The annual visit to Islamabad was due in November. This time Taha had decided to accompany me and had come in early from Seattle to spend two weeks with us. We had a great time, completing a hike in the Adirondacks, climbing Mount Tom, several visits to Great Horse and attending Qawali. When the fateful day of November 4^th came, we were ready. The drive to airport with our driver Chevy was very comfortable in his Lincoln. Chatting about world affairs with great analysis on the Ukraine- Russia and Israel-Palestine Conflict, we made our way to Logan. The whole process to check in was over in no time and in a blink of an eye, we were sitting at Legal Seafood having dinner.

We had brought sleep aids and took them as soon as we sat in our seats and drifted into a nice sleep. The lay over in Doha was pleasant and we had tea at a café in the airport. Taha was brave enough to try the spicy Turkish hot chocolate which was delicious.

The immigration at Isloo was a breeze and we quickly picked up our luggage and were greeted by the warm smile of Bagla. After embracing Ama and Baba we made our way home. There is no place like your parents’ home. Walking in, I regress to a child like state where my mom has set up a system to take care of my every need. The house had some great renovations which were practical that reminded me why my mom is an amazing woman.

We took a catnap before leaving for the morning walk. Imran Khan had tried to set up several walking trails being an athlete himself and nothing beats the walk around the sectors where we grew up. I walked past Musaddiqs home where I first met him, and my brother reminded me of the blue Foxi that he drove. Also passed the house of penguin, a guy who seemed to be perpetually studying for USMLE when I first met him.

We walked in the footsteps of the mountains making several loops around the cricket ground before ending up in F-6 and passed ICG. It was nostalgic to see parents dropping their daughter clad in a light blue uniform to their schools. There was a crisp smell of early morning parathas as we passed by supermarket on our way home. I took a moment to stand on a bridge and take the views of the wonderful Pir Sohawa. Up next, we went together to Cheema Chatta where we had desi breakfast. The Daal with whole wheat desi paratha and Lassi stood out. After we got home, we spent some time resting before Madiha and Manha arrived. We had fun catching up and then took the conversation outside to Brew which is a western side café where the expatriates and desi goras go to hang out. A poster with name of Palestinian kids who have died in the recent conflict was posted on the wall. This stood out as a contrast to name of Israelis who had lost their lives in the Hamas attack and their names have been put in several spots in Boston. Perspectives may differ but loss of human life is deplorable no matter what side of the world you live. Our night was not over as we visited the second cup coffee shop at Kohsar and also lit up some local cigarillos. Coming home, I went to sleep after taking a sleep aid to fight the jet lag I normally get every time I come home.

Cheema Chatta

Bagla who runs our house

Late Night at Kohsar with Taha

The next morning, we hit trail 3. As usual the fire trail was daunting but cleaner. The morning air was crisp and the views of Islamabad, Rawal dam, Faisal mosque and Bari Imam were breathtaking. We made our way to the midway point with a small area to pray. We offered 2 Nawafil before making our way down and reached home where we had breakfast on the roof with parathas, pomegranate juice, and an assortment of eggs. A little rest was followed by a slow day of relaxing and conquering jet lag. Dinner was Ama’s homemade Nihari. This Is her specialty, and I would wager that you cannot get a better Nihari anywhere. The late night was spent having Hookah on the roof with Saad and Taha.

Morning prayer spot

Trail 5: Beautiful spot

One of many hikes. Mountain Lion Warning

The next day brought some more adventures. We again hit trail 5. This time we saw some wild hens and monkeys on our way down. The afternoon was spent at Lok Virsa where all provinces, Kashmir and Gilgit have their local food, goods and cultural items at display. It was fun to enjoy folk songs and local music and we also tried some Kashmiri tea, Punjabi Kahwah and PeshawariTikka. The evening was set with a date with Faraz Bhai who wanted for us to try some steak. We went to a local steak joint at Kohsar where we enjoyed some Pakistani steak with Mint Margaritas and soaked up the wisdom of Faraz Bhai.

Found my twin at Lok Virsa

The next day was a little tough as my belly had started hurting from the local cuisine and Taha had caught a cold as well. Undaunted we decided to go to Misalabad, a small village near Nowshera. We reached the village in no time on the motorway taking a customary stop to have some chai and snacks. The village has a mosque started by the Sarfraz clan. It is here that we met Said Muhammad and his family. Said Muhammad who himself lives in poverty has made it his mission to help people in Misalabad. There are several families where women have lost their husbands to accidents and heart disease. You see so many young and beautiful children. We toured the mosque and local madrassah and several homes where domesticated cows and goats live withing the house. The homes are simple structures lacking the western world possessions which we have loved to enjoy. Yet most everyone has a smart phone. The floods few years ago had devastated the homes. The mosque has been rebuilt and a madrassah for the girls is being built where they will learn some crafts and religious education. What stood out was the contentment of these people. Having nothing, they all seemed more content than some who have all of Allah’s blessings. They served us some tea and fresh cut Saag with whole wheat Atta.

Said Muhammad who despite poverty is a Village Philanthropist

The Village elder

Mosque Under Construction and Repair

One of the many children who have lost their dads

Kabul River

Leaving the village we found a restaurant at Kabul river called Korbah. It offered riverfront dinning and local fish. I got to pray Zuhar in Jammat with some of the staff members at the mosque and then enjoyed the lunch before heading home. On our way home, we were met with a lot of rain and hailstorm. I went to bed early to catch up on some much-needed sleep.

The next morning, we went for a very long walk soaking up the scenes and making a loop before coming home for breakfast. Everything looks so clean after the rain and the weather pushed us to go to Pir Sohawa. The drive up on our Cherry, A marvelous seven seater made in China, was made pleasant by the coke studio music. We reached our destination passed Monal and sat at a table to have tea. It was like I was back in time as I had come here after almost twenty years. We really enjoyed the tea and pakoras and I drove us back home.

The next few days are a big blur. We continued our daily hikes to Monal. We have discovered both trail 3 and trail 5 that lead to Pir Sohawa. I find that trail 3 is more scenic and starts gently followed by a sharp incline with great views of Margalla Hill Park. Trail 5 is more challenging if you take the fire trail which is a bit dusty but had a nice place to offer prayers with a small musallah with marbled out floor. It gives more direct views of the Islamabad skyline and Rawal dam in the distance. We also found a nice peaceful spot called Wild Valley Restaurant which is slightly north of Monal. This restaurant is extremely peaceful. It became our daily ritual to go up and have tea and breakfast with parathas, fried eggs and chole. We would also sit for some time to soak in views of the valley and the village.

Such a tranquil place for breakfast

Allu Ande were Spectacular

Great Meditation Spot

Bandar

Mubashirs Jeep for Serious Climbing

One of the many Sunrises

Daily breakfast on the roof

Dinner at Nidah’s Home

We were also able to visit Bari Imam and offer our salam to Syed Abdul Latif Kazmi, often referred to as Barī Imām or Barī Sarkār (1617 – 1705), was a 17th-century Sufi ascetic from Punjab. He is venerated as the patron saint of Islamabad, Pakistan. He was a sufi saint who settled in the area called chorpur , an area where bandits and thieves lived and thrived. It is here that he gave people the dawa to embrace Islam. A celebrated miracle worker, Bari Imam is also described in regional lore as one through whom God performed many marvels to convince the local people of the truth of Islam; thus, some of the most popular miracles ascribed to him are his having caused water to gush forth from rocks and his having brought back to life the dead water buffaloes of a peasant who had earlier provided the saint with milk during his ten years of spiritual seclusion.

