Needed some air to clear my head (Day 1 ✈️)
I wasn't in the right state of mind and genuinely needed a break. My resignation is done. I'm finally free, but it still hurts me somewhere that I worked hard and didn't even get paid. I was done fighting. I was tired. I just left the place, informing the Medical Superintendent. I didn't even give a formal resignation letter; I didn't think they deserved that privilege, and I didn't want to put in any more effort for them. It might sound selfish, but I don't care.
Anyway, I converted all my savings to PKR and, without thinking much, planned a solo trip to clear my head. The first step was to decide where I was going. It was all extremely spontaneous. Within 30 minutes, I decided to visit Kashmir. How? I don't know. Kashmir, to the endpoint where Pakistan meets India.
But for that, I needed to go to Islamabad. So I booked myself a ticket. Keep in mind, I had all my savings in hand, around $280. I immediately booked a ticket to Islamabad for today, August 2nd, at 7:30 pm, which cost me around $50. I informed my family that I was leaving for Kashmir. I faced some resistance from my mom, but I convinced her.
Since I was traveling solo, I wasn't too picky about where I'd be living in Islamabad for a couple of days. So, I packed my bags and left for the airport with my brother.
Although I have traveled internationally multiple times, this was my first domestic flight as a solo traveler, and I was a bit apprehensive about flying with a Pakistani airline for the first time.
My journey took a positive turn right from the boarding counter, where I encountered a genuinely nice guy. I took this as a sign that my trip was destined to be amazing. Once on the plane, my company was even more delightful. Seated next to me was a lieutenant colonel in the army, who turned out to be one of the most down-to-earth people I have met in a long time. Our conversation was engaging and insightful, and it made the flight much more enjoyable.
One of the most pleasant surprises of the flight was the food. Having low expectations, I was amazed at how delicious the meal was. It was almost too good to be true, and it added to the positive experience of my journey.
Despite encountering some turbulence during the flight, we landed safely. The turbulence was a bit unnerving, but it was manageable, and the safe landing was a relief. As we touched down in Islamabad, I felt a mix of excitement and anticipation for the adventure that lay ahead.
As I touched down in Islamabad, I contacted a very good friend of mine who lives there. He told me to get to a certain point where he would pick me up. I explored the Islamabad airport for 10-15 minutes, then boarded the metro and headed straight to the designated point, where my friend was already waiting.
From there, he picked me up on his bike, and we started hunting for cheap hostels or hotels for my accommodation. He couldn't host me at his house since he had guests staying over. Islamabad is the capital city of Pakistan, and it is very difficult to find a cheap hotel here. Since I am on a tight budget, I cannot afford expensive hotels.
I had already booked myself a hostel, but my friend outright refused to let me stay there. Upon asking why, I learned that the place is a red light zone with hidden brothels and such, and I might get into legal trouble. That explains why it was so cheap ($7 a night).
Anyway, the hunt continued, but before that, he stopped to get me dinner. I had one of the best shawarmas of my life.
Right now I'm in a hostel in the twin city of Islamabad, Rawalpindi. It's not really bad but it still isn't what I had in my mind. I am sharing a room with two strangers but hey, at least I got a bed to sleep on and roof on my head.
This is my first solo trip of this kind, and I want it to be epic. For the next couple of days, I'll be exploring Islamabad. I don't want to disturb anyone on this trip, so I won't be pinging any of my friends. What I have in mind is to wake up early tomorrow, get on a metro, and visit a breathtaking hiking trail in Islamabad. That's where I plan on going tomorrow morning. As for the rest of the days? I don't know yet. How am I getting to Kashmir? I don't know either. I'm sure we'll figure it out soon enough.
Day 1
| Total Budget | Budget left |
|---|---|
| $280 | $220 |
Hi @huzaifanaveed1, that was an interesting to read your post and to learn that you decided to try something new after leaving your job as a dentist.
Actually Dentist is very beautiful, creative and skilful job, you are able to give back a smile to people and also to help with their pain. I remember having abscess of tooth root and that was unbearable, but having a dentist who dealt with that within few hours I was back to normal myself.
I can imagine that after struggling for long time with the previous employment place you are fed up being used and want to start something new and that is really good but I would also advice not to throw away that hard worked profession and your skills. You definitely will be sorry later if you leave it now.
At present to have such a trip of course, good but if I were you I would not do that.
Once again Steem might be a good place that could help you to get some funds and you are already have a good reputation here then keep active and you can at least to gather some funds for keeping you up. I hope you will get energy for another start up and will get a chance to reach your goal :)
Hello mate. I was on the road when you commented. Just checked in to my hotel room.
Thank you so much for your advices. I am not leaving this profession. Infacr dentistry is now my passion and I intend on working as a dentist in the future as well. It's just that I was fed up with the place where I was working at so I resigned and to have a break, I took this opportunity to have a vacation for myself.
Steemit really is a good place for me and I'm going to keep blogging on this platform. Thank you so much once again.
Good work on the resignation, big wide world out there mate.
That's the motivation I needed 💪
I wish you many such surprising and wonderful experiences! Enjoy your journey without thinking about tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. These are the best tours that you can savour for a long time. All the best!
Thank you so much for being so supportive. You're the best 🥹