Strolls, tea and books

During an evening stroll in the small Nathiagali bazaar, I saw a couple walking towards the bazaar, while I walked back to the hotel. They passed me in the night for a split second but it was an impression. 

It was a newly-wed wordless couple. The girl was dressed in a slightly formal suit , her head was covered with a chiffon dupatta and, she had a nice shawl around her shoulders. She seemed to be smiling nervously. The chap was walking with his hands clasped behind his back. They were not talking but quietly walking towards the bazaar. They were not holding hands either. I felt there was a nervous look of courage on the girl's face. 

That she was thinking 'I am unbelievably here but I must do this.' 

I wonder if they had an arranged marriage and were too shy with each other. I was amused and slightly depressed, too, looking at them. 

The image really stuck in my head. I've seen much more intimate couples, holding hands or bent over knocking heads chatting at restaurant tables, talking to each other. But this couple was very distant. 

Good luck to them in their wordless and confused start. Maybe the charms of Nathiagali will bring them together. 

Speaking of charms, besides my snobby take of Murree Mall Road and the break-neck speed at which the hill station is becoming a Pindi bazaar, it goes without saying that honeymooners and middle-class vacationers come up here. So, I must appreciate that these hills are frequented by the hopes of new loves and passions. 

Oh, another thing that really struck me was seeing nariyal stalls up in Murree and Nathiagali. Yes, you read that right - there was coconut water being sold up in the hills in freezing weather. And it was 400 rupees a pop! Why would I like to drink nariyal ka pani in that weather or atmosphere, it is something I associate with the tropics and hot summers. There is something utterly vulgar about it. Are coconuts being trucked up to the hills from .... Sindh? Someone please enlighten me. Are they frozen and then thawed for the winter tourists in Murree? 

I do love roaming around in Islamabad's Markazain (what is the plural of Markaz). And, they too are changing at break-neck speed. Old shops are being torn down to make way for new plazas. Things are being gentrified. 

I myself am always looking for that old feeling of Islamabad. For example, I love the shops in Supermarket/F-6. Handicraft shops. Shawls. Carpets. Jewelry shops. I love how shaded that Markaz is. Soon, though most of these shops will disappear and, we will have big brands or supermarkets take over. The charm of going into a family business will soon be gone. Already, it is rare to be offered a cup of tea or soft drink while shopping. 

I love the stalls in Jinnah Supermarket, selling trinkets, clothes, chicken corn soup, fake perfumes, etc. My friends and I met up the other day at Kabul Restaurant for dinner and, later we strolled through the Market. We stopped at a book stall and, I was amazed at how knowledgable the bookstall owner was! He advised us which books to get, that so and so had copied so and so's style, and, so on. I was quite blown away and started ranting about how much I had a vendetta with Saeed Book Bank. 

Here was an informed bookseller who one could actually talk about books with with a small bookstall and, there is Saeed Book Bank - self proclaimed biggest bookshop in the country -  round the corner which doesn't even have one informed staff. Going into Saeed Book Bank, once my favourite place, just makes my blood boil. There are dozens of staff but each one is a headless chicken who couldn't find a book, even if they look for it in their computer. None of them are trained. I must have spent at least a few thousands of dollars since my 20s and, everyone goes there to buy books. After all these years, why can't they at least invest in their staff? There's not even a freaking sofa to sit down and peruse through books. They haven't even got a small coffeeshop. 

Instead, every now and then, they collect and cash in on public sympathy by announcing they are about to close down! 

Finally, whenever my siblings visit from London, they go on about how expensive Islamabad is. They are hooked to coffee and, they tried buying it from coffeeshops 3 times a day and, were shocked at how a cuppa is more expensive than in London. Why do small pleasures have to be so expensive? 

Speaking of books and tea, this thing has been making rounds on social media and I swear.....