Pakistan is full of beautiful places and I always try to keep looking for opportunities to explore more about my country. However, apart from looking for opportunities, we created an opportunity this time. Our group decided to host trips on our own and spend a day (or two) out with friends at a place where we could enjoy a lot. So, we decided! – and the first ever trip of Pakistani Social Activists set out on a trip to Khewra Salt Mines. We named it Pakistan Social Media Trip (PSMT) and it was being live tweeted at #PSMT. More on PSMT below.
Khewra Salt Mines
Khewra Salt Mines (Wikipedia) is located in Khewra a small town of Pind Dadan Khan in Jehlum District. This salt mine is the second largest mine in world and was discovered by Alexander the Great in 320 BC.
Wait… don’t push me to copy too much form Wikipedia. To read more, click the links above and learn about the places we visited. I’ll try to focus on the trip we had.
How’s the Trip?
In short, the trip was awesome! We had so much fun. Everyone enjoyed. This must have become one of the most memorable days for everyone.
We started early from Lahore and no later than 9:00 AM, we were on Motorway. The timing was well planned. When I got picked up, the fun had already started. We had a breakfast at Sukheki South.
Group at Sukheki for Breakfast
Then we stayed for a while at Lilla Interchange. We enjoyed the weather, the calm environment, the beautiful Motorway and a view of the green fields.
Group on Road at Lilla Interchange Motorway
We reached Khewra at about 1:30 PM. It was sunny and really crowded. There were trips from schools and tourist groups from different parts of country. I was not expecting this much crowd though (as when I last visited, it seemed a calm place). However, we had a rest for a while and then we set towards the salt mine.
Group inside Khewra Salt Mines
We decided to walk through the mine, however; you can take a train ride that goes through the tunnel to the central area within the mine. It’s about 1.5 Kilometers from the mouth of the tunnel to the main Assembly Hall in the mine. As you keep walking deep in the mine, it fascinates you more with the wonders of salt. You start feeling salt everywhere… the smell in air, the taste in breadth, the colors in walls, the droplets over the heads and the long dark tunnel that seem to never end. Water (saturated brine solution) ponds along the way are fascinating to see but some of them may seem horrific. The darkness, the dead still water and the silence of the mine all adds up to the enjoyment.
When you are at Assembly Hall, you’ll see things made up of salt. A mosque, a model mountain, a hospital (for asthma patients), a mountain, a model of Minaar-e-Pakistan etc. Then there are different chambers to visit where there are bridges of salt and ponds of water.
We stayed there for a while and then we came back to the reception. We all were really hungry and the lunch was far away at Bhera Motorway Service Area. We had lunch here at Subway. Sun was almost set when everyone took their cameras out and started photography on a pedestrian bridge over Motorway at Bhera. The view was awesome and so was the experience.
It was time to return home and we had our dinner scheduled at Krados in Faisal Town. We reached here at 9:15 PM.
My Take on Khewra Mines
I believe Khewra Mines are losing their attraction as a tourist spot and that too because of improper planning. I didn’t see much things changed since I last visited a few years ago. This can be a great recreational spot. It had mountains, a lot of area, a river side and a great mine. There can be a lot more attractions within the mine. But things seem dormant and the beauty seems to be at the helm of the authorities that have been neglecting the area.
Did you take Photos?
Yes, a lot of photos. We went crazy for photos and this was planned to be like this. We decided to take a lot of photos and have a lot of fun. And we did it. There were more than 1000 photos collectively from 4 cameras. They are all uploaded here;
http://on.fb.me/PSMT-Khewra-2012
What’s #PSMT?
Pakistan Social Media Trip was an effort to gather all social activists and have a trip to somewhere in Pakistan. Now we plan to take this to the next level by making it a regular activity. More news on it will be posted soon IA.
How to join PSMT in the next trip?
We haven’t planned for the next trip yet. We invite you all to be a part of this. You can contact me or anyone from the organizers (mentioned below) to be a part of this. Make sure you keep following the updates.
Last but not the least, let’s thank the organizers. The trip was collectively organized and managed by Mansoor Ahmed Zia (@MansurZ), Haroon Aejaz (@haroonaejaz), Talal Masood (@taalz) and me (@usman_latif). Hope to see you soon in next fun filled trip.
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