Bari Imam

We frequented several cafes and resturants in our trip. It is here that you can run into eminent celebrities. The notable ones are Brew in E7 which is upscale café and is the hangout of Islamabad elites. One night we ran into Imran Khans sister here. She is very elegant in real life and has an aura like Imran Khan. Kohsar market has several cafes like street 1 and Table talk where we saw Shireen Mazari who looked elegant as usual. We also frequented Eggspectation which is a Montreal based Franchise and trully serves amazing western food. Other favorites include loafology bakery and café which has a European vibe and is in blue area, Islamabad. The place is definitely worth a visit and has an amazing vibe.

Montreal Style burgers in Isloo

Street 1 cafe

Hang out with Ammad Clan

The Philospher

Butlers Cafe

La Terraza, Centaurus Mall

Dynasty Chinese: still number 1

During the trip I was also able to meet some children from real poor families. It is hard to describe the simplicity in which these children live content oblivious of some of the amenities of the developed world. A lot of these kids live in a room shared with their parents lacking modern day facilities like microwave, air conditioning, heaters and even gas and electricity. In a way a lot of these kids are destined to live a life of abject poverty. One of the ways we have failed these children is by taking away there right of basic and Islamic education.  I see the ability to understand Islam as a privilege that a lot of us have in the west. Abject poverty creates its own challenges with lack a constant struggle to satisfy the basic needs for survival. Some of these slums where these kids reside have many social evils and drugs as if poverty has stolen the soul of humanity. In the Christian slum in Islamabad, ironically called French colony is rife with these evils. Tik Tok and social media is easily accessible. You can look at bikini models in Dubai right from the comfort of your charpai in the hut. Young girls try to make it on you tube and create inappropriate videos. With the complete breakdown of economy, prostitution is on the high. Due to population explosion there are thousands of applicants for simple jobs. The unemployed are sitting at home, mindlessly surfing the net looking at a world of abundance while trapped in endless cycle of depravity.

I met Sajid son of  Muhammad Aslam who toils all day to make less than fifty dollars a month. He has seven mouths to feed. Sajid, himself is doing chemical engineering with no clear-cut idea of the future. His ability to educate himself despite the odds is a miracle in itself.

Shabina bibi has 4 children and is a young widow. She is the sister of Said mohammad who himself lives in poverty but does more charity than some of the richest people that we associate with on a regular basis.

Other noteables are bewas Saima bibi, Bewa of Tahir Khan, and bewa of Ayaz. Saqib Shah is another poor laborer with not much to sustain himself. The list is endless. All this in a small village in Mansera. The amount of poverty in these areas is unreal and there are so many people to help. The only way to bring meaningful change is to enter politics like Imran did. He knew after years of philanthropy that meaningful change will only come from country wide policies established by the leader with socialistic agenda, the Riasat of Medina.

Eighteen: One of a kind Gated Community

I also had the opportunity to tour some of Islamabad developments. There is a fascinating new development called Eighteen being developed by an Egyptian Entrepreneur that has a feel of a Florida like gated community with golf course which is eighteen-hole, tennis, soccer and basketball courts, lots of open space and homes with pools. It is a nice place to live for sure. I also liked the new blue area Plazas which has potential and the Islamabad mall. Real estate is the only thing that seems to be exploding in Pakistan. It is a way for the black money to be parked legally. Unfortunately there is little happening with education, universities and innovation. The opportunity is there but not being tapped.

Another lesson I drew was the realization that most of the people have a service culture to serve, a colonial hangover where brown sahibs have replaced the gora masters. I understand that humility is a great trait but what I see in a particular class of our society is a lack of self-confidence, apologetically catering to the needs of the few who have an unfair share of the country’s wealth. This class has been kept in this state, without opportunities to grow, groomed to serve the master’s in civil and military bureaucracy. The Pakistan army appears as an occupying force taking the best real estate in every town, most recently the prime real estate in Islamabad, ruling with contempt of the bloody civilians meant to eternally serve their masters in uniform.

On a brighter note, we tried several restaurants and what stood out was Dynasty for Chinese, Cheema Chatta for desi food, and Eggspectation for western food. We also visited Golra Sharif and the shrine of Meher Ali shah. It is a beautiful shrine and after offering our salam, we went to the village of Shah Alla Ditta. The village is believed to be more than seven hundred years old and lies on the route which was used to travel from Kabul to the Gandharan city of Taxila by Alexander the Great and Sher Shah Suri, while Mughal rulers and other emperors often passed through while traveling from Afghanistan to the Hindustan.

Shah Allah Ditta Caves

It was a cool feeling to be so close to the place where Sher shah sure and Alexander the Great once passed. The caves somes of them with 2500 year old history for mediation by Buddhist monks followed by hindu sadhus and eventually muslim ascetics of the Mughal era. There is a definitive energy of the place which is stoic and calming in its own way. We sat at a local shop and had pakoras with tea while listening to qawwali music in the background.

The visit also marked hangouts with several family members. It was good to see Ammad who is thriving and serving the Pakistan Army. We had dinner together and the delicious Nihari and Korma made by Ama. I also met up with Faraz bhai and the highlight was the lunch with him on the roof of our house with magnificent views of Pir Sohawa and fresh air. Ama has made a garden on the roof and grows fresh fruits and vegetables. Also out home is beautifully landscaped and keeps getting better every time I visit.

I also hung out with Wazahat who is doing well as a spinal surgeon and might start a obesity clinic with me. Pakistan gives me a way to go back home and keep some of the relationships we have alive. It also feeds my need for social charity and a little difference we can make in the life of people. Doing this gave me the opportunity to realize how real change can only come by serving in politics like Imran Khan did. I guess very few of us have the will to give the sacrifices he made to change the fate of our nation.

The final day came eventually, which is always bittersweet. I look forward to seeing my nuclear family but know that I will miss my parents and the home where I grew up. I know I must build connections in Pakistan to stay connected to it and do more for the homeland.

As I left back for USA, a part of me will stay with the beautiful people of Pakistan who deserve much more. If Allah wills, I will be back

Dated 10/21/23

      The hike had been calling. I had wanted to explore the Adirondacks for some time. Finally we dedicated out annual fall hike trip to Lake Placid region in Keene Valley New York. The destination was Indian Orchard and Rainbow falls loop.

Trail Head Customary Parking lot Picture

The spectacular Indian Head overlooks the Lower Ausable Lake in the Adirondack Mountains which is shaped like a European Fjord. But there are more remarkable landmarks within the Adirondack Mountain Reserve which are only minutes away including several waterfalls.

Rainbow Falls NY is a gem of the Adirondacks High Peaks. This extraordinary waterfall is a 150 cascading waterfall set in a mystical gorge filled with lush greenery, mosh, and misty rocks. The waterfall gets its name from the occasional rainbow that appears against the glistening waters as the sun hits the rocks.

The hike was planned in advance to hit peak fall foliage. Some of our regulars decided not to go due to predicted rain but few decided to brave it included myself. Some one missing was Shaukat, the prodigal Ustad who  was nursing some back issues.

On a wet Friday, I picked up Atif Bhai from his home and along with Taha, my brother from Seattle who was used to the rain, made our way to Zubair Bhai’s home nestled in the hills in Mount Holyoke range. Sitting in his front porch, on some of the arm chairs, the view is breathtaking. This is what I and Atif did as we waited for him to come home. We loaded our stuff in my new Honda Ridgeline truck and started on our journey. We wanted to make it for our dinner reservations and stopped only once for coffee. The way was full of discussions as we benefited from our intellectual philosopher, Zubair Kareem. He schooled us on diverse topics like Dementia and memory dysfunction to Islamic finance and everything in between. Of course, we also solved the problems of Pakistan and the muslim world .

