Pearls in the valley

by Fatima Hanif (Pakistan)

I didn't expect to find Pakistan

i did a trip to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan in January 2019. Thought Pakistan is my home but this was a very touristy trip as i had gone back to KPK after a long time. I did my light emotional outburst here ! I visited one of the mot beautiful valley in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; Swat but i spend most of my time in the beautiful valley Malam Jabba, KPK, Pakistan. Malam jabba is a hill station in hindu kush mountains range nearly 40 km from Saidu Sharif in swat valley,Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Malam jabba Is actually famous for its ski Resort. i am hiking lover there are two different hiking parts positioned near Malam jabba resort and it is equipped with modern facilities such as ice skating rinks, skiing platforms, chair lifts, telephones and moreover snow clearing equipment are also available in the resort . The weather was quite friendly, temperature was swing between 8° to 12°. I wore light woolen stuff as i knew evening can get a bit chilly. there were every type of hotels to stay with every charges of 3500 rupees to 17000 rupees per night depends on how many facilities you want to have. I stayed at Almas hotel Mingora, Swat. it was 19 kilometer away from Malam Jabba which costed 1500 per night. In my opinion while choosing a hotel room to stay, always choose who costs you less and provide basic facilities. I spent my money in sight-seeing rather than on expensive hotel rooms as you just stay in hotel for like 4-5 hours. Malam jabba has no restaurant but there was a small canteen at the top of the hill station where i bought a cup of hot tea and a plate of Pakoras. It was the best local food i found there to eat and the best part is there placed some chairs at the top where you can sit and enjoy the beautiful scenery of Malam jabba. when i was taking a sip of tea the cold wind touches my cheeks and it was such a fresh, heart touching and breath taking moment. I almost lost myself there so i closed my eyes and let the wind flow through me as i was in love, i wish the time could stop, i wish i could hold my breath for a minute. The sun set was bold, brilliant and rich in color and i was getting obsessed with the scene . i keep observing the color, shades and pattern of sky and clouds and how they are different from my daily life routine. Setting of sun shows how a end of a journey can be beautiful. I went back to my hotel and rewind the scene as many time as i could so the very next day i went back to my city where i live Lahore, Pakistan, a land of historical buildings and get busy in my internship but i was unable to forget my trip and shared it with my lot of friends , shared my pictures on social media and tried my best to motivate people around me to travel.