As I write these lines, various news channels are running tickers about the biggest city of Pakistan arriving at a standstill due to civil commotion, which has become a norm here.
In other news, a race for seats in the Senate has just concluded, and the three-month mark of one the saddest days in our national history is around the corner.
The people behind that attack belonged to the same brand of militants who killed foreigners touring the lofty mountaintops of Pakistan, not to mention thousands of other innocent Pakistanis who have also been killed thus far in their vicious attacks.
Before I even begin to make my point, the reality of my narrative screams out to me from every new development that comes up on TV.
Last month, we went to Sri Lanka on a vacation as a much-needed break from Pakistan. Without doubt, that country is no less than a mini-paradise. Sandy beaches, serene lakes, magnificent mountains; nature blossomed into perfection.
We landed in the bustling capital of Colombo – known for its beautiful beaches – slowly making our way to the breathtaking mountains of Nuwara eliya.
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Nuwara eliya is any nature lovers dream. Our driver took us from the mountainous winding road to the middle of the city, where our hotel was located. It was a six-hour long trip spent with mountains, rain and the gushing sounds of the waterfalls.
Sufi music serenading our ears, we were in a world of our own. How we wished time could stop.
The city of Nuwara eliya was frolicking with tourists. I must say I was surprised to see such diverse groups of people travelling with their backpacks to explore this place.
Our highlight of the two-day trip to Nuwara eliya was a 500 metre trek up to what they called the Lovers Leap waterfall. The winding road gave you a view of the city with an eagle’s eye and the feeling of reaching the top is indescribable.
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Our next stop was Kandy, where we went to the famous Peradeniya botanical gardens. The weather did not favour us, but the gardens more than made up for it.
There was a magnificent collection of more than 4000 species of plants. We walked down the glorious palm avenue or just lay under an ancient tree for shelter. Later, we cramped ourselves into a dingy theatre with a large number of other tourists to watch a Kandyan dance show and firewalk.
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From Kandy we went to Bentota, where we spent most of our time on the beach without a worry in the world. In 'River Safari', we went in a boat to explore the river, making various stops to observe nature and exotic animals.
If there was anything that weighed heavy in the back of our minds throughout, it was that this country was not Pakistan.
It was extremely sad to think of all the exquisite locations in Pakistan which tourists would love to visit if it weren't for security concerns. In the mountains of Nuwara eliya, we found ourselves yearning for the beautiful valleys of Naraan and Kaghan, and the second-highest mountain peak of the world, which we still haven’t seen.
At the Gregory lake, we wondered if Lake Saif ul Muluk was as beautiful. My heart flinched when we were asked to pay 4000 SLR for a horse ride in Nuwara eliya.
Could the exquisite beach resort at Bentota be developed in Gwadar too? Of course it could.
Could we have cultural shows like the Kandyan one? Absolutely.
We finally decided to sit down and make a list of all the things we had seen or done here and compared it with Pakistan. To our surprise, we couldn’t find a single conflict.
Pakistan has all the elements to be one of the most wanted tourist destinations of the world, except for the minimal development and horrendous security situation.
We felt ashamed of ourselves for choosing Sri Lanka over Pakistan. But who wants to go on vacation with fear and worry in their backpack?
—Photos by author
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