never been to mushkpuri top..hisab barabar!). Aap dekhain aur faisla karein:

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Mushkpuri with gaein/bhainsain vs Switzerland (sans gaein bhainsain)

Hum thori dair ke liay lait kar apne saansein bahaal karne lage aur qudrat ki ra'anaaiyon par ghor bhi karne lage. (For the uninitiated and those who are not well-versed in good urdu like me, actually we just sat or lied down and munched on our pringles and 7up...baaqi sab to main ne shashkon ke liay daala hai)

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Shararti clouds at the top...badli without a chand (i am not in the pic) but just as splendid!

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Another view of the top-this time sans gaein/bhainsain. Serenity drips from the pic, doesn't it?

I have been to Nathiagali countless times, since it happens to be my dad's favorite retreat..we used to go there almost every weekend, since it is situated only couple of hours drive from taxila..stunningly beautiful place, but now threatened due to over-population and massive deforestation..

Aakhri tasveer bila-unwaan hai. Is par mere doston ne meri bari khinchai ki ke bhai kyon khinchwa rahe ho? Chakkar kia hai. Laikin doston masla yeh hai ke ache photographer hone ka aik nuqsaan hota hai ke aap ki apni pic aane he nahin paati aur achi pic to duur ki baat hai. Main ne bhi dheet ban kar aik ‘pose’ laga kar photo khinchwai hai. Kuch pata nahin kab kahan kaam aa jae! :~D

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Bila-tabsara!

Saadia: :rotfl: @ your copy/paste of style comment. You are right…i feel awkward standing any other way…but the copy/paste thingie never occured to me! :smiley: Thanks!

funguy: tou aap abhi retire huay nahin kia? Thanks yar.

hiccup: you bet!

Degas: :hehe: bas yar lal roomal ki kami hai… :~)

Gauti teri mast mast hayyyyyyyyyyy:smooth:

jo iss ko dekhay gaa woh mar jaaye gaaa :hula:

nice pics khan yaaraa :blush:

Anwaar Mian: :D Shukria.

Saadia: It's 2.5-3 hr drive from Isb.

Absolutely beautiful :k:
Looks like my kinda place :slight_smile:
InshAllah will visit it one day.

Looks like a really beautiful place. I hope the govt takes care of the pllution and deforestation there. :)

Is that a compliment for khanzada;)?

opps:silly: sorry i asked that question:bummer: now i know it was for nathiaa galli :stuck_out_tongue:

Zabardast snaps yaar. :k: I went to Nathiagali last year and it was simply wonderful.

dreamily adds Nathiagali to her list of places to visit

Beautiful pics, Khanzada. Descriptions were at times hilarious, particularly the parts about before leaving for the hike. :D Good to know the view was well worth it. It's absolutely beautiful, the pic of the clouds and trees looks like a little piece of heaven. So much serenity there.

Really really enjoyed viewing this thread. Thank you so much for sharing.

Khanzada, thanks for the thread and sharing pics. Safar nama bhi bohat acha hey.

Wonderful!:k:

Re: A Trip to Nathiagali

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Khanzada: *

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A chashma (meri aankhon ke ilawa wala) enroute to Nathiagali

^^ itnay hasreen manzer mein ye aik ajeeb se cheez kya tension dal rahi hai :konfused:

:jhanda: Pakistan :love:

Hopefully I will get to go in about 3 weeks. It is definately one the most beautiful places. If I could I would move there for good...for the rest of my life.