Forty Six: Keene Valley, Awesome Bison Meatloaf

We made it to our reservation at the forty six in time. The name looks like a sports bar but the restaurant offered fine dining with a rustic cabin like feel typical of New England. The food was fresh and amazing, from bison meatloaf to pumpkin Ravioli and Chicken Tikka Masala which we all shared. Lighthearted jokes added to the fun and we made our way to Hampton Inn at Lake Placid.

Hampton Inn. Lake Placid

We woke up early to meet for breakfast where we met Atiq the newest member of group. An outdoorsman who frequently does small hikes with the family, he was ready to go. We picked up sandwiches at old mountain café in Keene Valley and made our way to the trail head.

This hike is on land some of which is private and managed by AMC (Appalachian Mountain Club). We needed a permit to park. We started hiking at 9 am up the lake road. The initial part of the hike is gentle on paved road. There is a golf course on one side and beautiful fall foliage greeted us as we stopped to take pictures.

9 AM : Wet and Wild Keene Valley: Taha and Zubair Kareem

Fall Colors

As we made our way up, the hike quickly became muddy and slippery which added to the fun. We hiked along a stream and there were many small waterfalls that we encountered on the way.

The Outdoors man: Atiq

As we made our way up, we occasionally met some hikers but it was smooth sailing most of the way as we had the whole trail to ourselves. There was gradual ascent till the last part of the climb where we did some quick climbing to make our way to the top. The Indian head top is breathtaking. You have the view of the valley with the lake in the center dividing the mountain into two halves. It was cloudy yet clear and we could see the misty smoke going up the mountain as if the valley was exhaling after taking a deep breath on a cold morning.

We rested on top enjoying our sandwiches and hot coco. Nothing beats the effort to me with a hot beverage in hand looking down from the summit taking it all in. The descent was challenging as the rain had picked up making the path muddy and slippery. We were careful but came down at a decent pace as we made our way to Rainbow falls.

Rainbow falls and Beaver Meadows Falls

The falls are majestic with decent amount of water hurtling down at pace hitting the rocks and creating a misty hue which is good to take in especially if you are close to it. I navigated the slippery rocks and made my way close to the fall. As I gazed into the mouth of the water fall, it reminded me of the flow of time relentlessly moving forward coming crashing down irreversible and majestic.

The way back from the falls was challenging as we started getting tired. Continuing to soak in the views, we made it way past the check in hut, glad that we made it back safely. We quickly changed in the parking lot to drier clothes and threw the wet stuff in the ample space in the truck. The way back was again full of insightful discussions. As we got home, we said a  prayer for completing a memorable hike.

We will be back😊

September 2023

The water had been calling me for a while. Yamaha boat club proud owner of La-hore which is our Yamaha AR-210 was founded with passion to explore the giant lakes. Hibernating since COVID, it finally sprang into action as we planned our trip to Lake Champlain, a large body of fresh water between New York, Vermont and Canada. I learnt that the lake was known as Champlain Sea that opened into Atlantic Ocean about 10,000 years ago at the end of the last ice age.

I met the Habib duo at their warehouse Chicopee. The rain was coming down fast and people looked at us incredulously as we towed the boat behind Shahids’s new truck, a Dodge RAM. We were all pretty drenched by the time we finished packing and Hamid had to go to his customary last-minute Walmart run just before we left. Driving through the slippery roads we made our way up and stopped only once at a local Irving where we took fuel for the truck and sandwiches for ourselves.

Driving up we reached North Hero close to sunset and launched the boat from the local marina. As soon as you get to Vermont, you get to see how nice everyone is. We met a nice young lad who gave us some info on the geography of the lake. After launching Hamid steered the boat to the cabin and was surprised that our dock had been pulled out and there was nowhere to park the boat. An older couple next door allowed us to park the boat at their dock for the weekend and we ended up staying for free at the cottage as they could not provide a dock.

We settled down at the cottage quickly. I was able to get some sunset views on my paddle board before I hopped on the boat with Habib brothers for some sunset fishing. Hamid caught a real big trout which we could not reel in and had us searching for the next two days. The night brought a quick trip to the local grocery shop where we got some wings and chicken tenders that were cooked but we bought some skewers and grilled it on the fire.  We sat by the fire for a few hours catching up, discussing life and the cosmos, solving the mystery of life but decided to call it a night early to start fishing at dawn.

The dawn on the water is indescribable. The crimson that breaks through, with mist that goes up the water especially with the leaves turning color in early fall and the Vermont cold air that blows through your lungs, announcing the winter that is on the way. Perched on my paddleboard, riding the gentle waves, soaking it all in, I feel like a celestial being gliding through the cosmos in close proximity to the Divine. It seems like the gates of Heaven will open and engulf me into a greater whole. I enjoyed this for a while before returning to the cottage for some early morning fishing.

We were not very lucky with fishing in the morning as we skirted past the marina, under the bridge into the open waters of this awesome lake. I took the reigns of the boat and let it loose as the Yamaha engine purred and then roared through the water. The waves melted away as we bounced our way tearing through the water towards the other side of the lake. The fun part of the lake is that it is flanked by Vermont on one side and New York on the other side. Shahid suggested that we have breakfast in New York. Docking our boat at Plattsburg New York, we explored the town on foot and ate some delicious breakfast at a local café near the water. Back in the we decided to explore the lake and the shoreline. As we passed several marinas, we noticed that they were predominately predominated by sail boats, a testament to the size of the lake.  Across the New York shoreline, we passed by Crab Island, Clinton College and bluff point light before turning around and going back to the Vermont side slowing down as we headed back to cottage.

Clinton College

Bluff Point Light

Reaching back, we rested for a while before we decided to get the grill working and put on some chicken, brought by Shahid, courtesy of Mehwish and steaks that were marinated by Hamid. The food we cooked was delicious.

The Habib brothers decided to do more fishing after, but I had enough and wanted to be on my board for the sunset. I was lucky to catch the sunrise and sunset in the water. We also had an interesting conversation with Bob and Gayle, our dock owning neighbors. Bob turned out to be a self labelled Masshole that had adopted the helpful temperament of his adopted state of Vermont. He shared some fly-fishing secrets, as well as the history of the lake.

I put up another fire as I soaked up the beautiful scenes of the lake while listening to some music and sipping some freshly made desi chai. The guys did catch some small fish and practiced catch and release. We chatted for a while and went to bed early.

Our third and last day was beautiful as well. After some dawn paddle boarding, we did some fishing and exploring as we went towards the US- Canada border. The lake opened nicely as we scouted some beautiful lakeside properties and fished alongside some local fishermen.

Returning to the cabin, we cleaned up and checked out around noon. We got the boat loaded on the trailer and made our way to Burlington as we wanted to launch the boat from there and explore the widest part of the lake. Burlington is a beautiful city. Driving through a relatively busy area alongside the University of Vermont we parked at a local Pier and launched our boat.

It was late afternoon as we went to the shoreside of New York with mountains visible and some beautiful homes that looked like million-dollar properties. Exploring this for a while we again made our way to Vermont side exploring several coves and celebrity homes, beaches and parks from the water. Visible in the distance was Mount Mansfield, the highest peak in Vermont which had surmounted a few years ago.

