Eid festivity: Picnics, sightseeing and a lot of swings for the young ones

Recreational spots of the twin cities witness large number of visitors on Eid days.

ISLAMABAD:

Like previous Eids, recreational spots of the twin cities witnessed large number of visitors on Eid days. Starting from the first day on Monday till Wednesday, people made the most of the holidays thronging to parks and picnic spots with the traditional festivity.

All main parks including Lake View Park, Daman-i-Koh, Pir Sohawa, Fatima Jinnah Park, Rose and Jasmine Garden in Islamabad, Jinnah Park and Nawaz Sharif Park in Rawalpindi remained packed. The spots where most of the people visited were Lake View, Pir Sohawa and Pakistan Monument.

As a result, long queues of vehicles were seen from Garden Avenue to Pakistan Monument and from Kashmir Chowk to Lake View Park.

“I especially came here from Lahore to enjoy the week-long holidays. After spending some time in Islamabad, I plan to go to Murree with my family,’’ said Muhammad Sadiq, a visitor in Lake View Park.

Many families were seen enjoying barbeque and home-cooked foods they had brought with themselves. Others complained of being swindled by the roadside vendors. “This Eid is all about meat, so we brought the marinated chops with us and bow we will barbeque them here,” said a visibly excited Adnan, at the famous park next to Rawal Dam.

People who had come from outside the twin cities made the most of the opportunity by visiting the famous sights of the capital. “Daman-i-Koh is the best place for enjoying, especially the view of the two cities from the top of the hills is really beautiful,’’ said Najma Hameed, who had come from Gujranwala along with her family.

Moreover, children were seen making the most of the family outings. Swings at Japanese Park and Lake View Park remained the most popular ones, while the open areas in Jinnah Park and Ayub Park also bustled with children running around.

“I really enjoyed a lot over here, I played with my cousins and then we had picnic with our family,” said the ten-year-old Raza, at Jinnah Park.

Many visitors were of the view due that on the first two days of Eid, people had to stay indoors due to sacrificing of animals and rains. “However, they have come out in full swing on the third day,” said Rahat, who runs a roadside stall at Lakeview Park.

“Today I get a chance to visit all the parks and tomorrow I will go to go Murree with my family and enjoy the chilly weather there,” said Hassan, a visitor at Jinnah Park.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 10^th, 2011.