Murree

I made the drive to Murree alone in my car. Exiting Islamabad, I passed a toll booth [car = 45 Rs] and unto a curvy two lane road that sweeps through the hills. I passed small towns, gorgeous views, and even a small amusement park at Chattor. I stopped once for some honey. There I realized that my Urdu ability was not even elementary-level but a stranger helped the seller and I communicate. The trip took just under 2 hours, but I was not passing trucks and cars on these narrow roads to cut down the time.



Murree is a hill station set-up by the British and later used by the Pakistani government and people as a place for relaxation.

The large number of Pakistani (and no foreigners to my recognition) makes Murree a tourist town of a different type. Take a picture with a hawk/falcon, ride a horse [10 Rs], shoot a pellet pistol or rifle at a board of targets [2 Rs/shot], eat at the Murree Food Park, or meander down Mall Road. To be honest, the town hasn’t held my attention though I have enjoyed walking the streets. [If you like shops, food, and hustle and bustle, then visit Mall Road at night. Ask for GPO (General Post Office) if you get lost].








The best part of my Murree experience was stopping for tea outside of St. Dery’s School and picking up some Urdu with the astute salesman. Basic stuff, some of which I already had: How are you, I’m fine, How much, I understand, I don’t understand, What is your name, What is the name of this, girl/boy/man/woman, teacher, student, school, to learn, to read, to write, I go (and I’ll be back), …

Another welcome event was meeting a Pakistani from Lahore, with the nickname Boby. He and his friends escorted me to a cobbler to repair my broken sandals, and generally treated me as a guest of Pakistan.

Finally, accommodations. There are so many places to stay. Past Murree Food Park towards the “President’s House” and the New Murree Development Board are the quieter cottage-like places, like Fir Hill [2,5000 Rs/single]. A kind boy directed me to the Grand Heights Hotel, which is just uphill from GPO. I took a single room [500 Rs] on the bottom of 7 floors. This whole town has gorgeous views so you should never have to ask for a window room. The Grand Heights has a terrace on the top floor called the Grand Music Room and a Revolving Restaurant on the very top that is beautiful and delivers a near-360 degree view of Murree [yes, it does really rotate in a circle - about 30 minutes to come full circle, but it's usually not on].