What a fantastic report! We have friends in Kashmit who are always asking us when we can visit - might be more of a possibility now!

Can't wait for more!

It's certainly a different kind of holiday! Makes the postcards home more interesting. You are brave though going through all that but you will have fantastic memories. Can't wait for the rest.

Fantastic, I've always dreamed of staying on a house boat in Kashmir, can't wait for more. Do you have photos too?

Come on Vanda, More info please!!!!

Episode 2

29 June 2008

We were woken up about 4:30am this morning with the amplified calls to come to early morning prayers. A little sound goes a long way when by the water.
The houseboat is extremely ornate, lots of carved cedar wood. There are 3 bedrooms and a living area and a balcony outside. Cooking is done in a separate boat moored across a jetty. Nageen houseboats are moored to the banks unlike those in Dal lake where you need a shikara to get to land.
The weather was hot and sunny with no noise from anywhere around. A few shikara's were on the lake, some selling the usual tourist things (paper mache, wood boxes, jewellery etc.) others with fruit & vegetables supplying houseboats.
We saw our first kingfisher catching a small fish this morning, the first of many.

About 11:00 our friends from Kashmir Bashir, Ami and Sef came to see us - they had walked 8km as moving around in cars was, due to the strike, not possible. It was decided that we would have a relaxing day as there were no shops open and the strike was in full swing, people using cars were being stopped and turned back so travelling around was not possible.

Our Indian SIM card and our UK phones do not work in Kashmir, something to do with being close to Pakistan and the threat of terrorists. Bashir has said he will arrange a local SIM for us and organise our trip.

We decided to take the houseboat shikara (gondola) and paddle around the lake for a bit. Steve found this quite difficult to perfect and we tended to go round in circles quite a lot, after trying to get to the other side of the lake (about 1km) we gave up and headed back to the boat in a zigzag fashion.

Lunch of more soup. Before we left the UK we had borrowed a cook book my Madar Jaffrey, it seems as a legacy of British rule soup is thought to be a staple for all British visitors, we would waste away without it.

We had a nap in the afternoon followed by another walk in the nearby park with instructions not to go near the road and stay in the park. It was a pretty park with a pair of Hoopoe searching for food. But as it is very small we could not get much exercise there. Because of the general strike the gardeners ha not been in and the gardens needed a bit of tidying up.
There was an interesting looking bush on the path to the park, about 2.5m high leaves with 5 parts its Gaelic name is Cnáib. This was our first of many encounters with this very interesting weed.

After tea Bashir, Ami and Sef came back with SIM card we could borrow. They again walked but the land deal has been settled and everything should start getting back to normal (or so they said).

We are beginning to wonder if we have done the right thing in coming to Kashmir.

30 June 2008

Another early wake up call (Mosques it seems are exempt from strikes).
After breakfast Ami phoned - we at least have contact with the outside world - and we decided we would take a shikara ride around the lakes with Ami and Nadim.

When they arrived we discussed the proposed programme for our stay where we would visit, how we would travel etc.

We took a covered shikara (it was hot and sunny and we were grateful for the shade) and headed out of Nageen into Dal lake for the Mogul gardens the other side of Dal lake.
We passed through the floating gardens where all manner of vegetables (tomatoes, bitter gourds, squash, beans, watermelon, cucumbers etc.) and flowers (water lily, lotus flower, daisy, gladioli etc.) grow. Because they are constantly watered they grow really well here. Houses are built on reclaimed land surrounded by the owner's market garden. Some of the houses are only accessible by water, while others are connected to land by bridges.

The Mogul gardens were closed so we headed back to the houseboat via a different route stopping on the way at an island where we had soup (we must try to stop this happening) and rolls for lunch.
Then onto the North West bank of the lake where we saw Hazratbal mosque. This is a modern white marble mosque that is set on the banks of the lake with mountains in the background.

Back to the houseboat to watch the local wildlife. It was decided we would try and go to Gulmarg tomorrow as the strike would defiantly be over by tomorrow.

Phoned home and spoke to our daughter Kathryn, she had been looking at the BBC website and was glad we had phoned. We put here mind at rest and explained that we were not being allowed out without at least 1 and usually 2 minders.

1 July 2008

Somehow I managed to sleep through the 4:30 alarm call, Steve hadn't.

After breakfast we went for another walk in the park - this is quite boring.
The strike is still on so it was decided we would go for another shikara ride round Dal lake to where the main houseboats are.

Shikara's seem to be the only means of transport that is allowed during strikes, burning tyre road blocks don't work well on water.

We went through the backwaters to Sonalank island where we stopped and had a little walk. Akbar built this in the13th century and planted 4 chinars (maple trees), one for each of his wives. There is a houseboat restaurant here but because of the strike it was closed. There were no other visitors on the island but 5 soldiers guarding it. This must have been the best posting during the strike.

We then went into the main part of Dal lake and through some of the houseboats and floating shops, it is a complete town here with everyone moving about in shikara's. Here we saw one of the jewellers from Goa on his houseboat, it was quite good seeing a face we knew. Some of the shops here were open but not as many as usual. Then on to Nehru park where we could get ff and have a walk about, this is the main landing point for shikaras serving the houseboats on Dal lake. It is also the start of a water sport area where racing shikaras can be seen a certain times of the year (strikes permitting). The shikaras are kept in a large boathouse near Dal gate.

We then went to Nadims' fathers houseboats, where we met his father, one of his sisters (sister G) his nephews and brother-in-law. He has spent almost all his life living here and is used to going to the local shop in a boat, swimming in the lake and having to go ashore to go to school. His nephew was really excited as he caught a fish while we were there (about 3 inches long). We had a cold drink here and then back to our houseboat for a late lunch of yet more soup (it appears the Brits enjoy their soup everyday!!!).

On the way back we had just got into Nageen lake when there was a loud Whoom-Bumf and Ami and Nadim both said Tear gas! What have we gone into.

Apparently the strike is over! - That was why the tear gas was set off. We were allowed to go across the road to the shop for drinks.
Bashir arrived after tea by car - now the strike must really be over and we can re-organise a programme for our time here.
It has been a better day today and hopefully will now get even better.

One of the planned trips was to be "Water Trekking", a 3 day trip sleeping in tents along rivers, canals and across lakes, after our latest Shikara ride (about 3-4 hours) our posteriors were quite sore so we decided we would forego this pleasure.

2 July 2008

Gulmarg today!!
Our taxi / sumo arrived at 8.30 and we set off to Gulmarg. Hafiz will be our driver for most of our time here. Our guides / miders today are Nadim and Ami.
Sumo's are 4 wheel drive basic vehicles that are used all over India wherever the roads are "not the best". Often they are used as informal taxis / buses with often as many as 14 people packed inside. If a bus doesn't come along you just flag down a Sumo.

We drove through the old town of Srinagar and then the new town and on to Gulmarg.
Everything appeared back to normal, the strike was over, shops reopened and we had our first glimpse of Shrinagar. The usual chaotic road traffic, everyone must be at the front and you have to hit the horn every 2 minutes even if no one is around. Lots of police and army visible all along the roads. Every so often there would be a checkpoint on the road, not army or police but tax points for road charges, usually 10 rps but sometimes 20 or even 50 rps, strangely the road quality was no better after you had paid the tax than before.

