July 28, 2007

Today I wish to share with you an interesting and enthusiastic journey that I took to Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. My excitement had no bounds when I heard that we were going to Islamabad. To add fun to the journey we planned to take a train instead of an aeroplane.

An old talkative couple was also travelling along with us in our compartment. I enjoyed the beautiful scenery while looking through the train window.

After completing an exhausting journey I, along with my family members, proceeded towards our rented house. As soon as we reached I went to the kitchen to quench my thirst. I was amazed to see crystal clean water flowing in the glass from the cooler tap. It was so clean that I could just drink it the way it was, in Hyderabad cannot drink water without boiling it.

“There is no need to boil water in Islamabad.” I was told by my younger brother – it was a fact which we hadn’t any idea of before coming to Islamabad.

The weather of Islamabad was pleasant at the end of March and it felt good to spend few weeks there.

On the first day in the evening I, my mother and my sister decided to take a walk in the Women Children Park. This park in G/10-1 is meant for women and children but despite this we found men loitering around. Although, other females were walking to lose weight we just enjoyed watching children playing and overweight women strolling. I witnessed many Afghan families who often visited the park.

There are many places to visit in Islamabad and we planned to see as much as we could in the limited time that we had. Our first choice was Shakerparian — a wonderful park in Islamabad. We hired a taxi and travelling on the beautiful roads lined with lush green tall trees all through the way we reached Shakerparian. Here one has to pay an entry fee of Rs10. Prior to viewing attractive natural sceneries we were welcomed by several cart vendors selling decoration pieces, children’s toys, artificial jewellery and gifts. We just enjoyed watching them the whole area is covered with greenery. Visitors can enjoy eating ice cream, choola chaat and other food items as well. From here one can get a mesmerising view of the Margalla hills too. This makes the visit worth its while.

Shakerparian has been made more appealing by the addition of Pakistan Monument. Architect of the Pakistan Monument was Arif Masoud. This monument gives the exact picture of Pakistan’s history. Each site declares how dedicatedly this monument was built by people. Spread over seven acres of land, this monument portrays a flower which symbolises our dearest country Pakistan. The four petals stand for the four provinces and these provinces are standing united, with confidence on each other. Artistic work done inside the petals describes different famous historical people and places of the country.

In front of the Pakistan Monument, is situated the Pakistan Museum of Natural History (PMNH); the purpose of this is preservation of Pakistan’s heritage. According to PMNH brochure, which I obtained from the museum, it is the first and only Natural History Museum in Pakistan established in 1976 under the patronage of Pakistan Science Foundation, Ministry of Science and Technology, government of Pakistan. It has four principal divisions namely, Botanical Sciences, Earth sciences, Zoological Sciences and public services. The first three science divisions are engaged in collection, identification and research activities pertaining to plants, animals, fossils and mineral resources of Pakistan, while the latter is responsible for mass education and popularisation of natural history through various displays and exhibits. One may observe in the museum the statues of people who had struggled hard to create Pakistan.

Daman-i-koh was the next place we went. It is a hilly place from where the whole of Islamabad can be viewed. While standing there one may feel as though he has touched the height. Its beauty is enhanced by the greenery and flowers at different sites. We enjoyed our lunch at a BBQ restaurant located at Daman-i-koh. This restaurant gives one a truly rustic feel. Besides the high-quality food the ambience here is great.

Islamabad zoo is also visited by a lot of people. The zoo has lots of bird species and many other animals. The elephant at the zoo saluted us with his trunk so I gave him a ten rupee note which he took with his trunk. After the zoo we visited Rawal Dam situated about 23 km from Islamabad. It is a large artificial reservoir and main source of water for residents of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Sunset at Rawal Dam is very beautiful. The area. The area around the lake has been planted with flowering trees. Many people come here to relax.

Faisal Mosque, named after King Faisal of Saudi Arabia, is the biggest mosque of Asia. Vedat Dalokay, a Turkish architect, designed this magnificent mosque. It is spread over an area of 5,000 sq metres with 88-metre high minarets and 40-metre high main prayer hall. Its shape is like a tent with four minarets. Before entering the mosque one has to take off his shoes to maintain the sanctity of the mosque. One can barely express its magnificence in words. Uncountable lights add to its beauty at night. People in large numbers came to pray here.

During our stay we roamed freely throughout the capital repeatedly and enjoyed each moment spent there. Finally we finished our journey and proceeded to Hyderabad.

During my stay in Islamabad I was surprised to see that no matter how heavily it rained it did not create any problems. Unlike other major cities the sewerage line never clogged nor did any water accumulate on the streets. In Islamabad people do not fear the downpour but enjoy every second of it.