Here we passed by Willsboro point, Meach island and Quaker Smith point. As we made our way back, we saw some Vermonters lounging at the beach and camping at local parks. The waters became choppy as we made our way back to Burlington and the wind picked up slightly. We went through the beautiful boats parked at the marina and once on land, we decided to have dinner with the sunset view. We really enjoyed our meal as I devoured a lobster roll at Shanty on the shore. As the sun began to go down, we realized that our trip was coming to an end. As we made our way back home, our hearts were full of joy and we were already planning our next trip. Lake Erie, we are coming for you.

by Talal Khan

Some people are lucky to get together and become brothers. When I left the close pack of 10 friends in Isloo on a fateful evening in Oct 2001 to come to the US, I was not sure that I would ever find people that I can call my tribe and my brothers. Walking into the State University of New York campus in Brooklyn, sandwiched between Downstate hospital and Kings County hospital, past the famous Flatbush avenue, I looked lost till a guy in a sports car pulled up from nowhere. I followed him into the admissions office. Iftikhar Shah or Baba Sain as he is known to us is one of the most remarkable men I have ever met in my life. A born leader, he immediately adopted me as a younger brother and helped me get the basics, place to sleep in a cool area of brooklyn called Bay ridge in a small studio apartment right on top of the Ammonia Cafe, where the prettiest girls in Brooklyn came to hang out. He told me just like my brother Talha that you become who you associate with and where you live. The bond of friendship and respect is still strong today. During the course of my internship in NYC I met up with Mujitabba Butt who ironically became a Gastroenterologist forever destined to look up people’s butts. He was from the same medical school as myself and we shared a mutual love for each other. Yet another member of our group was the prodigal Oncologist Amir Bhai, originally from Karachi, graduate of Dow and sharp as hell. He kept me grounded with religion and honesty and also with making life easy for himself in incredulous ways like living with a grown ass uncle who would cook food for him, and cleaned his apartment. Amir Bhai has a heart of gold and follows Islam to the letter, and makes some really shady things kosher,  in only a way that he can. 

Not to be outdone was the only married member of our group Hammad. I will forever remember him for his wit, his early start in life, his competitiveness in sports, often driving long distances to lose in the pool and dropping me at the darkest corner in NYC and asking me to take a subway at midnight when I was on call the next day.

We all decided to go to NYC way in advance and booked a stay in Marriott Marquis right at the center of Time square. Everybody flew in from different parts of the country, Jacksonville, Houston, Las Vegas and an unknown area somewhere in the bible belt where Hammad resides.

I drove up to NYC and picked up Amir bhai on the way. I was happy that I decided to drive as this way we had a SUV to take people around and it was just as well that Afsar, the last member of the group decided to bail out at the last minute as the X5 could only fit 5 people.

We all had rooms on separate floors but me and Amir Bhai were near each other. We prayed together and then met up with the rest of the gang, all aging gracefully. We went out to get some grub and ate at a halal shop that sold middle eastern grub with desi flavor. We had some fascinating discussions and it was great to be in NYC together after almost 15 years. After dinner we just goofed around standing and talking for hours at Time square finally deciding to call it a night at close to 4 am.

The next morning started with the gym for me which has breathtaking views of time square and running on the treadmill at this height makes you feel like flying over NYC. Soaking in some great views, the workout got me hungry. All of us ate breakfast at the hotel except Shah who decided to sleep in. We all were ready for our day around noon after doing a starbucks run with Shah and decided to relive the subway memories and take a train to Freedom Tower which was on our list to see. The westfield world trade center mall which is in the financial district close to one world observatory,  was our first destination. It was good to aimlessly walk around and make our way to the relatively small line to go to the top of one world observatory which gave us spectacular views of NYC. It was amazing to imbibe the wonderful panoramic  views from the roof of the world.

As we came down we took some pictures and went back to the hotel to change, catch up on our prayers and get ready for our pre-booked Broadway show. 

Initially I was skeptical about the book of Mormon show. I did not know if it would be interesting enough for the group. What followed was a treat in comedy and satire. The show has sarcastic humor and takes on the Mormon beliefs in general and religion in particular but kept it light and not offensive. 

The show was extremely entertaining and was followed by dinner at Lahori restaurant in the famous Lexington Avenue District. The ownership of the restaurant seemed suspect and it appeared that the food had an Indian/Bengali  touch and not the taste of traditional Lahori food.

Next day, Butt had to leave to see his friend’s ailing father in Long Island. We decided rather skeptically at Baba Sain’s advice to have mother’s day brunch at the hotel which transformed to the highlight of our trip. Not only was the food decent, but we spent almost 4.5 hours relaxing, chatting and snacking reminiscing about our past, listening to leadership and investment advice from Shah, taking in some Successful Aging tips that i shared with the group and tried to unravel the mysteries of Amir Bhai’s driver, a man of superhuman talents and his private assistant.

By the time Mujitaba came back, we were ready to drive to Brooklyn to visit our Alma mater. It was fun taking the Manhattan bridge and going back in time to visit Downstate Medical Center. Pulling in, we identified the famous Dunkin donuts that we all frequented, the parking place where Shah parked like an attending as an intern at spots for which some senior attendings had been waiting for years. I fondly looked at the Library where I was first introduced to Evidence- based medicine, walked the streets between two hospitals and visited the Kings County Cafeteria where  the gang met for lunch after a hard day at work.

Nostalgic but happy at our accomplishments as a transplant nephrologist, oncologist, gastroenterologist, intensivist and primary care physician we marveled at how far we had come. Driving back we made our way back to the city to check out a new mall where we sat and had coffee and dessert. Our dinner was also a highlight as we came across a Persian restaurant with some of the best food. Finishing up we made our way to sit in the hotel lobby with views of Time square as we planned our next trip hopefully with Afsar. 

Next morning, we again met up briefly for breakfast as everybody started to leave for the airport. I had decided to stay with Shah and drop him at JFK. As I absorbed more words of wisdom from Shah, we left the hotel after lunch and our 10 mile journey took two and half hours in bumper to bumper traffic but luckily Shah was able to catch a flight home.

The drive back home was smooth, full of amazing memories we made together and looking forward to many more trips together Inshallah.

Toronto: Rendezvous with IMCB Friends

                                                                                   May 2023

                                                                                       By Talal Khan

Toronto has been calling for a while and what better way to go than a reunion with some childhood friends. The trip architects were Yasir Khan and Hamad. As far as I can remember my first friends I ever made at the ripe age of 5 were Zia ul Haq and Yasir Khan. Hamad came later in the picture. We went to school together in Islamabad College for Boys, F-8/4 forever immortalized as Shamsi’s school named after the principal. The school in my mind reflects a different Pakistan. Islamabad at this time was a dreamy city, well demarcated into organized sectors and model schools were excellent educational centers priding themselves on education in Urdu and uniform of orange Shalwar Kamiz. There were plenty of extracurricular activities with sports, drama, debates and annual day. I still have fond memories of childhood races, our teachers, playing rugby with a stick and competing in debates and activities. The bonds of friendship formed at time are truly lifelong.

Hamad who lives near Detroit in Michigan planned the whole trip. He got us Hampton Inn suites at Toronto Airport. Yasir flew in from Dallas and Asher came from New Jersey. Asher, who has the vibe of the modern rapper, was part of the original boys. In all my early memories, he is in the picture, somewhere in the background, always with a suta in his hand and a girl who must not be named in his heart. She was kind of in everyone’s heart.

Mansoori came from Virginia. He had joined the school in the fifth grade right before I left. Husky and handsome from since I remember, he drove from Virginia. He has numerous talents but is the master of fitness. Another player was Mudassar who joined the school after I had left. He flew from Portland and appeared to be a man of taste and class in all and everything including fast cars. Lastly we were joined by my RMC buddy Irfan also knows as Iffi. He flew in from Florida and brought his unique brand of sarcastic humor.

I drove from Massachusetts in my new BMW X5 and met up with Asher, Mudassir, Hamad and Yasir at downtown Toronto. Embracing Yasir after years and Hammad after what appeared to be a millinea at the base of CN tower.

I parked close to the waterfront, and we decided to go up the tower to get the view of the city which is amazing.  We walked around the fashion district and then found a nice coffee bar to spend some quality time.

