Bike Tour 4,000 KMS - Karachi - Naran - Astor (Gilgit Balistan) and Back to Karachi

[Sulaiman75]

Soon the train rolled in to Pattoki Station and I took a few snaps as it was no more than a quick 5 minute stop.

Along came a family of a Husband and Wife and 4 kids who boarded the train and into our cabin. I was taking pics at the time and when I went to back to the cabin I found that the wife had occupied the bunk on top across from me, their 7 or 8 year old daughter occupied my bunk and was getting comfortable on my pillow and under my sheet, the other two kids were on one side middle bunk while the husband, wife, two kids and the other man who came on from Lahore were all sitting on the lower two bunks. The man asked if it was ok while their child slept for a while in my bunk as they had been waiting for the train for many hours and they are very tired. How could I say no? I said certainly she may. I noticed the wife had her face partially covered with a chadar that covered her head and body and she was holding the chadar with her teeth.

I was a bit uncomfortable sitting there facing the family with the 2 kids jumping around all over the place so I decided to come out and sit in the gallery and pulled down the seat and enjoyed the view from there.

I must have sat there for quite some time, maybe an hour or so while the train rolled on through different places sometimes very fast and at other times slowing down. I would see a scene of traffic jam at metal frames where roads crossed the track while the train passed those roads. It was always too late by then for me to go out to take these pics since we had long passed those locations.

So I decided on just staying next to the door while enjoying the scene and wind as well as look forward out the door for any upcoming traffic jam.

All the while I took in the views and also took a pic of me hanging out the door ever so mindful of how we would see in movies where someone hanging off a train would get hit by oncoming posts when trains passed by.

[raomubarakali]

Lovely Trip and Excellent Travelogue.

[lovebikes]

Kia baat hai janab aap ki. Thank you for sharing.

[Sulaiman75]

I went back to my room and found that everyone had now gone to sleep, the person from Lahore as well as the family that boarded the train recently. All the bunks were now occupied so I came back out and ordered Chai and a Sandwich.

I kept enjoying the views outside of fields and small towns we passed.

Two hours passed by and the guy kept coming from time to time walking past me asking if I needed anything to eat and so I again asked for another cup of chai along with some cookies.

I again went in to take a peak into the cabin and this time found the shutter down and it was dark inside while the family was still out cold sleeping and the man from Lahore had pulled out his laptop and watching a movie with his headphones on.

I again walked out and carried on with my view of the outside.

[Sulaiman75]

I just sat and kept enjoying every moment of the simplicity of life in the towns we passed close to the railway tracks.

You could see inside some mud homes as we were at an elevation and the houses were a bit lower than our view.

Soon we passed by a small town where the train slowed for a while but did not stop, I saw a family working the fields right next to the tracks and took some pics.

[Sulaiman75]

The train was stopped at Shujabad for approximately 20 minutes so I took the opportunity to take a few pics outside. I had a few of the train operators stand nearby so I asked one to take my pic. They were in white uniforms.

I then saw a man being held from the back of the neck by a police officer come out of another car and three other police officers walked with this men and the officer holding him and they climbed into our car. The officers were abusing the man and he was pleading that it was not him. No idea what that was about but it caught my attention since they were in our car now.

I did notice from time to time during my trip earlier in the day that there was one cabin a few cabins down from mine where a uniformed police officer or two would come out of or would go into. I thought a police team had booked that cabin for themselves.

Well the officers took him into that cabin and the door was still open while another officer sat outside in the gallery. I could hear just a bit of what was going on.

[Sulaiman75]

I could make out that he was accused of steeling a mobile in one of the other cabins but he kept denying and they kept asking him and then the officer shut the door so no one could hear anything.

I went into my cabin only to find the one man still watching movies on his bunk in the middle with headphones while the family had a major dinner going on. Plates everywhere, food everywhere, cooler with water everywhere. I didn't know where all the stuff came from until I realized they must have brought it with them. As soon as I saw this scene I again just backed out of the room and wanted to sit in the gallery and the man of the family asked if I would join them, I smiled and respectfully refused.

I was trying to not eat until reaching Karachi because I was not comfortable with the idea of using the washrooms the train.

An hour later I saw the lady come out and her husband escorted her to the washroom. I stepped into the room and noticed the kids had all once again occupied all the bunks other than the one the man with the laptop who never moved most of the time. He did come out to speak to someone on the train but mostly spent the time in the room watching movies and had his laptop plugged into the electric socket.

I decided to take out my map now and see where we were and where we will travel through during the night.

Soon we arrived at Lodhran where I was able to take a couple of pics as it was a quick one minute or maybe two minute stop.

[jadoon1992_vxlimited]

i see your bike daily at orion motors but i noticed the number today. do you still have it or you sold it to someone?

[Sulaiman75]

After around 11 pm I finally decided to make an effort and try to get my bunk back so I could sleep. As I went inside the cabin the first thing I noticed is the father say to his daughter to climb down now since Uncle needs to sleep.

Of course the girl had a sad face but there was no option at that time. She came down with my cushion and father requested her to give my cushion back to me. When I climbed up to my bunk I noticed she had helped herself into my back pack and gone through some books I had. I think she saw them when I came in to take out my map from the back pack.

I put everything back in order as well as the map and then just went off to sleep.

I woke to the announcement of Hyderabad Station. So I stayed in the bed for a while just resting. Soon the guy came to ask for Nashta and I only wanted chai so I asked him for chai while the others ordered some food, not sure what.