On the way into the Gulmarg valley we were stopped for passport checks. Our details were taken down and noted in an exercise book. (This was to become familiar procedure).
At Gulmarg we walked about 1 ½ km to the gondola, only official cars are permitted. A Swiss company built the liftt about 20 years ago and for 200rps it took us up 400m to Kongdori station which is at 10050 feet. Gulmarg means meadow of flowers and there are lots of wild flowers all round here. This is like Switzerland on steroids, higher, bigger but almost deserted, absolutely beautiful.
From the gondola we started to walk, firstly stopping at the Seven Springs where fresh water comes from the glacial hills then we headed across the meadows. There are amazing views and we walked for about 2km across the valley before heading back to the gondola. Took the gondola back down to the car park at 1.45 where we had lunch of onion rice and vegetables out of tifin tins kept warm - no soup today!!!!! Steve has managed to get a couple of blisters and Nadim is feeling the effects of the sun and altitude, and not enough to drink.
On the way back to Srinagar we stopped at Aparwhat (pear gardens) not far from Gulmarg and had a nice cold drink in one of the parks.
Back a Srinagar we went to a travel agent to try and cancel our Kingfisher flight back to Delhi - we will go back by taxi from Mcleodganj - and get a refund (we got back about 80% of the cost which is the taxes!).

Back at the houseboat we had showers, changed and had coffee before Bashir came and picked us up to go to his house for a BBQ. When we had gone into the bedroom in the houseboat we had noticed a kit-kat had disappeared. We mentioned this to Nadim and Ami who spoke to the young lad about it. He says the window had been open while they cleaned so they gave him a warning.

Bashirs new house was in darkness because of a power cut but we managed to have a look around before it got too dark. It is amazing, on 3 floors with the top floor being a room the whole width of the house with a large bathroom / dressing room attached and plenty of hidden storage under the eaves .The whole house has been designed by Bashir and Didi has taken them nearly eight years to build and is a credit to them both.

In the garden we had a fantastic BBQ of lamb and vegetable kebabs which Ami, Nadim and Sef cooked while Didi prepared them. Saba stayed and talked to us, taking Vanda inside as it got darker. After the BBQ meat we went inside and had rice, vegetable stew, paneer and chicken, how much can people eat in one sitting. We were really stuffed but it was excellent. Bashir took us back to the houseboat at 11.30 with Ami and Didi coming along to keep him company.
It has been a hot and sunny day and we have both caught the sun a bit.

3 July 2008

Ami is going home today to Lolab valley, we hope to visit him and his family later in the trip. Rouf (Bashirs' brother) is our driver today because we are only going round Srinagar.
Nadim comes with us as we head to the old town in and out of the back streets.
First we went to the Jama Masjid which was built originally in 1385 by Sultan Sikander but has been destroyed by fire 3 times since. It has over 300 pillars supporting the roof each of which has been carved from a single cedar tree trunk.
Next we went to Rauzabal which is where it is said Jesus Christ is buried, you cannot enter the church but can look through a small open window at the tomb. We then passed Pir Dastgir shrine which is about 400 years old and contains the relics of the Muslim saint Pir Dastgir.
Through the old quarter of Srinagar, the usual Indian market stalls selling fruit and vegetables on every corner. Past mutton shops, freshly butchered sheep hanging up, old wooden framed buildings 3 and 4 storied high, with cars tuk-tuks and lorries everywhere. Through to the modern shopping centre of the city and large shops selling all the usual clothes, pots, pans etc. Everywhere you noticed the presence of police and every few hundred yards army posts, but everything seems normal.
After this we went up into the hills to the Hindu temple on Shankaracharya Hill (also known as Takht-i-Sulaiman or Throne of Soloman). This temple was originally built about 200BC but has been altered and a number of times since then. We went up the 243 steps to the top of the hill and then a few more up to the linga where we gave rice and a donation before watering the linga of flowers. From here there are fantastic panoramic views over Srinagar and the lakes.
Our next stop was the Mogal gardens, the Cheshmashahi garden which are on 3 tiers and the larger Nishat Bagh with 10 terraces lined with chinar trees (the emblem of Kashmir). Beautiful gardens with roses and water flowing all over. A man gave me a rose he had picked, Steve gave him about 5rps in change, he was upset and asked for more, Steve took the money back and the look on his face was a picture. Good views over the lake. By now it was getting hot and we were tired and decided to head for home.
On the way back we went for our permit for fishing at Aru, after checking our passport, making sure the permit was for the correct day and location we finally handed over 1,000 rupees (non Indian price) for the handwritten permission to fish (and keep 6 fish). The Government office that issues the permits was in what looked like a private house in a back street with only a small sign outside. Inside we had at least 6 men to help us, this we think was the first permit they had issued in 10 days so everyone had to do their bit.
We then headed back to the houseboat for a late lunch (3pm) guess what yes more soup.
Our 'light-fingered' houseboy has been replaced by Zahid.
A lazy afternoon and evening watching the sun go down and eating a great meal, shame there isn't a cold beer in site.

4 July 2008
Hafiz arrived about 9am and we set off to Yusmarg. About half way we picked up his wife and daughter they fancied a day out. After about 2 hours we arrived at Yusmarg, another valley surrounded by forests and mountains, we had a drink at the local restaurant before going for a walk down the valley towards a waterfall. We had to pass the local pony herders waiting to take tourists on a spot of pony trekking, but not too much hassle. It probably helps that we are the first Europeans they have seen all season. We walked for about 40 minutes before it started to get a bit rocky so we headed back to the sumo for lunch.

After waiting for 10 minutes Hafiz his wife and daughter appeared they had been off walking and had seen us come back to the sumo.
We had decided it was time to brave the ponies and take our lunch with us. Nadim spent about 20 minutes discussing terms for a trip to the nearby lake. Eventually a price of 400 rupees had been agreed for 2 ponies, (it seems the starting price was 500 rupees for 2) we decided that Nadim should come as well, so more negotiations then big discussions as to who was next in line for punters. After 10 minutes we were all aboard and set off up the hill.
My pony (Vanda) was not keen on leaving her foal so while Steve and Nadim were heading off into the trees I had to change ponies. For anyone who has never even sat on a donkey in their life before this is not the best start.
If like us you are not used to pony / horse riding then after the 1st hour your bum goes numb, then the legs seize up. Yes we all looked like cowboys when we finally got off at the lake over an hours later. The ponies luckily knew the way, through pine forests, across streams and along 2 foot wide tracks with 200ft drops to the side, up and down steep hills hoping. The scenery was incredible and we passed goat and cattle herders and through a valley buzzing with wild bees gathering pollen. The lake turned out to be a reservoir that was now half empty, oh well the trip getting there was brilliant.
The ride back was just as painful, with only the scenery making up for sore bums.

Back to the Sumo for another bumpy ride home, we dropped Hafiz's wife and daughter off on the way back to Srinagar where we stopped to buy flies for our fishing in Aru. 30 hand tied flies, some lead weight and some nylon leads (750rps the lot). How many flies were we expected to loose? Does anyone want to buy some?

We then went to another part of old Srinagar, this is a no go area for cars and we left the Sumo and started to walk through the narrow lanes (this used to be bandit country we were told later) to try and surprise Daggar and Kalid, friends from Goa. While we were asking the way for the 2nd or 3rd time Kalid came by with his cousin on a moped. He stopped and walked with us to their house where we were given drinks. At this time Daggar was at the hospital with a relative who had woken up that morning partly paralysed. We decided we could not wait and were nearly back at the sumo when he appeared with his dad. They were pleased to see us and wanted us to go back to the house but it was 8pm and we were tired. We told them we would try and have lunch with them before we leave Srinagar.

After a long day and, with sore bums, we decided to have an early night.

Photos:
Srinagar: http://s515.photobucket.com/albums/t353/samtheboater/Kashmir/Srinagar/
Gulmarg: http://s515.photobucket.com/albums/t353/samtheboater/Kashmir/Gulmarg/
Yusmarg: http://s515.photobucket.com/albums/t353/samtheboater/Kashmir/Yusmarg/

what an exellant report sounds like
you had a brill time thanks for sharing
Pat

Steve and Vanda, brilliant report and great pictures, thanks for sharing

Very interresting read, and i bet one hell of an experiance?