Mudassar had the taste of local small cafes and the place we found was perfect.

This was followed by the trip to a museum where we took some pictures before heading back to the hotel to meet up with Mansoor and Irfan who had flown to the airport.

We decided to go to the Karahi boys for dinner. Passing through the dense traffic, we made our way to one of the best-looking Pakistani restaurant which had a western vibe of a chic restaurant with delicious Karahi and rest of the food and killing presentation of Naan.

Chai was not up to the par and that drew the wrath of Hamad who showed the waitress who was the don of Toronto. Finishing our dinner well past midnight, we went to a local Hookah bar with blazing bhangra music but full of young college going kids. It took us a few seconds to realize that we are no longer at that age, and we made our way to a much calmer hookah place which was owned by an African family but served tea and decent hookah.

Finishing up, we went to the hotel and hung out in Yasir’s room having mindless banter like the good old days before retiring to our rooms.

Next morning, I was up bright and early and was joined by Ifi for some morning grub followed by a gym session and a run with Mansoor who coached me on the mechanics of lifting. Soon we were joined by others who wanted to go for proper Halwa puri breakfast and we went to another great Pakistani restaurant next to Shirin Mahal sweets with great ambiance and food. I was a little scarred for the waitress and was praying for Hamad to go easy. Rest assured; the service was excellent.

The agenda for the day was to go to Niagara Falls. It was a 90-minute drive, and we took two cars. I decided to rest and let Irfan drive the BMW. It brought back memories as Irfan started driving late in our group and used to take it very seriously and is one of the safest drivers. Relaxing back and chatting with Mansoor, we reached a rest stop. A biker pulled up in his Harley with a biker gal. To my surprise, both were from Islamabad, and the guy was a few years our senior and knew Mansoor well. We grabbed some coffee and drove onwards reaching our destination and joining the rest of the gang.

I would like to add here that some of the guys here got together after three decades, but the connection of our shared past was palpable. I shared with these guys a combined past, early childhood and an era. We had similar views on faith, Pakistan and a collective love for our homeland. It was an instant connection with Mudassar whom I met for the first time in my life. None of this was forced like my relationship with some of the husbands of my wife’s friends who I meet in the community and have very little in common with. These are all great people, but the connection seems missing, and I remain lost in most of these functions. Being with these old friends, I felt alive after some time.

Niagara Falls are beautiful. I remember visiting them with my parents as a ten-year-old. As I gazed at the power of these magnificent falls, I could help wonder at the flow of time. My parents became young in my eyes, and I transported back to a child in the maid of the mist with my brothers at my side and my father towering over us. Here I was now with my friends, zoning out the others as we made our way to the falls in the boat, dressed up in funny-looking ponchos. Regardless of how they looked, we were glad we had them as we got drenched as we drifted towards the falls.

We walked the pathway next to the falls to dry up.

Niagara is lined with shops and restaurants and paints the picture of Murree from the eighties.

Most of the tourists were also from Southeast Asia. Finishing up, we dove back to Toronto and decided to have dinner at an Afghan restaurant which turned out to have been a fusion of Afghani food with spicy southern food. It was still delicious, and we enjoyed every bit of it. This was followed by another trip to Hookah lounge before retiring for the night knowing that each of us have to leave in the morning.

Next morning started with breakfast at hotel and the gym. I shared the room with Irfan and Mansoor. It was extra special to see Irfan as he was part of my gang in Rawalpindi Medical College and one of my closest friends. It was awesome to see him though I was offended by Rabia making an observation that we looked like twins. After all, I am much more handsome. I guess the pictures tell the whole story.

As I left in my car after a last-minute Suta with recollections of childhood memories and the same longing in Asher’s eyes for the girl who must not be named. I made a stop at Shirin Mahal to get some snacks for Nidah. After, I started my long and comfortable drive in the car back home looking forward to the beautiful scenery of upstate New York and the Finger lake region. As all of us left, I am sure we were already planning our next get together.

April 2022

They say that the invitation to visit Allah’s house comes from Him. For us, this certainly was the case. Some small talk after attending, Dr Ali’s lecture in the mosque transpired into a plan to visit two of the holiest places in the world by Muslim tradition. The spiritual leader and mentor to many, Dr Ali Hazratji, became the architect of the trip and set it up through Sara International travels. The plan was to spend the last 10 nights of Ramadan in prayer and worship at the Prophets city of medina followed by umrah and more ibada at Haram Sharif. Ramadan came and flew by as we reached the fateful morning of our departure. The rendezvous point was Dr Ali’s home in Somers, Connecticut. I was picked up right on time by Shaukat Bhai who brought his usual swagger, free spirit and energy to the trip. We reached Sheikh Ali’s home and he was quick to note our western attire and educated us on the etiquette of the trip. I learnt that this was a spiritual journey and we needed to get into a spiritual state by getting our minds of worldly matters. We were supposed to be a state of Zikr to purify and cleanse the heart and get ready to meet the most beloved human, Muhammad PBUH. Our ride to the airport was arranged by the fourth member of the group, brother Abdulsattar. We were picked up in the Toyata van by a driver from Greece, a fellow man of God who had served at the altar as a teenager. We were his first ride in his new and comfortable van which he had traded in for his Rav-4. Dr Ali started the journey with some prayers and Adkar and set the tone for our trip.

Praising our Lord, we reached the airport in time and the check in process on board the Saudi airline was a breeze. One of our fellow travelers, decided to fly in style in business class but the rest of us kept faith in the economy class. The time at airport passed in Allah’s remembrance and we boarded the flight. All of us were fasting and took advantage of air travel and had aftar served earlier than usual because we were travelling forward in time zones. Most of the prayers were offered in the plane, that was comfortable and unique as it has a prayer area in the back to offer Salah. One thing that stuck out was several people of color that were travelling with us. Based in USA, these people from different parts of Africa wore distinctive clothes and robes. Standing shoulder to shoulder while flying we were able to offer our prayers several thousand feet in the sky. One thing that I noticed was that African women were not shy in offering their prayers right alongside men. Squeezed in the tiny compartment at back, I was pleasantly pushed aside by a group of strong-willed women who were eager to offer the divine retreat of prayer. Our plane ride ended smoothly as we reached Riyad, and the border control process was very smooth. We took a connection to Medina. The ride in between the terminals gave me the first insights to a very barren and desert landscape with very little planation. This seemed very different form the spring blooms I had left behind in my home in New England.

The landing at Medina was turbulent and as we were landing, I could not help but wonder why anyone would ever want to come to this barren and arid land as there was plane desert in sight for miles and miles. Yet it was Allah who chose this land and made it blessed by making it the adopted city of the Prophet, PBUH. We were met promptly at arrival by the staff from Sara International, who transferred us in a shuttle to our hotel called Movenpick in Medina, which is walking distance from Masjid e Nabawi.

My initial thoughts were that the city was nothing like the Agrabah of Aladdin that I had imagined. It was very commercial looking with hotels that surround the holy mosque from all sides. The check in process was handled by Sara International, and all four of us were upgraded to a suite. After putting our things away, we were all eager to leave for Masjid-e-Nabvi. Setting sight on the prophet’s mosque, I was mesmerized with its beauty and grandeur, and it was every bit as fabulous as I had expected and may be more. Humming the tunes of “Muhammad ka roza kareeb aa raha hae” by JJ, I approached the mosque with love, awe, humility and enthusiasm. This was a happy place adorned by spiritual bliss and a calm that cannot be described. As we entered the mosque, Ali bhai gave me an orientation to the mosque. The mosque is built and has been added to over the centuries. The older part of the mosque with the Khutbah pulpit and the prophet’s Roza has a special place and was normally jammed with people. I was able to pray there briefly on our very first night as I learnt the etiquettes for giving Salam to the prophet PBUH. The first two caliphs of Islam are buried right next to him. Nothing can describe the feeling of being so close to the light of Islam, Allah’s beloved creation who brought to us the way to be a perfect Abd and taught us the real meaning of being Allah’s deputy on earth and whose Seerah is a perpetual reservoir of knowledge, which we can access to seek guidance.

