It is a tale of 2020’s July, when my bother-in-law had visited us. My elder brother, who was the victim of a hectic daily routine, planned to tour Abbottabad on my brother-in-law’s demand. The negotiations commenced for Swat and then probably because of the feasibility factor, ended up to Abbottabad. My brother’s unwilling approach towards the plan, kept it at a theoretical level and consequently, for me at least, a travel to the destination was unimaginable. There were many reasons behind my brother’s disinclination which do not suit the relevance of this article, but something stunning happened the following day.
The day took its usual boring start with a country-wide, smart lock-down in effect. As soon as I completed my breakfast, I was forced by my brother-in-law to get ready for the trip, which was for me, indeed unexpected. At first, I bared the demand a casual response but after persistent compulsion, I spent a wink in getting ready and at around 3 p.m., we left for Abbottabad.
We drove through, taking random turns and jumping from street to street, towards the Cantt area. We faced a handful of hitches with the car and finally ended up in the court, where we exchanged cars with my dad and headed towards Abbottabad. Then the real journey started.
We climbed the Ring Road’s bridge and scooped down the track to the City area. After a consistent and smooth traffic flow, a bottleneck resulted in a sluggish, bumper-to-bumper movement of vehicles. The sun was out but its scorching blaze was absent, resulting in a dim sunshine. During the traffic jam, we witnessed the test drive of Bus Rapid Transit’s (BRT) mammoth, rather dazzling automobile, which was actually a bus. On that very instant, I dreamed of travelling in that charming vehicle with a relaxing, probably air-conditioned environment. But the thought of a jam-packed and stifling atmosphere, transformed my dream into a nightmare. From cycles to trucks, the road bore the weight of every sort of vehicle. There was a constant buzz in the environment, constituted of horns and voices. There were many individuals around, some struggling to cross the road, some trying to win the bargain in the roadside shops, and others offering their merchandise while sitting on the pavement, many of whom my sight had skipped.
We wriggled through the roadblock and made it to the scarcely populated Motorway in a bunch of minutes, after which we were to experience a journey full of tranquil and tempo.
Before I elaborate the rest of the event, it seems significant to mention a minor tragedy which took place somewhere during the jaunt. My elder brother, who was driving the car, stopped somewhere while we were on the highway, to check whether everything was perfect and in favor of the expedition. He drew near the bonnet and opened it, and the moment he uncapped the radiator, a hot shower sprinkled out and contacted his face and arm. This abrupt-natured occurrence burnt a portion of his upper, right limb and face. Despite that, he winded up the task and rushed back to the driving seat. He then narrated to us all what had happened to him. “You might try some toothpaste which would heal it very fast”, suggested my twin and his advice were respected. We also purchased some food stuff, sponsored by my brother-in-law, to add to our adventure’s thrill. Thereafter, we confirmed that the car tires were fit for the trip as the final precautionary measure. Now, we were ready to take on the Motorway!
To be honest, we had no idea where Abbottabad was and were entirely dependent on sign boards and the Global Positioning System (GPS). Notwithstanding that, we continued.
While we were on our way, a cow manifested few meters ahead and my brother gripped the break brusquely and took a quick, slight turn. The car swung and danced as a result and we were all petrified of the dreadful rather amusing scenario.
We were on the Motorway when the sky’s hue blackened and night replaced the day. Consequently, the driving became a challenge as the vision was blurred by the dark and it wasn’t until we neared a tunnel, that the track-lights came to the rescue. We were surrounded by decorated mountains from both sides and chilled air blew roughly through the milieu, making the environment exceptionally pleasant.
We continued a steady drive, enjoying the scenery around. We also chit-chatted along the way and had some crisps and beverages. Then we stopped at a place, where the thought the view was up to the mark. After taking a couple of pictures there, we advanced. Then finally we entered a population which indicated that our target was near. We had an ambiguous idea of where the exact destination was, so we sought aid of the people around. None of them formed a complete guide for us, but still some knowledge about the destination was acquired.
We had spent a long time traveling and it was time for some gulping. So, we halted at McDonald’s. This munching was probably the best part of our trip, as my brother-in-law added a marvelous discount of 50% to the deals, all of what was a magic of his links and relations. After completing the lavish dinner, we were double minded, either to advance or to retreat, as we were still uncertain of the current location. We considered several aspects to make a decision and at last, decided to return.
We drove back with orthodox normalcy and after a couple of hours reached home.
Although, the trip was an extraordinary one, but fact that we reached Abbottabad or not, still remains a mystery.
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