a trip to makhnial

7/25/2019 A Trip to Makhnial

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A trip to Makhnial Page 1

A trip to Makhnial, Margalla Hills, Islamabad

(Coordinates: 33 82' 07" North, 73 13' 41" East)

Shaikh Muhammad Ali)

3D Google Map of Makhnial: Elevation 4,554 Feet

Traveling it leaves you speechless, then

turns you into a storyteller Ibn Battuta


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Overview:

Two fellow hikers i.e. Ahtesham Raja and Khawaja Zaheeruddin Sahib had been

asking me to visit the Makhnial village in theMargalla Hillsfor quite some time and

somehow I had not been able to make a plan. Finally on 9thFebruary 2013; we

decided to visit this place.

I woke up at 5:30 p.m. and after offering myFajrprayers, I woke up Adil and Mohsin

around 5:45 a.m. who said their Fajr prayers too. I then woke my wife up and she

prepared breakfast for us and packedkebabsandwiches for our trip. Sabeen (my

better half) and Ayesha (my little princess) did not plan to undertake this trip.

Since I was not familiar with the area, I asked Khawaja Sahib to accompany us for

this trip. We leave for theIslamabad Zooparking @ 6:45 a.m. and reached there

around 7:00 a.m. Shortly Khawaja sahib arrived and we were out and about. We

enjoyed the drive and slowly reached Sangda (a village on the way) and thenMakhnial while enjoying the views around us.

(The author and his two sons at the Doll house in Sangda)

Since this was not a hiking trip, we drove leisurely and stopped by at many places toenjoy the fallen snow and the scenery.
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(We are posing somewhere b/w Sangda & Makhnial)

This road is to a large extent, in decent shape; save a few rough patches. We go all

the way further where a road block greets us and thus we were forced to make a U

turn.

(Khawaja sahib posing with Adil & Mohsin)

On the way back, we stopped and climbed the Danna Firozpur peak starting at 8:50

a.m. while reaching the oldPAFRadar site around 10:20 a.m.
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(Khawaja Sahib in a singing jolly mood)

Jhalla ki labda phireis the title of the song which Khawaja sahib is singing in the

picture above. I must confess that he is an interesting company on such trips and

always keeps us entertained with his stories, quips and anecdotes. One of our fellow

hikers from Multan i.e. Farrukh Azeem calls him Tiger Chachuaka Tiger Uncle.

(Adil & Mohsin sliding down a snowy slope)

There used to be a radar station here which was no more while there were only

remains of the station whereby debris of some broken dish antennas were scattered.


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(Snow clad Kashmir mountains at the back)

On clear days like this, it really is a sight to behold as the peaks are completely

covered in snow. From this peak, we could see the snowcappedKashmirMountains

in the distance beyondMurreehills. Being at an altitude close to 6,000 feet, we were

able to see some snow and the children got a chance to play in the snow. We had

our little picnic at the top and enjoyed some snacks and sandwiches and then came

down by 11:00 a.m.

(Picnic time on top of the nearby peak)

While we were driving down, we stopped at a road sidedhabbafor a hot cup of tea

prepared on wood & charcoal.
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(I am overseeing the tea being prepared)

This type of tea has a pleasant taste and we enjoyed each and every sip.

(Adil & Mohsin basking in the sun before the tea was served)

We drive down to Sangda on the way back, park our car at one of the safe locationsand walk up to the newly built Highland country club on the top of this hill.


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(The frontal view of the Highland country club in Sangda)

We stayed at the club for a while, walked around while enjoying the crisp cool

breeze of February and retreat by 12:00 p.m. reaching base camp by 1:00 p.m.

(Taking in the weather at the Highland country club)

On the way back, we stopped by for a while at Kuch Khas (a social club) to pick up

Ayeshas doll which she had left there last evening while we were visiting to watch a

PakistanIndiamatch; which Pakistan lost miserably.
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We drove a total distance of only 70 kms. up and down. We first dropped Khawaja

Sahib at his house and returned home by 2:00 p.m. and enjoyed a sumptuous meal

and after having a warm shower had asiestafor the rest of the evening.

Shaikh Muhammed AliThe Wandering Dervish

E-mail:[email protected]

Cell: +00-92-321-5072996

Saturday, 20th Rabi ul Thani, 1437 H

6thFebruary 2016, 2:10 p.m. (PST)
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