Thanks,

J.

Hopefully we are not going too fast, but we need to finish by the middle of next week as we are off boating in France soon.

Episode 3

5 July 2008

Aru Fishing
Steve woke up today with a diarrhoea and stomach cramps so he only had coffee for breakfast. Bashir, Didi and Hafiz all arrived at 9am. Nadim went with Hafiz, Hafiz's father and 2 sons in the sumo and we went with Bashir and Didi in the Chevrolet (Daewoo) to Aru. We stopped on the way for some pills for Steve and for the sumo to pick up Nadims'(and Didis') mum, sister G and their niece and nephew. The roads were really bad in places - they were being repaired and upgraded but it has taken 8 years so far, and looks as if it will be another 8 before it is complete. They still collect the road taxes!
Coming into Pahalgam we were diverted to the back roads as we were not part of the Yatra traffic. (More info about the Yatra pilgrimage can be found here http://www.mykashmir.in/amarnath-yatra-pahalgam.html ) At Pahalgam we stopped for meat and vegetables but because of the Yatra did not stop long.
Coming into Aru it was passport time again, but in addition to entries in another exercise book (there were only 4 other entries for 2008) some skin tax 100rps each was required.
Being so remote in the mountains mobile phones do not work here - we are really cut off again, so much for us telling the children we would phone this weekend.
It was decided that, because Steve has a bad stomach, it would not be a good idea to camp so we found a guesthouse (Snow Mount). One of the amazing things with guesthouses here is the open kitchen policy; you can either get the guesthouse to do your cooking, or bring your own food and "cook", and do it yourself. Can you see this happening in Europe? Didi and the other women took over the kitchen and cooked a meal while we settled in. We used the communal room for a family meal of rice, salad and mutton for 13 of us. This was to be the best meal we would eat for over 24 hours.
The scenery here is breathtaking, high mountains with forests leading up to the peaks with snow at the top. Mountain rivers and large grass meadows with ponies scattered around. The bridges over the rivers were wooden and although they looked old and rickety they were stable. Most of the houses had shutters and some had no glass windows, we wondered what they would be like in the winter. The roads were unpaved and after it rained quite muddy.
We went for a short walk after lunch and saw a man sitting embroidering a pashmina shawl, it seems it was nearly ready and had taken him 25 weeks so far. Steve got really excited when he saw a shop selling Kingfisher, the bottle looked the same, but then found it was really Kingfeesher Premium extra strength non alcoholic root beer. Bashir, Didi, Nadims' family and Hafiz and one of his sons left for home about 5pm.
It was at this point that Nadim told us about Hafiz's request. Could we not mention to his father that we had been to Yusmarg with his wife and daughter. Why? It turns out Hafiz is a bit sly, he has two wives, neither know about the other. No wonder he looks so thin.
The gillie came round and we agreed to leave the guesthouse at 6.30am for the fishing.
Hafiz' father cooked a meal of chicken, chips, carrots and salad at about 8pm but it was very greasy and not the best food we had eaten. Maybe he should have bought his other wife instead of his father, the food must have been better.
Set the alarm for 5.30 am. The joys of fishing.
ÂÂÂ
6 July 2008
ÂÂÂ
Woke up with the alarm at 5.30 to heavy rain. It seems it had been raining since 4am. Had breakfast at 6.15 after Nadim had cooked more fried eggs, the first could have been used to sole boots, where did they get this cook?
It rained all morning with a very low cloud base hiding the mountains. The gillie came round a couple of times to check on us to see if we still wanted to go, I think he was getting worried as the permit is only valid for a specific day and cannot be transferred, and if it kept raining he would not get paid. We agreed to try fishing if the rain stopped. Nadim bought some playing cards and we taught him how to play crib and rummy until about 2pm when the rain stopped. We had some really greasy indescribable chicken soup for lunch.
We headed down to the trout run about 2km away, but at 2130 metres the going is fairly hard for us. As we were crossing down to the river Vanda tried to slide down on her bum (very muddy) which amused both Steve and Nadim. Nadim was laughing so much that when he tried to pull her up by the rucksack he nearly fell himself! Muddy but undaunted we kept going.
We got to the river which was flowing really fast, Steve was shown how to fly fish and a few minutes later much to his amazement he caught his first, and only, wild trout. He tried for another hour or so longer with Hafiz' son and a boy from the guesthouse watching. He kept moving up and down stream but was having no further success. The gillie suggested trying further downstream and Steve went round a fence and tried again. But on the other side he began to feel ill - he was hot and clammy and short of breath. Nadim took over and Steve went back to the clubhouse to rest. After a few minutes Nadim joined us and 2 gillies took the rod and went further downstream to try and catch some more fish. We watched as they arrived at the fence Steve had climbed around and opened a gate, thanks guys. The 2 boys stayed with us and got quite annoying so Steve got them hunting for 4 leaf clovers with the promise of 10 rupees for the first one to find one. They tried all ways to make us believe they had found one and eventually did - Steve kept his promise and they went off to spend their winnings.
Steve rested on the veranda until the gillies came back about an hour later with 2 more smaller trout and the typical fisherman's story of the 'one that got away'.
Of the 30 flies we had bought in Srinagar we had lost 2 given the gillie 3 and still had 25 left. Offers invited.
We walked back to Snow Mount along the road looking at buffalo being milked on the way. The gillie says that there is a place in Pahalgam that takes 300kg of buffalo milk every day to make cheese. Back at Snow Mount Steve cleaned and gutted the fish; our so-called cook was not to be let near these beauties. Vanda cooked them with garlic inside and in slits along their sides, then we had with salad and bread rolls. They were really good and this was the most Steve had eaten for 2 days. The Kashmir's had never seen fish cooked this way and were amazed.
We spent the rest of the evening on the veranda playing cards and watching the sunset.
ÂÂÂ
7 July 2008
ÂÂÂ
After a good night Nadim cooked us breakfast - we did not like the way the cook did things and were fairly hungry! It was overcast but dry so we went for a walk. Along the road there were children walking to school with last night's homework on slates - reminiscent of the 1930s.
Back at the guesthouse we packed up ready to leave and played cards while waiting for Hafiz. It started to rain heavily and get quite cold. The local men were walking round with their arms inside their tops which we could not understand until one of them showed us he was carrying a terracotta charcoal burner / pot in a wicker basket to keep warm!
Hafiz arrived about 12 and we set off to Srinagar. Despite the poor conditions Hafiz was driving rather fast and we had to remind him to slow down which he did for a while but soon sped up again.
We arrived back at the houseboat about 3pm where we both had a nice hot shower before more fried eggs and toast (no more soup!!). The rain stopped but it was very overcast. A lazy afternoon and evening watching kingfishers catch their supper.
Ours as usual on the houseboat was good, today we had spicy fried chicken, big juicy chips and green beans in spices, with of course a plate of salad to share.

