Jammu to Srinagar

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I am surprised how it slipped off my mind yesterday, but I gotta tell you this. Though not very intriguing from your point of view dear readers, it saved us a lot of uncertainty and one whole day (or more, you never know) in Jammu. On the second night of our train travel when Anirudha had retired on the middle birth, he kept his glasses right next to his pillow towards the window. And yes, they jumped off the seat, out of the window, on the platform, under the train (so I guessed). It was dark outside and there was no point hoping to get those glasses back. But to our surprise, the train halted. It was the Jalandhar station. Tejas ran out of the bogie as I and Lee were half asleep and half confused while Anirudha was totally startled. We were almost convinced that there was no finding the glasses, but before we could brace ourselves and rationalize what to do next, he was standing at the window, grinning, with the naughty spectacles in his hands! Some miracles do happen!

So where were we? On our loaded bikes out of the Hotel Shankar. There were no STDs in sight and the locals also confirmed there weren’t. One of the shopkeepers was humorous enough to say (or he was making fun of us), there was one here last night, pointing towards an empty yellow cabin right next to his shop, but it seems to have disappeared now. So we had to overpay to a barber for letting us use his mobile. We called home, they were already anxious. All through the trip the things we most ate were aalu parantha, bread omelet (except for me) and maggi. After having breakfast we found our way out of Jammu and took the road bounded towards Srinagar. We were confident of reaching Srinagar by the evening. It was absolutely enticing to ride the well built roads of Kashmir meandering through the thick coniferous forests basking under the constant drizzles from the skies.

Every now and then we came across the military vehicles or military bases or the armed & uniformed soldiers from the Indian Army. A rare sight to be perceived in Mumbai. We wanted to click their photos, which we did, but we also dreaded what if they took us for terrorists or spies and shot us? However, some of the military men were very friendly and they even waved hands towards us as we passed. Other than these cadets and commandos who frequently crossed us were the pilgrims bounded to Vaishno Devi or Amarnath. We spotted many langhars on the way where free food was offered to the pilgrims. They even invited us, but we didn’t feel it right to go and eat as we were the vagabonds (!) and not the pilgrims. Our first halt was about 90 kilometers from Jammu where from a vantage point we beheld the mesmerizing views of a far flung valley brimming with pine trees and fully clad with snowy white clouds. It was fun posing like a rider (which we were then) and clicking pics.

‘Apna Dhaba Kabutar Wala’….. this is the place where we didn’t go. But I liked the name and still remember. Where we went for lunch was ‘Sharma Bhojanalay’ one of the best culinary experiences of our Ladakh trip! The buttery Dal Makkhani, lip smacking Rajma Chaval, very well made Butter Rotis and tangy green chilies! And to couple that, the Bollywood film ‘Bodyguard’. I always wanted to eat at an authentic Dhaba. Some more photos and smokes and we resumed our ride. We reached a more mountainous region now and it was colder, windier and it started raining again. We were well geared both for the rain and the cold though! We were making our way through the convoy of huge Punjabi trucks headed towards Srinagar, perhaps. I and Lee were enjoying our ride sitting on the back seat but Anirudha and Tejas were tired constantly riding under the now heavy downpour. Parking our bikes in the shelter of two trucks we got off and went to a roadside outlet where freshly roasted maize and hot tea were available. It was the sweetest maize of my life, under the circumstances. But it was sweet indeed, and everybody stole a bite (or should I say bites) from my corn.

After a short break we resumed the journey. Rain had subsided and the sky was clearer. We passed by a dandy village Batote and we were almost thinking of calling it a day. We should have. But no, we had to reach Srinagar. However, as it was getting darker, we at last realized that there was no point continuing and we must look for a place to stay. The 30 kilometers after we had decided to stop felt the longest. We inquired around and gathered information about a bigger town named ‘Ramban’ where good accommodation was supposedly available, but the thought of the bedbugs didn’t leave my mind. Riding through the almost dark road flanked by, in Anirudha’s words ‘menacingly captivating’ sierras was a blood tingling experience. There was nothing to fear but everything seemed to be frightening. Whenever we spotted some distant lights, we hoped that it was Ramban, but when we reached close, it always turned out to be some road construction site or some tiny village with few huts. We kept on riding and riding and riding and finally there was a wide riverbed with innumerable flickering lights on its banks.

This must be Ramban. We crossed a bridge and suddenly we realized we were going away from those lights. The road didn’t lead towards that town. But the signboards still read Ramban ___ kilometers. We were almost despairing when to our joy, it was finally Ramban. People lead us towards the most upscale hotel of the town ‘the Ramban Regency’. There was another hotel next to this one and we decided to compare the prices. The Ramban Regency was certainly the better one but the next door hotel was also satisfactory and charging much less. We had almost rented the rooms in that hotel when the fat bellied owner of the Ramban Regency muttered in Anirudha’s ears, don’t tell anybody, but I will charge you the same as they are. We were more than happy!! And I must say it was a good hotel where we got a good dinner and a good night’s sleep. And yes, no bed bugs. We also bathed after the interval of 3 days I guess. (But this was just a beginning and the record time was 1 week without a bath, more about it later). So, we didn’t make it to Srinagar that day and we were short of one day in our itinerary already! I must stop now and keep you waiting (if anybody is reading this) before proceeding to Srinagar. But let me tell you this, the next morning I drank kerosene smelling tea!

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Comments

[Tejas]

good going
How can you remember so much details of this unforgettable journey? Amazing, really! Feels my bike again between my legs, and my nostrils could smell the freshness called Kashmir. Thanks for taking me home to the place I belong. More, more, more!