It’s already July now. There are rains every where. Clouds, the rain and the small ponds and rivulets formed on slopes and hollowed spaces on soil, paved or unpaved, create a romance unto themselves, yet the sweat, the vapory environment with a downpour every now and then turns one wet. Hence it’s also the time to run away and seek shelter in some cool, refreshing place where there is no sweat, no “pitch pitch” of the plains, and where there are lakes and mountains to provide peace and freshness to body and soul. So dear readers! let me take you this month to a valley where there are lofty mountains, serene lakes and lush green terraced fields – in the vale of Kaghan.
Sri Paye is a queer, rather funny name, yet this place in a remote corner of Kaghan, six KM away from Shogran has superb views unrivalled by any other place.
Nestled in this valley is a small hamlet called Siri Paye. WOP writer Syed Zafar Abbas Naqvi recently visited this place to cover the following report.
(This article is the first part of a series of features WOP is going to cover for its readers in this and coming month)
We reach this heaven on earth as we leave Rawalpindi, traversing our journey through Abbotabad, Mansehra and Balakot. I have covered almost 232 KM and am moving onward to Kaghan on the main Balakot-Naran Road. As I travel upward about 25 Km from Balakot, comes the sleepy little town of Kewai. It’s from kewai and at a distance of about 9 Km upwards that the picturesque valley of Shogran comes before me. The road to Shogran is surrounded by thick forests, ardent slopes as we make our way upward to Shogran. Shogran too is surrounded with similar scenes on all four sides, studded with mountain peaks which bespeak the grandeur, the magnificence of Shogran.
Siri Paye is 6 km further from Shogran. Reach there either by hiring a four wheel jeep trailing over a bumpy road or just trek. The patch is full of adventure and fun. However some turns are enough to raise your hair but once you reach Siri Paye, you are truly rewarded after a blood curdling—spine tingling journey as you catch the most fascinating glimpses of domed, lush green hillocks. On our way up to Siri, very often, young innocent kids approach the visitor. These “salesmen” the sons of the mountains offer you wild berries and “Aloochas” at very cheap prices.
At a majestic height of 11200 feet the Makra Peak boasts the most dramatic scenery of Paye offering a pleasant blend of lakeside walks with a vivid blue sky above us which is truly a rewarding exercise for the beholden visitor to “Siri Paye”.