Rickshaws, honks, kachoris
and a whole lot of beauty
I used to visit Lahore, my home, from Karachi multiple times
in a year before we moved to Switzerland. However, when I went home a couple of
weeks back from pardes, it felt
different. My tourist genes, which usually lie dormant when I am in Lahore,
came to life and it almost seemed like my awwaleen
farz to explore the city I have grown up in. I am not talking about checking
out the malls or eating at the swanky new restaurants – the eyes wanted REAL Lahore, and
the palate was craving for REAL desi food. And where do you find both of these
together? Androon Shehr, of course.
So, me, a friend who was visiting from Paris, and my sister
(trying to be a good host) booked a day around Lahore with The Local Wanderer.
In Rs.2,500/person, they met us at Dilli Darwaza, fed us a hearty breakfast at
the Shaahi Baithak and then took us around the most famous monuments of the
Walled City. Here’s everything we saw and did.
Darakhton ki chaaon, nani ki kahaanian, dadi ki
almaari se churaai hooi chocolate, mera bachpan, mera Lahore.
Androon shehr ka mirch
masala.
Sohni dharti te
waddhiya khana.
As we waited for our shahi
nashta at the Shahi Baithak
When in Punjab, do as
Punjabis do! Makhans, malaais, and
the ghees are all good every once in
a while.
The food, comprising lassi,
keema bhari kachoris, halwa, chanay, pooris and mix chai, was delicious enough to cause food coma and heavy enough to
cause a heart attack. Hence, a 5 hour walking tour after all this was a perfect
idea.
Post the ghee laden nashta we started our sight-seeing,
first stop being the Shahi Hamaam, where the recent excavation and renovation
work is truly impressive.
Suffering ignorance, the
British Raj and extreme deterioration over time, the Royal Bath stands today
with what remains of it's beautiful frescos and marble work, telling tales of
the past. The guide explained in detail how the water system worked in olden
times, allowing people to enjoy cool and warm baths.
It even had a daycare to
relieve the females when they came for relaxation, which can be guaged from the
ruins of toys found on the site! What an engineering marvel.
It even had a daycare to
relieve the females when they came for relaxation, which can be guaged from the
ruins of toys found on the site! What an engineering marvel.
The jubilant tourist on a
rickshaw, enjoying the sights and sounds of Dilli Darwaza.
This was my third visit to
this pretty place but I seem to not get tired of the Wazir Khan Mosque. Some of
its frescos and tile work have recently been restored, so the colours looked
brighter than usual.
Poo bani Parvati.
#K3G
We have such gems hidden in
the streets of the walled city, boasting of our great past and culture but
sadly they are not given the funds by the government or the respect they
deserve by the public.
Our tour guide pointed out
little details in the frescos, hinting towards the intriguing stories of the
time the mosque was built.
The stunning interior of the mosque.
Post our photo session, we
travelled on Rangeela Rickshaws in style with Bollywood music to our next
destination, i.e the Lahore Fort, alongside cars, honks, bikes, ghoras, khotas, humans and polluted
fumes. Amidst tons of laughter, we saw some of the other historical drawazas of Lahore on our way and passed
through the pretty Minaar e Pakistan garden, with the ricksha giving us real roller coaster feels. The guide then took us
through the fort in detail. I am glad I did this guided trip after seeing a lot
of the world so that I could fully appreciate that in terms of culture, history
and art, we are no less.
Malika ne khwaab dekha ke mein chaand aur
sitaatron ke saath asmaan ka safar kar rahi hoon, badal merey qadmon mein hein.
Baadshah ne khwaab ke sadqay Sheeh Mehel banwa dala... I visited the fort quite a few times in my
childhood but never knew of this story. The round pond outside the mahal is for
the moon, the cloudy marble tiles for the clouds and the little palace
decorated with infinite pieces of glass light up when a lamp is lit to signify
the millions of stars in the sky.
Last stop: The magnificent
Badshahi Mosque. Kahani khatam, sara ghee
hazam.
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