Arrival at Muree .07

From Trip To Islamabad and Muree...

May 1, 2008 6 PM, we had reached Muree and are looking for a decent hotel to stay in.

In Islamabad we met a taxi driver who claimed to take us to Muree in 800 Rupees, which sounds quite a reasonable amount. We also consulted the guys at our hotel (Royal City) in ISB they offered us that they can arrange someone in 1800 Rupees for a driver per day who will take us from ISB take us to 3 to 4 points in Muree and then back to ISB at night. In Two days we were asked not to leave the hotel and pay 1400 Rupees per diem which sounded a waste of money. The Radio cab offered two packages, first was Rupees 1800 for 100 km for visiting all over Islamabad for 8 hours. The seconds was Car Keeping package where 50 calling charges, 250 Rupees per hour and 15 Rupees per Kilometer, in which we could go where ever we wanted to go.

So we decided that we will hire that 800 Rupees taxi to go to Muree from Islamabad, find a hotel and let him go. The driver’s name was Shakeel, his number is 0333-5195743 and drives a Suzuki FX, LHR – 9069.

Now here is what happened, the driver seemed to be a reasonable person so we asked him to take us there and drop us to a better hotel and then go to hell. But during the drive he offered that he will show us four points in one day and charge 2500 Rupees for one day. We rejected the offer and asked him to simply take us to the hotel and we will take someone else in the morning probably a local taxi which will cost us much less.

As soon as we reached Muree we stopped by a hotel and were reluctant to go in as the driver kept on insisting that this is a nice place. We already had a bad experience on ISB about the driver deals with the Hotels. So just ahead a saw another hotel, and asked him to stop and stay in the car while I go and check the hotel.

The hotel name was Hotel Faran, (phone 051-3411270, 051-3411271) it was just at the beginning of Maal Road muree, but not exactly on it. I got in and asked for a three bed room, they told me it is going to cost me 1000 Rupees per day and it’s a family hotel and they had a couple of more families staying. They insisted me to see the room so I did, once I got up, I saw that there were no too many people, but the room service guys seemed alright (and not badmash type), so I asked them to let me meet some families if there were any (I had to be sure) they were all laughing. I insisted, so they knocked a door, no one answered. A guy came out from the second door and I told him everything, he said it was wise of me to check for a family as he was there since afternoon and he could find a single family while he was told so. He was with his wife, they probably were newlyweds, I found a sign of relief as I met him.

The price was right the room was okay and I just met one family so I decided to take it. It turned out to be a better place, more families flowed in as the night falls. We stayed there for some time, it got cold at night we ordered some food and again I asked for Chicken Biryani and I was presented with Yellow Rice with lots of Khatta Masala! It wasn’t Biryani, but the rest of the things were good. Then me and my cousin stood in the terrace for hours and hours talking, having tea. It was quite a pleasant and refreshing time. We had a good time watching couples, dads and daughters, college girls, families etc walking down the street towards maal road and coming back with similes on their faces, holding hands, some exhausted faces some exited individuals. It was a great night.

The only two things that bothered me one I got in Muree was the taxi driver entered a very congested street where all the tall hotels were looking quite creepy and the agents (Makrani-type) stick to the car like a blood sucking insect. It was very hard to get out of that street and even harder to get out of the verbal war between the agents and myself about “karma daikh lein – Nahin daikhna”. (See the room – no I won’t…). The second was the noise from the streets that could be heard in the quiet cold night, we should have chosen a room at the back and not in the front. The balcony was common throughout so it wouldn’t be much of a difference.

Once we were in the Hotel and were settling the payments for the hotel and the driver, Shakeel (the driver) offered me his last price of 1500 Rupees per day for the same deal of taking us to four visiting points in Muree. We had judged him throughout the road trip so we accepted the offer and asked him to go home and meet us in the morning at 9 AM.