I never really knew how to love Muhammad PBUH more than anything in the world till I reached Medina. It was a sort of share love for the prophet which is just palpable in every worshipper that puts foot in the mosque. The great thing about the place is that you can meet people from any where in the world. I met people from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Mali, Senegal, Sudan and pretty much everywhere as we broke our fast each night. There is something to be said about waiting there to say your Maghrib prayers, as several volunteers descend and distribute the iftar consisting of dates, yogurt, piece of bread and the best part Zamzam. I learnt from the Sheikh the special dua for drinking zam-zam and that you to stand up to drink the blessed drink. There is a frenzy around having the blessed water at Iftar. The best part for me was to start a small talk with my fellow world travelers as we shared where we came from and how luck we felt to have been invited to the prophet’s mosque. The time between Maghrib and Isha was very tranquil as we stayed behind as several people went to their hotels to have a more traditional iftar. My preference was to sneak up to the roof as that is a whole other experience. There is normally a cool breeze at this time as the city starts to cool down and nothing beats the feeling of staring at the minarets of the mosque with a green hue emanating from it and listening to the call of prayer. Isha would then be followed by Tarawih prayers where the heart warming recitation of Quran would soften your heart and begin the cleansing process that is needed for Tazkiyah e Nafs. One can feel the inner peace as light of Iman starts to glow in the darkness and cleanses the heart and the soul. I would normally go to the hotel after tarawih and rest up before returning for Qiyam ul Layl. Things that had felt like chores now became religious treats as our Sheikh taught us the zeal for looking forward to each act of ibadah as a treat for a child at the candy store or a teen at an amusement park. He had a special light of excitement in his eyes, and an enthusiastic smile as if he wanted to catch all of the rides in the park before our time there came to an end.

One night was special as our group had arranged for a night after tarawih prayers where we gathered in a space and heard the recitation of holy Quran from from four different Qaris whose voice was so melodious and their style of narration so warm that it brought tears to our eyes. There was also a young Canadian whose family had migrated from Egypt that had moved to Medina and was able to sing Qaseeda Burd-e- Sahrif in English. This was followed by an explanation of why and how it was important to love the prophet of Islam. For the first time in my life, it sunk in on why Muhammad PBUH was the perfect creation of Allah and how much servitude and gratitude is owed to him for spreading Allah’s message to humanity and how important it is to get to know his Seerah. I also recounted some of the knowledge that Sheikh Ali gives us when he asks us that just learning about the Quran in our collective gatherings is not enough. It is merely a start of our journey. The real test is to take practical steps to understand the message and then implement changes in our lives to take steps to become the follower of Muhammad PBUH who was the living example of Quran.

Although I followed my Sheikhs instructions of disconnecting from internet and social media and spent most of my time in prayer and Zikr, I did get one physical indulgence as one night I sneaked out with my friend Shaukat Bhai to search for Pakistani and Bangladeshi restaurants. We found a restaurant called Pakistani Lahori Hotel which was close to the roadside restaurants that we like and were able to have daal, chicken tikka, tandoori roti followed by Karak Chai.

Just like anything, all good things come to an end. Our last night, Sheikh told us how to properly say goodbye to Rasul-Allah PBUH as we came out after fajr prayers, faced his Roza and raised our hands in Dua and gratitude. The dua read by our Sheikh brought tears to the eyes of all four of us. With very heavy hearts and a sense of sadness, we boarded our buses as we checked out of Movenpick, our hotel for a few days in Medina.

Before we left, we wore the ihram. This was my first experience. Nothing can prepare you for a feeling of nothingness as you shed away worldly possessions and wear the ihram. You feel humble, simple, and mostly human. You prepare yourself for an invitation to the center of the whole universe which pulls you towards itself as if you were meant to go there. To Allah we belong and to Him is our return. As I was taking the steps down the stairs chanting with the group and announcing to my creator that I am voluntarily surrendering myself to Him, I understood what it meant to be a Muslim. It is an act of giving up everything that we run after in this world and returning in an act of submission to our Lord, the Lord of all creation. We were going to take a fast train to Mecca and going to our cart, I was overwhelmed with emotions as I felt part of something much bigger than myself. At that moment, nothing mattered, not even my family. It was a solo journey and at that moment everything disappeared from around me and the only thing relevant was returning to the singularity, my Divine Master who is the one and only God and is Alone in His Splendor and Grandiosity.

The train ride was fun and fast, and we were kept entertained by small children from a beautiful Arab family that was sitting right next to us. Reaching Mecca and going to the Haram had a special meaning. Most people will miss the calmness the of Medina to be replaced by the hustle bustle of Mecca. I found the Masjid al Haram to be magnificent and the architecture to be splendid. It had a fitting sense of class that belongs to the House of Allah.

Nothing prepares you to the first site of kabbah. I held my breath and kept my gaze low as we walked towards the Kabbah. When you finally do see it, it is like a site no other. The simplicity of the place blows your mind as the energy of the house pulls you towards itself in submission as you prepare to take the customary counterclockwise rotation around it. Kabbah, the house of GOD stands mightily as people from all over the planet gravitate towards it. The pull, that divine force is pretty strong. The act of tawaf is an ibada like nothing else I have experienced as I held on to my Sheikh’s backpack and surrendered myself to the crowd of spiritually hungry worshipers that were circling around the Kebba, all stripped from worldly possessions, big houses, fancy cars, our false pride, sense of self importance, as all return to Allah with nothing but a longing to be reunited with Him. I had decided to stay with my Sheikh who takes deliberate slow steps as she makes Zikr and says the stipulated supplications. People seem to melt around him and he completes the circle on his pace. He was patient to teach me the meaning of specific duas as we made our way around. After performing the ritual, we were able to pray right at Maqam e Ibrahim which itself was a miracle with Ramadan crowds.

The sheikh than explained the significance of Saee  which is one of the integral rites of Umrah. The meaning of this word in Arabic is to strive, walk or pursue. Saee in Umrah refers to the ritual of walking back and forth seven times between two small hills of Safa and Marwa, which are located adjacent to the Kaaba in Masjid al-Haram. This is a tribute to Hajar’s search for water in the area when she ran out of provisions after prophet Ibrahim left her in the valley upon Allah’s command. The space between the two mountains in which the pilgrims walk is called al-Mas’aa. In between, we were able to quench our thirst with Zamzam. This act of Ibada was followed by dua led by our beloved Sheikh which in itself was almost an hour long where I learnt the need for expressing gratitude, for his infinite blessings and remembering each and everyone in our community and beyond.

The next few days showed me the power of Iman and how worship if done right can be a marathon in which you pace yourself and build to a culmination except there is no Finnish line in my Sheikh’s book. I was amazed at his energy where on little sleep he would spend hours at stretch in ibada and his spiritual thirst, his dua and expression of gratitude could not be quenched. This was new to me. I wanted to keep up. Being youngest in the group, I thought I should be in better shape to stay for these long acts of ibada but I was the weakest kink in the group. Yet my training was profound, and I did a long stretch on the 27^th night of Ramadan which for my humble beginnings will stay with me for a long time.

In between, we did have a buffet here and there filled with delicious food and desert and it was the company of all four travelers that we looked forward to every night. Another observation was the night life, the sit outs at outdoor café sipping on Turkish coffee with Shaukat bhai in between Tarawih and Qiyam ul Lail and the walk together for morning prayers and really understanding the meaning of why Salat was better than sleeping.