When I chai came I came down from my bunk only to find my map on the table with little residue of food on it next to the man who was staring at it while the kids were having some fruit and the youngest one sipping on a milk bottle next to the mother.

I was a bit taken aback and decided this was not appropriate. I then looked at my backpack and yes, it was wide open with the books sticking out somewhat but still in the bag. I would never mind anyone using anything that I had so long as they had the decency to ask, how could they just help themselves to my bag without my permission? That was simply not acceptable.

So this time I addressed that man asked him directly, "Ham abi kahan tak ponchay han" knowing full well they had just announced Hyderabad coming up just a few minutes back. He looked up and said "bus abi Hyderabad ponchnay he valay han" and then went to look more deeply in the map. I guess he just didn't get it and I felt this is not the age you teach manners to someone.

So I pulled down my back pack, and showed as if I am packing my stuff like the bed sheet and pulled out the books and repacked them and then asked the guy if he was done with the map I need to pack. He said nothing and simply handed me the map with what looked like cooky residue, I wiped it clean and put the map away.

As Hyderabad came I again went out to take some pics and then came back to sit down and by now the family had packed their stuff too and we were all sitting down now on the bunk at the bottom.

We soon left Hyderabad and the man opened the discussion of how things have changed over the years on train travel and I just raised one eyebrow indicating 'well really now?'

Most of the discussion was with the other man since they had traveled this route many times and this compared different trains and timings and other stuff that was beyond me as they spoke of stations I had never heard of.

[farooq05]

wonderful updates.. by the way what was the name of this train? and how your bike was transported?

[greatusama]

Sulaiman Sab - Tusi cha gaye ooh..

[Xoofi]

wonderful updates.. by the way what was the name of this train? and how your bike was transported?

Apparently seems Khyber Mail because thats the only train from Peshawar that goes to Karachi and have Business class coaches

[hsumbal1]

@sulaiman75

Did you take the following pic from the train moving or stationery...

[Sulaiman75]

Apparently seems Khyber Mail because thats the only train from Peshawar that goes to Karachi and have Business class coaches

Yes, I think that was the name of that train.

[Sulaiman75]

i see your bike daily at orion motors but i noticed the number today. do you still have it or you sold it to someone?

Oh I Still have it . I have yet to do more trips, actually the one I did Karachi - Kashmir is yet to come, as soon as I complete this ..... Actually, this is now complete and I just need to find the list of expenses to post.

And by the way, do you live close by ? I mean near Orion motors?

Its a small world after all. So far you are the only person who has seen this bike with their own eyes.

[Sulaiman75]

wonderful updates.. by the way what was the name of this train? and how your bike was transported?

As one of the readers pointed out, it was Khybar Mail. Apparently when my uncle booked for me all the other trains were already booked and the only decent seat he could find was on this train.

As for the bike, well it was shipped two days later by another train and arrived in the middle of the week.

[Sulaiman75]

I believe the stop before Cant Station in Karachi was Kimari but I could be wrong.

Well that is where the family traveling in my cabin got off and the rest of the way was peaceful with the other traveler who sat and spoke to me a while.

He was a dentist who had traveled to Karachi for some training and we shared our backgrounds and travels and when he came to know what I had just done (drive to Gilgit from Karachi) he said he too does a lot of riding and is Islamabad these days. He said he rides up North often and advised me to fly to Islamabad and then just rent a bike from there instead of bringing my bike all the way from Karachi.

I told him its best to ride a bike you know well and prepare for the trip well. He then suggested I book it by train to Pindi and then take the tour. I said there is nothing like the feeling of saying I have done it just once in my life, that is to say I have traveled from the bottom tip to the very top of Pakistan by bike. And you can never see most areas via flying or by train which you can see by road and choose which ever way you wish to go, this is what I call improvising.

We arrived in Karachi later in the morning, not sure what time it was then.

The End to a Fabulous Journey of Pakistan. I recently came to know there is a travel show called "Due Adventure" with a rider traveling the same route which I just did but has a Mountain Due sponsorship and is traveling with a camera crew to explore Pakistan. Its broadcast every Sat night and Sunday morning around 11 am I think on Dawn News. Its a half hour show and I have only been able to see just one episode which lasts a half hour. I hope I find the time to see it and would encourage others to also check it out. The only drawback is its so darn slow. In a half hour show they show hardly 10 minutes due to back to back commercials and repeated videos.

Thanks to all who have read my thread, given their opinions and advice and foremost, enjoyed my thread and continue to read and share it with others who might be inspired to do something similar.

I would like to encourage people from Sindh, specially Karachi to plan and do this trip at least once in a lifetime.

Sulaiman

[Sulaiman75]

@Sulaiman75

Did you take the following pic from the train moving or stationery...

Oh this pic was taken while the train was a moving of course. Why do you ask?

[Xoofi]

So finally the great travelogue has come to end. Enjoyed the every word of it. Really a great adventure. Looking forward for the Kashmir thread soon

And btw, the station before Karachi Cantt where the family got off is either Landhi or Drigh Road.

[Sulaiman75]

So finally the great travelogue has come to end. Enjoyed the every word of it. Really a great adventure. Looking forward for the Kashmir thread soon

And btw, the station before Karachi Cantt where the family got off is either Landhi or Drigh Road.

Yes, it was Landi. I remember now. Thanks for correcting me.

Sulaiman