Photos Aru: http://s515.photobucket.com/albums/t353/samtheboater/Kashmir/Aru/

Episode 4
ÂÂÂ
8 July 2008

Today we are going to see the walnut furniture we are having made, we are both excited as 4 years ago we had bedroom furniture made and now we are having some extra pieces made.
Mukhtar arrived about 10.30 and took us to his home where we met his wife (Nancy) who made us kawa. We then went next door to the showrooms and looked round the rest of the house while Nancy got ready to go visiting the couple that had got married on 2 July. We dropped her at her mothers before Mukhtar took us to her families hotel to try and persuade us to stay there for a couple of nights to be nearer to him - we refused (we are happy in the houseboat).
On the way out of Srinagar we stopped at a shop for water where we met Shabeer (his nephew) who made us promise to have a family meal with them before we leave.
Mukhtar would not tell us where he was taking us - he wanted it to be a surprise - but insisted it would only take an hour. As we were going out of Srinagar Steve kept asking where we were going and he kept saying not too much further! We headed out on the Gulmarg road and then turned right down smaller roads. The trip took us through apple orchards, but as usual the roads were pretty bad and every so often Mukhtar stopped and asked directions. Steve was beginning to get annoyed as we had expected to have a meal with Mukhtar's family and then see our furniture being made. When asked, it was always only another 30 minutes.
It took over 2 hours to reach Aharbal - our destination. It a large river ravine with waterfalls, There was a signposted walk down to a viewing point for the waterfall with large signs sqying the path was impassable as it was being rebuilt. (the signs looked about 10 years old). We stopped the car and had lunch (enough to feed a small army as usual) under a tree when it started to rain heavily. Steve phoned Bashir and cancelled afternoon tea we had arranged as we thought we would be back at the houseboat by 4pm - fortunately Bashir knows Mukhtar and saw the funny side.
After a very short rest we left Aharbal at 3.15 in heavy rain and headed back to Srinagar via a different route. Steve was getting very annoyed.
On the outskirts of Srinagar Mukhtar wanted to take us to see the furniture being made but Steve insisted he took us straight back to the houseboat and not to see the furniture. Back at the houseboat Steve had a row with Mukhtar - we were tired and his back ached and it was now 6.15. He told him not to phone but we may phone him when we get back from Leh next week to arrange to see the furniture.
Back in houseboat we had kawa and Vanda had her first opportunity to go to the loo since before 10am.
After a rest and a meal Bashir arrived to check we were OK and to finalise details for tomorrow (Lolab).

9 July 2008

Vanda has the bad tummy today. She was sick in the night and again this morning but feels she can manage the trip to Lolab.
Hafiz was due at 8am but at 8.30 Bashir and Didi arrived in their small car - we will not wait for Hafiz.
Bashir took some of the small back streets out of Srinagar and almost got us lost but we were soon on our way. We went through to Baramula where we stopped at the Mission of St Joseph - Bashir has been here before. We went inside and met Sister Cecile (a friend of Eva in Goa, our landlady) who told us the missionaries take girls from the villages nearby and train them in primary healthcare before they return to the villages to carry on the good work. It is also a hospital with 4 wards and a full operating theatre. We saw in the maternity ward where there were 5 or 6 women waiting to give birth. The nursery was empty because the babies were with their mothers in the ward. We went into the church - Bashir and Didi came in also the first time they had been inside a Christian church. We gave a donation to the missionary to help with their good works.
We were taken to a walled garden which contained the common grave under a tree of people killed in 1947 by the tribes from the Afghan border. There was a Hindu woman patient stabbed to death in her bed, an English patient (Mrs Dykes) who was preparing to go home with her new born baby and her husband (Colonel Dykes), one of the sisters (Mother Teresaline) and a lay nurse (Philomena) and Mr Barretto (husband of one of the lay doctors).
After this we carried on towards Lolab stopping on the way for drinks and the loo (Vandas' tummy was bad - Didi gave her some pills which helped!) Bashir nearly missed a turning and while we were turning round we got caught up in a military convoy which slowed us down a lot - we had to keep stopping to let them pass. The army convoy consisted of about 50 lorries and 3 coaches, 10 days later we heard on the news that a convoy had been attacked on this road and a coach was blown up when a bomb was detonated as it was passing by, 10 people killed. When we heard this we realised we had possibly driven over that bomb.
On the outskirts of Lolab we were met by Ami's brother who had to sign us through the control post - this is only about 30km from the Pakistan border.
Lolab valley is very remote but extremely beautiful, only 16 miles long by 3 wide. High mountains all around with a fertile valley floor where rice is grown.
We arrived at about 2.30 and parked the car near the village primary school and were surrounded by children. It was a walk of about 5 to Ami's house, we were followed all the way by inquisitive children, who are these strangers?
Ami's home consists of 2 houses, one about 100 years old, the other built new 3 years ago, both made of cedar wood. The downstairs are stables for their animals, being summer only the cows were there, the sheep were up in the mountains. We were shown up to the guest room in the new house and the smell of cedar wood was everywhere.
We were given an excellent lunch after which we had coffee and were joined by his wife, mother and father and 2 children. They were so welcoming and pleased to see us.
It is a lovely setting right in the valley with its own fresh water spring. We gave the children smarties which they held onto for a while before eating the lot (Ami later told us they had had bad tummies from the chocolate and the rest of them had been rationed to stop this happening again). I was shown the rest of the house and when Ami's wife went next door to the kitchen Didi took me along.
In here another of Ami's brothers (all a younger version of Ami) was washing up from lunch and his wife started making parathas. Ami made kawa and salt tea. The kitchen here is very basic with an open fire to cook on and heat the boiler - it also heats the room - and a 2 ring gas cooker to do the more delicate cooking. There is no fridge - food is kept fresh in the cold water from the spring - and the market is 30km away. It is such a modest life but they grow most of what they need - walnut trees, corn on the cob, rice in the fields, cattle, sheep and free-range chickens (the one we had at lunch had so much more taste than the ones we have been eating!). They have to buy very little. Didi and I were both given a bag of last years walnuts and Didi a bag of red kidney beans, as Steve had enjoyed the bean dal at lunch so much.
After tea and parathas we prepared to go back to Srinagar - it was 5.30 and we knew we had a long journey ahead.
There was less traffic on the roads and, after a stop for petrol, we arrived back at 9pm. On the houseboat we had a lovely meal which, unfortunately, was too rich for Vanda.
It had been a lovely day and we had met some lovely, simple folk who had made us so welcome. Amis mother could not speak English and we could not speak Kashmir but she hugged us so much
she is a tiny lady with a huge heart and lots of love for everyone.

Photos : Lolab: http://s515.photobucket.com/albums/t353/samtheboater/Kashmir/Lolab/

I deliberately left this till today when I had time to read it properly and not skim through it. What a great read It's just a different world isn't it? I'm not sure I would be brave enough to venture there but it does sound like a holiday you will never forget.
By the way- I know well the feeling of being woken up by the early morning call to prayer. I think ours was a bit later at 5am ( in Penang)

This is a brilliant report and I have enjoyed reading it. You had some lucky escapes there, but to the Kashmiri's that is normal every day occurences, We have been asked to visit Kashmir many times by different shop owners, they even phone us in the UK asking "When are you coming" but I think that, I havent got the strong nerves that you have I'd have been hysterical on the first day, begging for a flight home. I would have been stuck on the food as well, I hate spicy food, so I'd have starved.

It is really interesting, reading about how the other side of the world live, thank you for taking the time to write it.