Some of us did more umrahs than others as we made our way to Masjid- e-Aisha which is outside the boundary of Haram and where you can do Niya for Umrah. On one such trips we met this Pakistani driver from Lahore who was completely uneducated and came here as a teen and driving a cab here for 12 years. With the money he earned he has been able to build a home for his parents, get his brother married and take care of his sisters. As if this was not enough, he is now memorizing the Quran. When you see this sort of acts of selflessness, you feel humble by so many great people that live in the world and the spirit of sacrifice that they imbue.

Such stories are not uncommon. You see a lot of Bangladeshis that are at servitude at the prophet’s mosque as well at the Haram. Each one is there making and sending precious little to their families back home. COVID did hurt these folks. I guess the economic cost of shut down was more profound in other parts of the world where money was not generously dished out as USA. These guys were rounded up and lived in concentration camps like environment unpaid as they waited out the pandemic. I feel for the devotion of this group and the rewards for their service to Allah and their families.

Our sheikh had warned us that this was a trip for God and not to be distracted by shopping and the lure of big malls outside. Mostly we listened to his advice and left shopping for the last two days. The blessed nights passed as well, and we reached Eid prayers that were offered outside the Haram right after Fajar attended by more than 2 million people. The sheer mass of people was astounding as you saw people everywhere, in and outside the Haram, prostrating together and feeling blessed to spend this day at the House of Allah.

We had decided to spend the day taking a trip to Taif, the hill side town at the outskirts of Mecca where Mohammad SAW had gone to spread his message and was given a hostile reception. The story was narrated by our sheikh in detail and we decided to go to the site where the prophet of Allah had rested after being stoned by people of Taif. There is now a mosque there named after the slave who had offered prophet SAW food and fruits. The road to Taif is perilous and it is difficult to fathom how some one would hike all this way to reach the hill station.

We were able to take the road trip as we went up the hills with our driver who drove like one of the guys from fast and furious and got the blessings of our sheikh who is known for his own driving flair and has a reputation among friends of fast but safe driving. Taif is a great escape from Meccas heat with its cool evenings and great weather. It is knows for its gardens, local honey and assortment of fruits. We were able to visit several Ziyaras which in Saudi style are  unmarked but do bring tranquility and longing for the beloved. The trip was wrapped up with Maghrib prayers at the mosque on the hill. I cannot explain the serenity that I felt sitting there on the top of the hill  doing zikr gazing up into the night sky at the crescent of new month and wondering how the prophet SAW must feel as he sees his faith being practiced now by 2 billion people across the world. It was here in this Town where he was stoned for giving the same message. The perseverance, determination and resolve at battling against all odds is another lesson for us from his beautiful Seerah.

On our way back, we picked up some local fruit and made our way to dinner at a local Pakistani restaurant called Sargodha restaurant which offered up some great food followed by Karak chai as usual.

The next morning was tough as we knew that our invitation at Mecca had come to an end and it was time to go back. Tired and sad at the same time, I learnt that the Sheikh had decided to do one more umrah as he left earlier in the day and got to spend some quality time right next to Kabbah and Hajr e Aswad as the crowds had petered out and he had the best seat in the house. We also offered our farewell Tawaf and read out our dua to Allah as we took his permission to leave and hoped that He would invite us back soon.

Our adventure was not over yet as we had to take a trip to Jeddah board our plane to Riyadh and leave for JFK from there. We were given a ride in an old van, the kind of which you see in old Hollywood movies driven by a Yemeni teen who we later learnt had never driven to a big city. Jeddah is a true metropolis adorned on all sides with malls and shopping plazas. We were able to board the plane on time and went to Riyadh where we were all able to upgrade our flights and travel in style and comfort as we made our way back home to be greeted by our loving families.

Although the hearts are heavy and there is longing for Medina and Muhammad SAW Roza in all of our hearts, we hope that Allah gives us all the ability to travel together and go back to make more memories together. Ameen

Multan, Bahawalpur, Islamabad, Swat and Lahore

by Talal Khan

This visit for Pakistan was the best kind, knee jerk reaction to my brother going to Isloo, nick name of our home, Islamabad. I bought my tickets through Qatar airlines and was dropped to a huge line of mostly desi people standing patiently to get to check in, anxious about whether they will be allowed to board amid the COVID-19 crisis. I had upgraded my flight last minute to business calls from Doha to Isloo and went straight to the business class counter. Fully immunized and boosted, with a less than 24-hour negative COVID test, I still felt vulnerable in front of the flight attend who had suddenly been granted the power to decide my destiny of being able to board the flight. The pandemic other than claiming lives of the vulnerable has created chaos and turned most of the masses to sheep that follow orders without protesting, and definitely not using common sense. It has also empowered some people by giving them the power to control people. Relishing this power, some of these minions unfortunately can wreak your travel plans as my brother found out when his COVID test did not meet the criteria of testing by few hours. The bitchy faced lady at the counter smugly asked him to return from LA to San Diego and did not let his board. Fuck that.

Luckily or due to divine will, I passed through the travel prerequisites easily and even experienced some flirting by the security officer on my way to check in. I was traveling without kids and was able to sit and have a meal with no worry in my mind at the airport restaurant. I boarded my plane and despite buying extra leg room, found the seats uncomfortable. Luckily, I was able to travel in business class from Doha and enjoyed the privileges of Q suite. Reaching Islamabad, always sparks a sort of love that a child must feel in the womb for his mother, a strange sense of security, of belonging, and most of all of being home. After being checked in with a typical Punjabi Security officer unmasked and unapologetic despite all the signs and announcements at the airport announcing doomsday that was the COVID-19 pandemic. My luggage came is good time and I was met by my Saddam Hussein look alike dad, and Ama at the gate with Mubashir, our loyal servant from Azad Kashmir who was nicknamed as Bagla by us for his uncanny resemblance to the bird. Perched high above the ground, he collected my luggage and almost teleports into the car which he brought in front of the main gait as if he was jumping through a worm hole in a multiverse out of avenger movie.

The ride home was exciting and full of wonder. I reached home and was able to embrace my brother Talha, a warmth like no other, meeting your sibling in the home we shared for almost two decades. Ama had made more adjustments to this house and miraculously transformed this fourty year old house to a modern wonder of luxury. A ruthless dictator when coming to manage the servants, she runs a tight ship. She has trained the servants in her image. Cleanliness and organization is every where in the Najeeb house hold and not a feather can change its position without her permission.

After taking a catnap, we went for breakfast at Cheema Chatha, a premier breakfast place for desi food, lasi, parathas, nihari, daal channa and Halwa Puri. Wolfing down the breakfast, we left aand went straight to Shirin Khalas grave. This was my first visit since the death of my beloved Khala who an angel of Allah in this world was. Strangely I did not feel sad or unhappy at the grave. It was almost as she had been liberated by death from the cruelties that she endured in this world. Smiling down on me from the heavens, she instructed me to take care of her only son, the Kungfu panda who shares some of her angelic tendencies.

Next up, we went to a café in super market where we had a near death experience when the security guard started cleaning the gun with the barrel pointed at us. Luckily, Taha had the guts to confront him and I learnt a lesson to always watch my surroundings for unprecedented threats. Coming home, we rested for a while before I went for a jog with Taha to the cricket ground. It was a a good 2.5 mile run which did nothing to help digest the gigantic brunch we had enjoyed earlier. My friend Wazahat and his wife decided to join us for the planned rooftop barbecue at night. A special treat with views of Monal from the roof, we were served up parathas, Bihari kebob and barbecued chicken. Enjoying a good conversation with Wazahat and Sadaf, we also enjoyed some hookah prepared by Saad. Hookah was as smooth as Saad is while trying to hustle Bagla, his recent accomplishment was selling him a smart phone.

