Back from the Mountains!

Peace and salutations,

I am going to dedicate this post in relaying to you some of the details of a wonderful trip to Bhurban I took with my family last week.

Bhurban is close to a very popular (and hence unbearably crowded)  hill station, Murree, whose name surely no Pakistani can not have heard. Bhurban is much less crowded though. It's also located at a lower height than Murree so it is slightly less cold. The weather there was very pleasant, with cool breezes flowing all day long. It even drizzled one morning but ,thankfully, not enough to hinder our outdoor exploits.

The start of the hiking track

The main attraction for me there was the hiking track. We usually went there early in the morning so there was often not a soul around. Just my family and I happily trudging along. Coming from a busy city where the blaring of car horns are the main sounds that can be heard, the peace, quiet and solitude there was amazingly refreshing. It inspired me and awed me. I listened to the birds calling out to each other, saw the thin, almost feathery leaves that silently fell from the branches. The crunch of old leaves underneath my feet and the beams of sunlight forcing their way through the canopy overhead filled me with admiration for nature. At many times, I halted in my tracks, took out my poem diary and jotted down my thoughts in a few sentences. Descriptions from the many books I had read were swimming around in my head and for once, I could understand and experience what authors meant when they described forest scenes using various phrases.

THE SQUIRREL BENCH!

I saw some really curious species of butterflies there (unfortunately, I seem to have deleted the pictures I took of them) and some particularly large and hairy crows and funny looking toadstools. The benches there were very cute, with squirrels for support.  There was also an old man who gave rides on a beautiful white horse.

The huts.

I was also able to catch up on my reading. I finished Castle in the Air there and started Sense and Sensibility. 

On the whole, it was a very enjoyable family trip. I hope I haven't bored you with all these long descriptions though. I'd love to hear where you went in your summer vacations in the comment box.

I'm planning to post a bunch of reviews on books I've read this summer and change my blog's layout. I've just realized that I've hardly written anything about my great love for books. I shall provide some evidence soon, InshAllah, if laziness does not strike me again.

Until then.

☮ 
Hnia