Episode 5

10 July 2008

Vanda was feeling better today. When Nadim arrived we called a shikara to take us to Dal gate. We left at 10am and went through the city and the back way to the wood carvers places - including AA Chaku ( Mukhtar ) - and under the bridge that lead to Daggars place. The buildings along the way were spectacular most very old with intricate carved windows and doors, some were nearly derelict and these were owned by Hindu's who had abandoned then in 1948. Such a shame that beautiful houses were no longer lived in and were slowly being lost. Everything is much busier than the last time we came this way, all the shops are open and lots of sellers plying their trade in shikaras. We arrived at Dal gate and had a walk around the area, this is Nadim's local area and we were greeting his friends every couple of minutes. Steve needed to find a toilet, so through a door, up an alley, nadim picked up a key hidden nearby and relief, it pays to have friends who live nearby. Then through the old town and down Residency road Large bazaars here where everything is sold, Steve had his eyes on a large radio controlled helicopter, but the thoughts of getting back to the UK held him back.
We bought the ingredients to make Nadim his Virgin Marys he had got a taste for in Goa.
We had lunch at the Mugal Darbar which was full of of government office workers "spending their backhanders" on huge lunches. It seemed impossible that so much food could go into someone so thin. We then took a tuk-tuk to Dal gate to buy pastries for Bashir and then another one back to the houseboat.
After a rest we went to the internet and arrived at Bashirs for afternoon tea at about 5.30. Sister G was here as they have to go hospital visiting. We had black forest cake and tea before being taken back to the houseboat at 6.30.
We packed up ready for our trip to Ladakh tomorrow. It was really hot now and we needed a fan to try and cool down.

11 July 2008

Ladakh here we come.

There was really heavy rain overnight which managed to clear the air a bit. As is usual in Kashmir shoes are left outside, unfortunately it had also soaked Nadims shoes and he had to borrow a pair from Sef for our trip.
We left Srinagar at 8.30 using the road that heads east for the 430km to Leh. This was in a better condition than most we had been on and quieter. We got to Sonamarg (Meadow of gold) by 10.30 where we had a drink and waited an hour for the convoy coming from Kargil before we could continue. While we waited some locals were playing cricket while waiting for people to hire their ponies. Check out the tent picture.

The Border Road Organisation is responsible for maintaining the road to Leh and to keep people amused there are slogans painted on rocks by the roads (See here: http://persistence.ca/tag/sign/ ). The best we saw was "Cat has 9 lives. A man only has one wife" Or more than one if you are Hafiz.

The road here is steep and clings to the side of the mountain with a sheer drop to the river below. Because it is so narrow a one-way convoy system exists. 11:30 arrived and a few minutes later the Kargil convoy came past, then it was bedlam as everyone tried to be at the front, the dust from the road can be quite thick.
We arrived at our first checkpoint after about 10km, passports out and book into this part of the road.
This is the Zojila pass and at 3529 metres it separates Kashmir from Ladakh. Down in the valley below us was one of the camps for the Amaranath Yatra the tents look so tiny. The road clings to the side of the mountain and ascends in a series of hairpin bends with occasional places to pass. The road is only open for about 5 months a year and is constantly under repair. There is a plan to build a new 2 lane road across including a long tunnel (that is ambitious). Once we had crossed over the pass we noticed how barren and dry it all was - such a contrast to Kashmir valley. At Gumry camp we had another passport check to check us out of Kashmir. Each checkpoint writes different things down in their little books, then back into the Sumo and off again into the desert. 20 meters later we are flagged down, we hadn't booked into Ladakh.
This one asked Steve his name (McLeod) wrote it down then took Vanda's passport,
"Your wife?",
"Yes", he then writes her name down, then looks and asks, "you have the same name?"
"This is not possible, what if someone notices?", so Steve suggests he writes Vanda down as well. This seems to be OK.

This side of the pass the roads are slightly better. (40% tarmac and only 60% rough stones)

After another 37 km and another passport check we got to Drass which is the second coldest inhabited place on earth (-60degrees celcius in 1995). We stopped here for lunch of kidney beans and rice (Steve was in heaven). The town suffered heavily from shelling during the Kargil war of 1999 and is one of the nearest points to the line of control - again we are out of telephone contact!! Even Kashmir Sim's don't work here. On the road out to Kargil is a memorial for the dead of the 1999 war.
From Drass we did another 56 km to Kargil, in heavy rain and hail, of course there was another passport check before we could get into Kargil. We arrived about 3:30pm and stopped at the Hotel Zojila for the night (by now the rain had stopped).

We sat outside the room here in an enclosed area and the staff came round making sure all the windows were closed properly when the wind got up. We went into the restaurant and had a very limited menu but Steve did manage to get his first beer ( kingfisher) since leaving the UK - it was 200 rupees and he had to keep the bottle under the table!!!!!

12 July 2008

It rained heavily overnight and was very cold this morning, and we were only able to have a cold water wash (Nadim says that the water was hot at 6am but I don't believe in getting up that early unless I really have to).
We set off at 8.15 towards Lamayuru. It was cold and wet and sumos don't have heating or demisters so we had to have the windows open to stop everywhere misting up. The roads were still bad clinging to the sides of the mountains and the drops were still horrendous.

At Mulbekh we stopped and took a picture of our first prayer wheel (there were to be hundreds more in Leh), and an 8 meter carving from AD700 of Maitreya (one of the gods). Our next stop was at Fotu La at 4147 meters - our highest point today - we were really up in the clouds now and visibility was really poor and it was still raining! We had to stop a couple of times on the way so that bulldozers could clear the earth on the road and make a path through - this was surreal. On one of the sharp bends a lorry had overturned and was waiting to be righted - it was quite a mess and we prayed we did not do the same (Hafiz still thought he was sumo-ing and not on a contract so he did keep his speed up).
At 12.15 we arrived at Lamayuru and booked into the Hotel Niranjana - a hotel built by the monks next to the monastery. It had spacious rooms and heating but shared bathrooms (for one night Vanda decided she could cope!). The food here was quite good and we had momos with hot and spicy soup which helped to warm us up.
The gompa (monastery) here is the oldest known gompa in Ladakh, dating back beyond the 10 century. We walked up to it but did not go inside - it was really wet everywhere and we would have had to take our shoes off to walk on the cold, wet floor. We did pass the main walls (stones with sacred inscriptions on) and the many prayer wheels (remembering to pass the prayer wheels in a clockwise direction and pray for the rain to stop). There was a good view down the mountain into the village below but there is still so little vegetation here.
It was really too cold and wet to do much here so we sat in the room reading or playing cards in the restaurant until it was time to eat again. Here we found 2 Goan waiters that work in Mandrem and Palolem (Raj who gave his telephone number in Goa hoping we would go and see him in January) and come here in the summer.
The rain stopped and we went for a short walk down towards the village, immediately we are out of breath, (3500 meters high here) walking here is not easy, after 10 minutes we are ready to go back, only it is up hill. We really notice the difference between here and Srinagar.
There appears to be a flat tyre on the sumo and Hafiz has had to change the wheel.

13 July 2008

We set off just before 8.30 after breakfast. The sun is shining today and it is much warmer but we are prepared if it gets cold again!
Hafiz needs to get the tyre fixed so he keeps looking along the way for somewhere, eventually finding a place in a small village. Steve decided to use the public toilet while we waited and wished he hadn't - it was nothing more than an open sewer in a brick hut.
The roads are better now but still clinging to the mountain side. We followed the Indus valley all the way to Leh. In the distance we could see mountain peaks with fresh snow on the tops.
About 20km from Leh we suddenly got telephone coverage back - we can talk to the outside world again!!
In the centre of Leh at an altitude of 3505 meters we were met by one of Bashirs friends who took us to the hotel Rafiq. Here we were given the choice of 2 rooms - we chose the one with windows on 2 walls overlooking the mountains and the road. It was a nice room with twin beds, cable TV, telephone and a sitting area and bathroom!

After a short rest we went for a walk and found an internet cafe - quite cheap here. We then went to the Penguin bar and restaurant for lunch. Steve had a bottle of the local beer here - Godfather which was between 5.25% and 8% at 120 rupees a bottle but he only needed one!! We also saw our local contact and gave him our passports to get copies and have our permits made for our visit here.

