It began as an ordinary trip. Hafiz Saadullah, Shahbaz Shah and I set out from Islamabad for Jhelum to visit a friend. None of us knew that the best part of the day would be waiting at a small roadside stop.
Our route ran along the historic GT Road, a road that carries centuries of stories through the rugged landscape of the Pothohar region. Sher Shah Suri himself once travelled this passage towards Delhi.
Near Dina, a tehsil of Jhelum, stands the magnificent Rohtas Fort, built during his reign. As the miles rolled by, it was hard not to wonder how many travellers had passed along these same roads before us, each with their own destination and their own reasons for the journey.
Saadi, as we call Hafiz Saadullah, had his newly bought Google Pixel in hand and proved to be our learned friend behind the lens, capturing the road, the landscape and the laughter. Big hats off to our lawyer colleague for his wonderful shots!
As we neared Jhelum, Shahbaz Shah suddenly insisted that we stop at Lehri Stop. The road from there leads towards the village of my friend Amer Kiayni, “Birmingham Sharif” UK walay. I wasn’t convinced. But Shah Saheb was in one of those moods where arguing is pointless.
There, right beside the busy road, we found a modest dhaba selling traditional treats: Andarasa (also known as Meethe Pakoray), jalebi and pakoray. I hesitated. With trucks and cars thundering past, I joked that the dust from the road might well be one of the ingredients. I decided to buy nothing.
Shahbaz Shah didn’t give up, and eventually his persistence won. We bought some Andarasay and pakoray, and I was happily proven wrong. They were fresh, crisp and delicious, with a distinctive taste that lingers in the memory long after the last bite.
The surprise wasn’t over. Barely three minutes down the road, we stopped again, this time at a traditional truck hotel. We ordered steaming cups of tea and laid out our freshly bought treasures on the table.
That is how we ended up having the most unexpected high tea of our lives. There were no cakes, biscuits or dainty sandwiches, just hot roadside tea beside sweet Andarasay and crispy pakoray. Yet somehow it beat any formal high tea I have ever attended. Around us were the open road, the passing trucks, good company and simple flavours, and we realised that the simplest moments often become the most precious memories.
It was not merely a journey from Islamabad to Jhelum. It was a blend of history, laughter, discovery and unforgettable taste. Sometimes the best memories are not waiting at the destination. They are quietly hidden in an unexpected roadside stop along the way.
