Our school closed on May 14, 2016. We had been planning how to spend the vacation this time. There were many proposals. My parents wished to go to our home town, and be with my grandparents for about six weeks or so. My friends had a trekking expedition up their sleeves, while my classmate wished to go to some hill station on an education-tour for which our class-teacher had also given consent. I wished to avail of all three proposals. First, I made my mother and elder sister agree to my going on the tour, with my class and the teacher.Then requested my father to postpone the program to visit the grandparents by a week or so. My father readily agreed and decided that if I wished to go for the educational tour, I could join him later. He and my mother agreed to go in the advance party to be joined by my sister and me after my tour.We started on May 20 by our home town at about 2 p.m. reaching railway platform since the train stopped there a couple minutes, that being a big railway junction. We had greatly enjoyed the train journey. Our first destination was Islamabad(capital of Pakistan) .The rain forests of the Margla hills are perfect for hiking and I admire the scenery from Dam-ne-koh, a viewpoint from where you can see the entire city and look out over endless stretches of green. Now we continue our journey by a coaster . The drive to the Northern Areas through Kaghan and Naran was a breath-taking experience.When the weather allows, we sit on the top of our small bus as we make our way deeper and deeper into the Himalayas. . With the wind in my hair and the sun in my face, I think: this is freedom. The next couple of days at Chilas, Astor and Shigar were exciting, as we camped in the wilderness, drank from the gushing springs and dipped in the pristine lakes. This was something I could not have imagined before. I felt so fortunate to have a view of the mighty Indus and imposing snow-capped peaks at the same time. I felt happy in the company of nature. The bright hued flowers, the clouds sailing across the sky and the snow covered peaks of the high mountains in the distance filled my heart with joy. The drive through the Deosai(the world’s largest plateau which sits at 4000m above sea level. The drive is not for the fainthearted, but when you reach the top you’re rewarded by soft hills carpeted in bright green, sprinkled with little purple flowers that can be blooming in the sun one second and swept over by a snowstorm the next.) plains was incredibly stunning with a tapestry of colourful flowers spread in the wilderness. The silence was a balm for the ears. We passed through several villages and went hiking. The locals always greeted us with smiles, while those who were far away in their stone-and-mud houses, just waved. My visit to the Nanga Parbat (also known as Killer Mountain) base camp created an unforgettable memory. It was August 14, Pakistan’s Independence Day. One could see Pakistani flags fluttering all around. I thought I had reached the real Pakistan, closer to nature and close to national passion After spending a week here we move on towards antique propeller plane heading to Gilgit, a small city in northern Pakistan. The plane is an experience of itself, cruising between incredibly high mountains and casually following the turns of small valleys as we fly over tiny villages and sprawling goat herds. After exploring the Karakorum highway and the beautiful mountain village of Karimabad, (Pakistan’s top honeymoon destination) we head to Skardu. This remote town in the middle of the mountains is the starting point of mountaineers aiming to conquer K2, the world’s second highest mountain. Whenever the happy memories of this school tour haunt my mind, I am reminded of Wordsworth’s lines: “For oft when on my couch I lie In vacant or in pensive mood, They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude; And then my heart with pleasure fills And dances with the daffodils.”