Leh is really geared up for tourists compared with Srinagar and there are quite a lot of people in Leh from Kashmir that spend June - September in Leh and October - April in Goa, also a lot of the Tibetans go to Goa for the season. On the way back to the hotel we bumped into Ajaz from Goa last season who was pleased, but surprised to see us.

When the sun goes in here it gets cold but it is nice in the sun.
Had another rest and then went exploring the area. We went to the Soma gompa which has a library and a notice board displaying articles on Buddhist persecution in both Jammu and Kashmir and Tibet. This is the centre of Buddhism and the HQ of the Ladakh Buddhist Association.
Steve decided that 20 rupees to have his shoes cleaned and the stitching repaired on one of the street corners was a bargain.

Back at the hotel we had a wash and went to the restaurant for our meal. It was a set meal which was OK but did not have enough flavour for our liking. We are both suffering from high altitude sickness, really out of breath after walking up 1 flight of stairs.
We went for a walk around Leh after sunset and were glad we had put our jumpers on.

14 July 2008
Our daughters birthday today, mustn't forget to phone her later.

Woke up this morning early both not feeling 100%. Went down for coffee at 8.45 and, when Nadim arrived we went to the chemist for antibiotics and stomach pills. Nadim was not feeling too well but refused to get tablets.
We set off at 10am in a local taxi (Toyota 4 wheel drive) - the taxis from outside Ladakh are not allowed to take people sightseeing! This taxi driver is so much better than Hafiz - he keeps his speed down and does not try silly overtaking manoeuvres. The first place he took us was Shey Palace - the former summer palace of the kings of Ladakh. We slowly took the steps to the top and walked around the gompa, getting to the top we both found this hard and were very short of breath.

Our next stop was Thiksey gompa. The side of the road to here from Shey is littered with fields of chortens (semi religious shrines containing relics of holy people or scriptures, standing like white pawns looking for a chessboard to play on. Thiksey gompa stands high on a hill and is beautiful. It contains a 2 storey Maitreya (future Buddha). As you enter the top floor you are captivated by a large golden head with a smile of inner knowledge. The artwork here is breathtaking.

By now we are both feeling pretty rough so decide to give up and go back to the hotel where we called Nadim and asked him to cancel our trip to Pangong lake tomorrow and our meal for tonight. We then both had a sleep before, at about 4pm, deciding to try and have something to eat. We went back to the Penguin bar and restaurant where we knew the food would be OK. We both had a good meal - no beer today just lime sodas- and decided that we did not need anything else that day (with the altitude we find we are eating less).
Went back to the room phoned our Kathryn to wish her happy birthday then read / watched TV.

15 July 2008

After a reasonable night we both felt a bit better and decided to try for some breakfast. We ordered fried eggs and hash browns but were not sure the waiters really knew what hash browns were. After ½ hour and no food or coffee we chased it and were told it was ready. It still had not arrived when Nadim did 5 minutes later. When it eventually arrived it was eggs and toast and something similar to kartoffeln. It was OK but had been a long wait and Vanda found she had now got the bad stomach as well.
We decided we would try and walk up to Leh Palace stopping on the way for more antibiotics for Vanda.
The Palace was built in the 17th Century and is sometimes called "mini Potala" after the palace in Tibet it resembles. It is undergoing extensive reconstruction and there is little to see inside. There is a central prayer room and an exhibition of photos from the area which was worth looking at. It was a long climb up, we were both suffering from the altitude but were both glad we had gone up. It was Steve's turn this time to get the stomach cramps and rush back to the hotel.
After a rest we decided to try for lunch and went to the Tibetan kitchen (The same owners as the one in Anjuna) where Steve had fried momos (always safe) and Vanda tried chicken Sambala (a Tibetan bread stuffed with a chicken mix and deep fried) - very tasty.
After another rest and a read we went for a walk around the Tibetan markets - managed not to buy anything! On the way back we had kawa with Ajaz. Back at the hotel we had a light meal of chow mein and calzone before another early night.

16 July 2008

After breakfast we set off back to Kargil at 8.15 picking up a parcel to take back to Srinagar first. The weather is much better being quite a hot day. Hafiz has finally taken notice and has slowed down a bit. (It seems Nadim had told him how good we thought the local driver had been).
On the way out of Leh past the airfield an army transport plane took off and turned over the road before flying through a mountain pass, we watched it for about 10 minutes as it slowly gained height.
We had a good trip through to Khatsi where we stopped to buy turnips for the people in Srinagar - apparently these are the best turnips in the area. We also bought local apricots (fresh and dried) and then carried on to Lamayuru where we stopped for lunch. Now the roads are really dusty - no rain to settle it - and Nadim got sunburn on the one arm he hung out of the window.
As it was much clearer today we saw a number of lorries, sumos and even a petrol tanker at the bottom of the valleys after going off the road.

After lunch we carried on to Kargil and booked back into the Hotel Zojila. Between Lamayuru and Kargil the poplar trees were losing their seeds which floats down like cotton seeds. It is everywhere and Nadim has an allergy to it and keeps sneezing.
There was a Swiss couple in the hotel with their son and they started talking to us. They had just come from Dal lake and were heading for Leh and beyond. They enjoyed Srinagar but felt they were being misled about the carpets - Nadim gave them an insight into prices, qualities and knotting for which they were grateful.
It is an early start tomorrow about 6am so we can get through to Sonmarg before 11:30am so after our meal we went back to the room. Now we have come down a few hundred meters, only 2700 here, we are starting to feel better.

17 July 2008

We set off again at 6.15 to try and get ahead of the convoy over the pass. We arrived at Drass and went through the passport checks - out of Ladakh and into Kashmir - ahead of the convoy. So far so good. It is cooler in the wind today and Hafiz has slowed down a lot. We arrived at Sonamarg at 10.30 and stopped for breakfast at the Snow Mount hotel - Steve was put off when the cook came out of the kitchen in filthy dirty 'whites'.
We then went to watch the pony wallers playing cricket before carrying on to Srinagar but they were short of players and invited Steve to join them which was a laugh. Arrived back at the houseboat at 1.20 and had a shower and light lunch before going to the internet. It is really hot in the houseboat.
Rouf has gone water trekking with 2 Dutch ladies - they will be away 2 nights.
After our meal Bashir came round. He has had a bad throat and been to the doctors twice while we have been away but the carpenters and painters have finished at the house.
Nadim can now have a rest and Ami will come with us to McLeod ganj and through to Delhi (by AC taxi!!).

Photos : Road to Kargil : http://s515.photobucket.com/albums/t353/samtheboater/Kashmir/To%20Kargil/
Leh: http://s515.photobucket.com/albums/t353/samtheboater/Kashmir/Leh/

Excellent report Sam

Thanks to everyone for their comments, we will only have Internet until the weekend so I will try to complete the report by then.

Episode 6

18 July 2008

We are both feeling much better now we are not so high up. Mukhtar picks us up at 10.30 to go and see the furniture - we have been cunning this time as it is Friday and we know he will want to go to Mosque so will be in a bit of a hurry! We met the man who had done the carving and had a drink with him (only kawa). The furniture looks good. We have agreed to have lunch with Shabeer on Monday. Mukhtar then took us to his new shop on Dal gate where we gave him most of the balance on the furniture before going back to the houseboat - and Mukhtar to mosque.
After lunch a light salad we had a rest before watching England v South Africa cricket. After tea the laundry was bought back but he tried to rip us off (skin tax!). There were 16 items and he decided it was 35 rupees an item (more than he has charged before but his prices have not gone up!) and it was 435 rupees. Steve argued with him and he changed this to 400 rupees - we also told him there would be no more laundry from us!

