After reading various biking thread, we get motivated and planned our first ever biking tour from Lahore to Rohtas fort. To make this route eye-catching & informative we planned to go through various villages alongside of Canals so that we can also visit different Head works.
Route Day 1: Lahore-Sheikhupura-Farooqabad-Head Sagar-HeadQadirabad-Phalia-Mangat-Mandi Bahauddin-Islamnagar-Noorpur Baghan-Jhelum
Route Day 2:
Jhelum-Dina-Rohtas Fort-Dina bypass-Mangla Lake-Jhelum
Route Day 3:
G.T. Road Jhelum-Kharian-LalaMusa-Gujrat-Wazirabad-Gujranwala-Lahore
Day 01:
Departed from Lahore at 07:00am and after covering short distance, front wheel got punctured due to leakage of an old fix. Got it fixed at nearby petrol pump and he suggested better to replace tube as it was not available with him. Replacement of tube made at Shiekhupura but after replacement found that new tube is having manufacturing fault as big hole, so got replaced it again. Restarted journey and at Farooqabad we had breakfast. Upon arrival at Canal left the main Lahore-Sargodha Road and adopted the route alongside of canal which after few Kilometers converted into immense silent and worth watching fields around. Enjoyed the same track till Qadirabad barrage and Rasul-Qadirabad Link Canal then turned to Chak Mannu towards Phalia bypass. After bubbling long on kacha Road body felt relaxed on new constructed Phalia-Mandibahauuddin Road :). After crossing Mandi bahauuddin we passed through few villages in beautiful hilly area but to time constraint could not stay a while even for a single click L.
Finally reached Jhelum at 07:00pm but near GTS Chowk Oil Pump of CD-100 stopped working. Bike got examined by a Honda Mechanic who asked to visit at morning for fixing of the same. Got a room in Faran Hotel at GTS Chowk, dropped bags etc. in room and left for dinner outside. Upon our return we found that Hotel has no UPS or Generator and load shedding has no limit and timing. 1-2 hours supply and 2-3 hours load shedding is normal at Jhelum or it could be worse.
Day 02:
After getting bath checked out from Hotel and dropped bike at Honda Service Center to leave for Breakfast. After fixing Oil Pump at 12:30pm left for Rohtas. Due to bright sunny day it was hard to stay long at Rohtas so left early for Mangla Dam. Due to long hours load shedding, mineral water and soft drinks was not possible to find cold enough so compromised a bit on it and head to Dina bypass for Mangla Dam. Reached at Mangla Lake after security checks etc. and stayed there till sunset. Left again for Jhelum and arrived at GTS Chowk to try another hotel ?Zeelaf? who confirmed supply during load shedding through generator but not more than 01 hour. Dropped bags again at Hotel and after getting bath left for Dinner and upon return slept early.
Day 03:
Whether Forecast was 38deg during journey so left Jhelum at 06:30 am for Lahore through G.T. Road. Though the road was in quite good condition but felt boredom due to continuously accelerating. Took Breakfast at LalaMusa and decided to listen MP3s during journey. Used customized mobile charger installed on bike for recharging of mobile battery which was not charged due to load shedding. Continued journey till Gujranwala where stopped a bit for liquid intake and restarted. Finally arrived Lahore around at 12:00pm.
Synopsis:
Total Journey:
Approx. 500 km.
Petrol CD-100: Rs. 700/- Started with full tank and hit reserved in Lahore
Petrol CG-125: Rs. 900/- Started with full tank and refilled twice to avoid any inconvenience
Food Cost: Approx. Rs. 3,000/-
Hotel Rent: Rs. 1,400 (for two nights)
GPS Tools: Google Maps & Sygic (for Offline tracking)
TIPs:
- Use extra foamic sheet or pillow for seating
- Don?t compromise on Tire and Tube condition
- Use helmet with good quality Visor as light spread in low quality Visor, resulting hard to see objects and drive
- Keep CNIC, Driving License, Registration book etc. with yourself
- Try to get mobile charger install on your bike as use of GPS, Internet, voice calls drain mobile charging very quickly. Whereas due to load shedding and other unforeseen reasons recharging may not be possible.
- Ask for UPS and Generator Facility before check-in the hotels otherwise fix rate accordingly.
It was a nice starter and good biking experience for us full of challenges, lessons and enjoyment.