Talha decided to sleep early and Taha and I left to tour some of the hangouts. We returned after having chai and tucked in to see what tomorrow holds

Day 2:

This day started with Jet lag and inability to sleep. I stayed up most of the night and left early morning to start the day with a long walk and offer fajar prayers. It was brutally cold as I warmed myself to the melodious voice of my precious. Discussing different topics, I was able to do about 5000 steps even before Fajar. The Imam of our F-7 mosque has changed and the new guy has beautiful Qirat. I enjoyed his recitation of Al -Ala. I kept walking for a while after prayers, got home, enjoyed the warm Parthas made by Ama. The breakfast at home is the highlight of my trip. Nothing like warm parathas to fill you soul and belly for the rest of the day.

The days after just hot mixed up as I did not have much time to write the blog. We were invited to the horse riding club where we had delicious Chinese. I got my first glimpse of Manha. I love Manha and she brings so much joy to me. Growling “Come here” was met by the cutest response of “Tayya”. We were hosted by Madeeha’s family. Uncle Najam is a gracious host and embodies the best of Pakistan Army.

In no time, we decided to go to Multan. Making reservations in Ramada, we set out in two cars. Miss Incredible had it all figured out as we galloped up the Motorway at 7 am in the morning. There is something to be said about the rest stops in Pakistan. The food is delicious and KFC is real with its Zinger burger and random Chai is delicious. I met a spiritual being a sweeper at our first stop and for some reason was drawn to him. Gave him some money and sat down with family to enjoy a combination of home snacks with bought snacks. We set on our way again and reached Multan, a very dusty city with an incredible past by 1 pm. Ramada proved to be an oasis in an otherwise chaotic city. I immediately checked out the local gym which was surprisingly nice and set out with family to visit the shrines of Shah Rukn-e- Alam and Hazrat Bahauddin Zakariya. Perched on top of the city, these were monuments of early Tughluq Architecture. Talha was able to capture some great shots and we were able to walk and take in vies of Multan. It is here that I saw some beautiful teenage girls begging and it reminded me of Junaid jamshed Lyrics of childhood pop song called “ Sanwali Salooni si heh Mehbooba. The city has such an amazing past and I learnt that it was home to an ancient sun worshipping temple, later destroyed by invading muslims, that Alexander the Great came to Multan and was shot with an arrow while invading the city fort and that the Hindu celebration of Holi was born out of legend in Multan. Muhammad Bin Qasim almost did not invade Multan but for help from a local source that led to defeat of Raja Dahir. It became a hotspot in Islamic trade routes and saw many rulers change from Afghans, Pashtuns and finally Sikhs. It is for this reason that you can spot tremendous diversity in locals who live in this great city, some oblivious of their glorious past.

The last shrine visit offered an opportunity to listen to some devotional music by local Qawals that could take you to ecstasy. We did find a woman who was in trance listening to the qawals.

The highlight of the trip turned out to be the dinner late night where we had some of the best mutton chops and Tawa chicken at a Champ house recommended by Ammad. Enjoying that with my family and taking in fake Pepsi locally made in Multan, we were in heaven. I went straight to bed but the boys enjoyed the outdoor coffee shop late night. Mid was through the night I was woken up by the snores of Kong who was sleeping right next to me. The breakfast at Ramada was a buffet but was miles from the lame breakfast in US. Everything from continental breakfast to Pakistani delights were at offer. We again set out early to go to a place I did not know existed called Uch Sharif. Nestled near the confluence of Punjabs five rivers, the city was found by Alexander the Great and has the Bibi Jawandi.

A sight to be hold in the middle of nowhere, this was an awesome piece of architecture. Unfortunately, a lot got destroyed by a flood in 1800 but a restoration is in process. The place has a sense of splendor and awe. Leaving here we went to Derawar fort. This fort is in Cholistan desert, and it was good to see the transition of scenery from farmland to desert like as we approached the fort. A site to be taken, the fort was constructed in 9^th century and offers magnificent views. I was able to pray in a mosque right next to it.

Visible from a distance were domes of the graveyard for royal family of the area that was buried there. Leaving the fort, we went to Nur Mehal is Bahawalpur. The place has so much history and I was fascinated to learn the history of the Nawabs and the role of the last Nawab of Bahawalpur, Sadiq Muhammad Khan the fifth who was very generous to the Government of Pakistan. We were fortunate to have dinner in Nur Mehal as it lit up with Rahat Fateh Ali Khan playing in the background.

Next day we left for Lahore. We stayed in Pearl Continental hotel in Lahore and it was a mixed experience this time as some of the staff seemed less than welcoming. We visited the famous MM Alam road and had dinner in a chic European restaurant ad to me this place was  a shopping Mecca with cafes, that I someday want to explore with my better half. I was really impressed with the gym at P.C which was an amazing facility. Next day we did an impromptu visit to Inner city Lahore, going through Dehli gate. Instead of calling an uber or getting a  tour, we took a random rickshah with the driver becoming a good friend and were dropped at Delhi gate.

We walked around the streets full of hustle bustleof Lahoris and I soaked in the energy of the city of my birth. We visited the Wazir Khan mosque , and were able to to go up the Minar of the mosque to take up some views of the inner city.

We left Lahore and made it back to Islamabad. All of us were very tired and wanted to take it waasy for a few days. The next day I visited Nidah’s home in Chaklala and saw Anum and the kids.

Separated by distance and time the visit was pleasant as Anum had arranged a high tea for me. Savoring the food and sneaking a peak at  the drawing room where I met the love of my life about 18 years ago, I enjoyed the company of the kids. Ibi gave me some lessons on Dinosaur history and we hugged for a long time, and said farewell hoping to see each other again soon.

The next few days were restful as we made it to Shah Allah Ditta caves and took in some nice tea, and offered sacrifice of 2 goats in our lawn where I tried to relive the qurbani of Eid ul Adha. I relished the freshly made organ meat and gave the goat to prepare Bolan Sajji. The dinner was a family affair with Najams and Rabias family. The shahi Tukras at dinner were from another world.

In between we decided to go to Swat. Every trip has its downer, and this was it for us. The road trip was mostly fun on the motorway as we took in views of the Giant mountains as we approached them. It was the traffic to get to Swat after you get off motorway that was the killer. We found swat to be an un appetizing dusted town, no where the Switzerland it purports to be. The silver lining was lunch on swat river where we had majestic views of the valley and some delicious food. Driving like madmen, Bagla got us home in time.

The next few days were spent soaking it all in and meeting some old friends from Bahria and Rmc.  I started going up Trail number every day to catch the dawn and also sitting mindlessly listening to Teri Surat on our rooftop. We also started shopping and made visits to the malls that are full of mouth watering shops. I was very impressed at furniture offerings and paining and now get why people ship furniture from Pakistan. The highlight of these days was La Terrazza a café in Centaurus mall with majestic views of Islamabad with the family, visit to Monal, where we were cold but had breathtaking views, live music and best Chicken Tikkas and the Matka Chai with Madeeha, Taha, Talha and Saad as we got ready to stay farewell to Islamabad the beautiful.

A sense of sadness takes over me every time I have to say farewell to Islamabad. As the time came closer, I felt low but was excited about going back to my nuclear family. The last day offered the best Biryani of the trip made by Mubashir as I was reminiscent of simple pleasures of waking up, being with family and visiting local cafes with my brothers. Taking off and leaving Pakistan, I prayed to Almighty to keep Pakistan safe and Imran at the helm to change destiny of my homeland.