19 July 2008

Bashir and Didi picked us up at 9.30 and we went into the city to get the permission for Datchigam (wildlife park). After finally getting the permission - usually only Ministers and VIPS are allowed in at weekends but Bashir managed to get us in, he went to school with one of the people. We stopped on the way for tea and coffee but confused the poor guy when we asked for black coffee and Bashir had to make it himself after a couple of attempts.
At Datchigam Bashir and Steve took the permission to gain entry - they were told we would be better going back at 6pm (or early morning (5am) - as the permit is only valid for one day it will have to be later.
We then took a drive through some of the nearby villages and found some more fantastic views over Dal lake.
We then took Didi back to Dal lake and her fathers houseboat where sister G was nervously waiting. She is supposed to see a potential bridegroom tomorrow and does not really know what to expect. We then collected to balance for our trip from an ATM - Nationwide ATM card works wonderfully here and there is no charge.
At 4.45 the shikara arrived back with the 2 Dutch ladies (Jacqueline and Ena) who were really tired and needed showers.
At 6pm we headed back to Datchigam where we were first taken to see 2 captured leopards (one male and one female). Then one of the keepers came in the car with us and took us along a road that led to the head ministers house - the public are not usually allowed along here. First we stopped the trout farm and saw brown and rainbow trout that are bred here. All along the side of the road are forests and we stopped by the oak forest to try and see brown bear but they were not to be seen.
A little further along we got out of the car and walked up a path to the top of the hill. We were OK with this but Didi does not usually do much walking - especially up hill - and she found this hard. We all managed even though we were out of breath at the top and the view was well worth the effort. There was a river below with forests on one side and hills in the other. We were looking through the binoculars when the keeper got very excited. He thought he had seen 4 deer on the hills but,as he stepped back to show us where they were, he stepped on a nest and was either stung or bitten by a snake and lost sight of them. While we were trying to find them again through the binoculars it started to rain. We ran for cover and tried again. The keeper could see 2 deer but the rain was making it difficult to see and we could not see them. We were really amazed by the views here.
As it got darker we decided to go back to the cart but, by now, it was raining really heavily and we got soaked right through. We headed back to the main gate and the keeper asked us to drop him off near his home on our way back to Srinagar. He also said he would keep an eye on the animals tomorrow and if Bashir phones him, and the animals are around, we can go back tomorrow evening on the same permit.
We got back to the houseboat at 8.30 completely wet through. We both had a hot shower and a complete change of clothes (including underwear we were that wet!) before a lovely meal of savoury pancakes, vegetables and mash.
After we had eaten Ami phoned to see how we were .We will see him in a couple of days as he will be coming to McLeod ganj with us.

20 July 2008

We had breakfast and sat talking to Bashir while waiting for Nadim's brother to arrive to take us to a local place that sells carpets and pashminas etc. We went along and were given the true sales man's pitch but we managed not to buy anything - we thought they were a bit expensive. By now it had started to rain.
Steve went to show them some photos of Bashir's house but the on / off switch on the camera had broken off so we could not switch it on. He found a temporary way to switch it on /off so we should be able to keep taking photos.
We watched some cricket and the German GP. What a race. Maybe next year we will get to the French GP by water.
Mr Wani made us fish cakes with minted potatoes for tea which were good. He had had trouble getting the right fish and they would have been perfect with the right fish. In Kashmir the main diet is mutton or chicken and dal so anything different can be difficult to find.
After we had eaten Bashir came to have coffee and a chat / laugh with us all. Ena and Jacqueline are off to Sonamarg tomorrow and then we are all invited to the small house for biryani and kidney bean dal (Steve's favourite).

21 July 2008

Our last day in Kashmir. We are off to McLeod ganj and Delhi tomorrow.
Mukhtar picked us up at 11.45 and took us to the houses that Sidiq is having built for them both. We then went to Shabeer's house for lunch. Shabeer knows how to make smaller quantities - maybe he should give Mukhtar some lessons - and we had rice, mutton, chicken and vegetables. This house is rather large and quite nice.
After having kawa at 3.15 we went back to the houseboat where Nadim was waiting for us. He had come to say goodbye as he won't be at Bashirs tonight but we will see him Goa in January.. We gave him the Virgin Mary ingredients and Steve had a lie down as he did not feel too good.
The Dutch ladies came back from Sonamarg where they had had a good time and we went across to the shop for water / drinks for our trip tomorrow where we met Ami who came back to the houseboat with us. At 6.30 Ami went for prayer and came back about 8.30 when Bashir and Sef arrived. Our driver for the journey as far as Jammu came and said we needed to leave at 5am.
We went across the road to the small house and had a lovely meal even though Steve could not eat too much again. We watched some of Rouf's wedding video which was a nice way to finish the day.
After kawa at 10.30 we were taken back to the houseboat - by car as it was dark even though it was only about 200 meters.

We have had a lovely time in Kashmir and Leh with some wonderful memories. We are glad we have come and are now looking forward to McLeod ganj.

Photos: Furniture: http://s515.photobucket.com/albums/t353/samtheboater/Kashmir/Furniture/

Mukhtar picks us up at 10.30 to go and see the furniture - we have been cunning this time as it is Friday and we know he will want to go to Mosque so will be in a bit of a hurry!

Brilliant thinking!

Episode 7

22 July 2008

The alarm went off at 4.30 and we got up. We asked Zahid for coffee which took him a along time to make. Neither of us could drink much. Ami and Bashir arrived at 5.15 and we set off at 5.20. We picked Bashirs brother-in-law up by Dal gate and headed towards Jammu.
When we got near to Jawarhar tunnel we had to wait in a queue of traffic for the tunnel to be opened - the army were doing their daily checks to make sure there were no bombs in it. We waited for 1 hour until 8.15 when we were allowed though. All along the side of the mountain roads there were groups of monkeys (from a single old male to family groups). At about 9.45 we stopped at a tourist centre for breakfast. The roads here are better than most we have been on and we arrived at the by-pass near Jammu at 1.30 when we changed cars and drivers. The cars are much more comfortable and have AC which works. The drivers are better too.
Now the Kashmiri Sim will not work so we put the Goa one in - we can make calls and make / receive SMS but cannot accept in coming calls and the UK phone will accept in coming calls and make / receive texts but not make calls - better than nothing I suppose!
After another hour we stopped for lunch of beans and paneer and chapatis (about 200 rupees for 4 of us with 2 bottles of water) in a roadside cafe.
Our driver now did not really know the way and had to keep asking the way. Ami had been in McLeodganj and Dharamsala between 1994 and 1998 so he had to keep putting him right. We had to slow right down at on stage to let some cows cross the road. Among them there was a cow with 6 legs (unfortunately we did not think to get the camera out!). There were 2 withered legs on its back which had been decorated with red cloth like the Hindus use in their shrines and on their religious symbols.

About 40 km from Dharamsala we stopped for coffee. This was an experience in itself - we asked for black coffee and we first got black tea, then milky coffee and finally black coffee (it had taken about 15 minutes to get it right). Eventually we were back on the road to McLeod ganj. After passing through Dharamsala and McLeod ganj we got to Bhagsu where we were met by Bashirs nephew who had arranged some rooms for us.
Steve and Ami went to look at them but they were damp and smelly and Steve refused to stay there. We looked round Bhagsu - in the rain so we were wet and irritable - and eventually found a big clean room in the Meghaven Hotel - next it was time to negociate a price. They wanted 2750 rupees a night which we thought was much too much so offered 1500 rupees which as we were on our way out to find another hotel was accepted (it is a buyers market at the moment). Ami negotiated a price for another room for himself. He found a round room with a large round bed for 400 rupees a night instead of 900 rupees! By now it was 8.30 and we all had showers before going to a restaurant down the road for a meal. Steve had Tom Yam soup followed by Pad Thai and I had bean and cheese burritos with rice. (Ami had jeera rice with Aloo gobi as he does not like the meat here - it tends to be very tough!).
We went back to the room and were in bed asleep by 11pm.

