Thanks to my father for giving me a new bike, Honda CG 125, back in 1991 during my college days. It was hot a summer evening in the month of July in Lahore. My friend Jamil Ahmad also bought the same bike and we left Lahore for a random unplanned bike trip.

We started from Lahore after sunset for our first-ever journey on bikes. My friend told me that after we cross the Ravi River bridge, we would load our bikes on a train and book for Rawalpindi, but after crossing the bridge I realized that it was just a trap, and we were heading on our bikes towards Rawalpindi with no safety measures and no preparations at all for the long trip ahead. However, it was a unique experience for all of us as we enjoyed the GT road ride with lovely food at our favourite point, Mian Gee Daal restaurant. We had a lovely dinner there and travelled nonstop, reaching Murree late around midnight. We wanted to refill our fuel tanks in Murree at Sunny Bank but there was no electricity at the fuel station, so we had to wait. Meanwhile, it started raining and our clothes got wet since we didn’t prepare at all, so we were shivering from the chilled wind after the rain. Finally, we reached our first destination before sunrise at Khanaspur / Ayubia.

The first thing we enjoyed in the morning was seeing ourselves in the mirror; black smoke from diesel trucks and the rainwater had made literally abstract masterpieces on our faces. We laughed and enjoyed a lot seeing ourselves in the cold cloudy morning of Khanaspur.

We luckily got hot water for a shower and refreshed ourselves and spent a night there at our friend’s summer home. The next morning we left for Abbottabad via Nathiagali scenic ride.

It was a continuous journey towards Naran. We enjoyed tasty chapli kabab at a small riverside hotel in  Balakot and reached Naran after sunset. We stayed there to take a rest before the next day's morning ride to Saiful Maluk Lake. It is worth mentioning that in 1991 there was no concept of travelling to Lake Saiful Maluk on bikes. We were one of the few adventure lovers of that time who had reached the lake on bikes, passing a very bumpy jeep trek and crossing two small glaciers on the way, where only 4x4 vehicles were supposed to reach. The road condition in those days was very poor and it was a nightmare for everyone to think about this journey.

It was love at first sight with the mountains, Saiful Maluk Lake, the tales of fairies from fantasy, and the beautiful shadow of the snow-covered Malkaparbat peak in the clear waters of the lake. I still remember that we hardly spent 40 minutes at the lake site and started our journey back with a heavy heart and feelings of sorrow for leaving this majestic place in less than an hour.

The whole trip was unplanned and full of thrill and adventure with fears of the unknown. We reached Abbottabad in the late hours where, at the time, my paternal aunt (younger phupho) had lived, so we stayed with them and that was when I made the first phone call to my parents since I had started the journey. I still remember my father’s sentence that “Baita, your parents are alive”, and I was so ashamed of myself for being so careless that we didn’t even inform our family and had not contacted them till the fourth day of our first-ever bike trip.

Click below to enjoy the images.

These golden memories are part of my life and I wish to redo them if I get a chance but this time on heavy bikes with the similar company of college time lovely adventurous friends. In 2021, my younger son bought GS150 Suzuki and I escorted him on GT road in my car, while my son and nephew were on their own bikes with all the safety measures and preparations, heading for Murree. Time flies and the newer generation learns from our mistakes. I always pray for my brave parents for their patience and courage, and at times laugh at myself for how poorly we did our unplanned first-ever bike trip. 

Khobaib A Vahedy

19 July, 2023

Lahore