Taking a City tour of Lahore via Metro Bus!

Lahore is a beautiful city; historic, cultural, cinematic, theatrical, green and my very own, the city where I was born. They say you can never truly appreciate the love for anything unless you part with it for some time. I realized my love for my home town Lahore when I moved away from it in 2009. Opportunities or no opportunities, electricity or long hauls of load shedding, sizzling summers to freezing winters the city will offer you several shades of life from good, regular to bad. This year in summers of 2013 when I planned my trip to Pakistan, on my list of things was to take a city tour of Lahore. Luckily right at the onset my sister planned a tour of downtown Lahore with her friends via the popular Metro Bus system set up by the last Government. Some said, it was as good as the tube system in London, some said less but nonetheless it was certainly worth a shot.

So the four of us set for Azadi Chowk on a Sunday evening around 6 and took Metro bus from Ferozpur Road. In less than 30 minutes we reached Azadi Chowk and I witnessed the historic tower called Minar-e- Pakistan standing tall in Minto Park in memory of the formation of Pakistan after 1947. We thoroughly enjoyed the Metro ride to this point and traveled the distance chatting with fellow passengers in the bus. People in general seemed happy with the Bus system newly set up as the ride was offered at a standard fair of Pak Rupees 20 from any where to all the way to Shahdarah (one end of city). There was also huge crowds in all the buses contrary to what I thought.

After getting off at Azadi Chowk, we than took a rikshaw ride to the beautiful Badshahi Mosque. The rikshaw dropped us at the back door of mosque and we walked inside from one of the doors, right at the entrance on the left there are shoe shops which sell fancy traditional walking slippers to women. I bought a pair for myself and wore it to the rest of the trip. Less than a mile's walk brought us to Food Street, where we went to the most famous dine in place of downtown Lahore, named Cuckoo's Cafe. A sumptuous Mughlai/ Pakistani cuisine was served at the roof top of the restaurant for which, we had to climb four floors. The sumptuous cuisine of the city served in the most traditional manner made each step of the way worth it. At the dinner table we discussed foods and restaurants in different parts of the world; how Pakistani people go looking for traditional food in US, China and everywhere else in the world they travel. The amazing dinner had come to an end but the fun trip was yet not over, therefore, we than set off to the Haveli of late Mian Salahududdin, whose daughter-in-law had offered us a cup of tea in the ancestral Haveli (royal house) of her husband's grand father. The Haveli is at walking distance from Food Street and Badshahi Mosque. The beautiful evening came to an end with relaxing green tea served in the back yard discussing weekend activities and latest dress designs. We also took some great pictures of the Haveli and drove back home. The night left me with some great memories and a desire to explore the downtown once again during day time to relive the architectural heritage of Lahore. Till than Good night!