r/PakPunjab

Took a trip to my relatives' village just outside Lahore, and it’s crazy how much the vibe has shifted.

A few years back, this place was all kacha houses, quiet dirt paths, and absolute peace. Now, the urban sprawl has swallowed it up. The rustic scenery has been entirely replaced by concrete blocks, constant engine noises, and paved roads.

I'm definitely glad the people living here have better facilities and an easier lifestyle now, but it's bittersweet. It honestly feels like the true essence of the pind has been lost to generic construction.

Full trip highlights of Sargodha Riders Club 14th August Azadi Ride through Soon Valley and Skaser. Enjoy and contact to join the next tour.

On a bike ride on August 14th through Soon Valley, one of the places was Kufri Top near Kufri Village. I kid you not, you can see for several miles from this place. The whole valley looks like a flat ground and you can also have a glimps of Uchali Lake almost 4 miles away.

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Pakistani_census

Sargodha Riders Club organized a road trip through Soon valley.

The trip was mostly off road. The paths lead through villages that time forgot and roads that were non existent. The journey was tough and grueling and Slipping and Sliding on dangeroush curvy paths common. We made it, to all the places.

First up was Jhalar Lake near Jhalar Village. Next was the most intense ride of our lives. A couple of hours of slipping and sliding on rocky hills and muddy meadows, no commerce for hours on end and we made it to the temples of Amb Sharif. From there we returned to the most beautiful vantage point to see Soon Valley.

Descending to Uchali Village and resting a few minutes at Uchali Lake Board Walk, we started towards the toughest one yet. Kufri top. It is the high point beyond Kufri Village and you can see for miles from up there.

Finally, to one of my bucket list item, Chashma Deep Sharif. This ride was surprisingly tough. Road was non existent, gravel was replaced with big rocks that threw the bikes left and right. And if there wasn't rocks, it was very slippery mud. We made it with barely some sun left, tooka quick dip and started back in darkness.

All in all, we started at 8AM and by 9PM we had dinner and we're home by 11.

A lithograph by Emily Eden showing one of the favourite horses of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and his collection of jewels, including the Koh-i-Noor marked as number 1.