23 July 2008

We had a really good night and went to Ami's room about 9am. After walking through the area where Ami used to have his carpet shop we found a German bakery for breakfast. The food here was good with nice thick brown toast and thick expresso coffee. Steve even managed to eat nearly all of his even though he had managed to over order (croissant, boiled eggs, toast and fresh fruit salad with coffee!!!)
After putting 100 rupees on the Goa phone we walked up to the waterfall and Shiva Hindu temple built by the raja of Kangra in 16th Century. By about 12 we were both needing the bathroom so we went back to the hotel room. Steve had another shower and was watching TV when Ami arrived. Bashir's brother-in-law was not happy that Ami was not staying with them so he was moving but would keep in touch by phone. We arranged to go back out about 2pm if it was not raining but at about 12.30 it started to rain - it rains a lot here!
We watched the re-run of the German GP during monsoon rains. Everywhere was damp and the towels were not drying. At about 4.30 the rain stopped and the sun came out. Steve was experiencing stomach cramps again so started on the pills yet again!
Ami arrived back at about 4.40 and we went for a walk up the mountain towards Dharamkot but about half way Steve was getting cramps again and we needed to go back down. We went to yet another German bakery (there are a lot of them here) and had lime soda before going to the internet. There was a message from Steve's mum saying his aunt had died on Saturday and the funeral is 10.15 on Monday - we will see how we are on Sunday.

We went to the Haifa restaurant for our evening meal but Ami had gone for a long walk and was too far away to join us. The food was good and there is a waiter here from Goa (Baga).

24 July 2008

It was raining at 6am but then the sun came out and we left the hotel at 8.30 to walk down to McLeod ganj. The Tibetan shops were not open because of respect for one of their ministers who had died. We found a restaurant doing breakfast and the walked to the Tsuglagkhang complex which is the exiles' equivalent of the Jokhang Temple in Llasa and is the most important Buddhist monument in McLeod ganj. The complex comprises the official residence of the Dalai Lama,as well as the Namgyal gompa, Tibet museum and the Tsuglagkhang (Central Chapel) itself. The Chapel is a modest structure but enshrines a 3 metre high gilt statue of the Sakyamuni Buddha. To the left and facing Tibet are statues of Avalokitesvara (Chenresig in Tibet), the Tibetan deity of compassion, of whom the Dalai Lama is considered to be an incarnation, and Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche in Tibet), the Indian scholar who introduced Buddhism to Tibet in the 8th Century. Inside the Avalokitesvara statue are several relics rescued from the Jokhang Temple during the Cultural Revolution. Next to the Tsuglagkhang is the Kalachakra temple, built in 1992 it houses the stunning mural of the Kalachakra (Wheel of Time) mandala (circle symbolising the universe). Sand mandalas are created here annually on the 5th day of the 3rd Tibetan month.
From here we walked back to the McLlo restaurant for a drink - they do excellent filter coffee here! After the drinks Ami met another friend from his days here who he set about looking for an AC taxi to Delhi - how many people do we need to look for one taxi?
We then took a local taxi to Dal lake which was very muddy but full of carp. We fed the carp with a loaf of bread and there was a real feeding frenzy going on. After walking round the lake we went back to McLeod ganj. The Tibetan shops were still not open and it was threatening rain so we took the taxi back to Bhagsu and the Haifa restaurant for lunch (momos and thukpa soup). By now it was heavy monsoon rain again with thunder and the occassional lightening so we stayed for nearly 2 ½ hours before running back to the hotel. There were 4 Isrealis in the restaurant that alternated between smoking weed, sleeping and eating all afternoon.
Back at the hotel everything was still damp. We read and watched TV before we went for dinner at another German bakery by the Hindu temple. This temple has two lion head with open mouths which held steps - weird. There was also someone constantly ringing a bell for about ½ hour or more. After chicken and paneer tikka with chips and salad we went to the internet and had another walk around before going back to the hotel and watching a film before bed.

25 July 2008

It was quite sunny first thing and the taxi arrive just after 8.30 when we headed to Dharamsala for breakfast. We then went another 6 km to the Norbulingka Institute.This was established in 1988 to teach and preserve Tibetan art. It is set amid Japanese-influenced gardens with shady paths, wooden bridges across small streams and tiny waterfalls. The Norling arts shop sells many of the crafts created here (not cheap) and the Losle Doll museum offers a showcase of Tibetan costumes - really well done and worth the 20 rps they charge to go in. it is really peaceful here and very well done.
From here we went a further 5 km to the Karupa lama gompa which is home to the second Lama. (the second Lama was in Delhi and the Dalai Lama in America so we missed them both!). This gompa is a teaching monastry so there were monks walking round as we looked around. After this we headed back to Dharamsala where we dropped Ami off at 12 ready for prayers. We carried on to McLeod ganj and had cold drinks in McLlo restaurant before looking round the shops. The sun had stopped shining and dark clouds kept coming over but it stayed warm.
We found the Tibetan handicrafts Cooperative which employs newly arrived refugees in the weaving of Tibetan wool carpets, which we watched being made. We went into the adjoining shop selling Tibetan souvenirs at reasonable prices. We bought our fist Christmas present from one of the Tibetan stalls (silver earrings for Steves' mum).
While we waited for Ami we went to Nicks Italian kitchen for lunch - a pot of real coffee, thick pasta soup and a cheese and onion toasted sandwich). Ami arrived back in McLeod ganj about 2.30 and we had another look around before it started to rain at 2.45.We called the taxi and went back to Bhagsu where we read and watched TV while there were heavy monsoon rains until about 5pm. It really is damp here and the towels are still not drying after we have showers!
After the rain we went to the internet for a last time and had a look round the shops before going back to the room. At 6.45 Ami came round to the room and told us he had bood an AC Innova (4x4) for tomorrow to take us to Delhi. We will leave Bhagsu at 7am.
Went back to the Haifa for our final meal here and back to the room for an early night.

Time to go home tomorrow.

Photos mcleodganj: http://s515.photobucket.com/albums/t353/samtheboater/Kashmir/mcleodganj/

I really enjoyed reading about your trip, we have also been asked to visit, but with the news about Kashmir at present, I think it's a no for me just now.
Thanks for taking the time to tell us about your travels.
x lassi

The End of Our report

27 July 2008

The alarm went off at 6.30 and we got ready going down at 7 just as Ami was coming up to us. The taxi was ready for us and, after packing our bags into it, we set off. The car was clean and very comfortable. Going down the road we suddenly came across a long queue of traffic in the middle of nowhere. The locals had felled a tree and it had fallen across the road blocking the way. We had to wait for about 10 minutes while they managed to clear a path through big enough for cars to pass - lorries and buses had to wait longer!
At about 10am we stopped for breakfast in a hotel and bought some apples from the local market - our first real fruit for a month. It was fairly warm with the occasional rain. Again there were many monkeys on the roadside - I am surprised that many of them do not get killed the way they wander on the roads! Another sight we saw a lot was groups of Hindu cyclists and walkers going to Yatra at the larger nearby Temples.
As we got into Haryana state we started seeing groups of walkers carrying poles over their shoulders which had boxes on the ends. Our driver told us these were returning from the Manimahesh Yatra - a pilgrimage to Manimahesh lake, one of Shivas mythical abodes. This is a trek to bathe in the sacred waters (and collect sacred water to take back). Hindus from uptp 2000km come for this Yatra.
At about 12.20 we crossed some traffic lights to find we could not move. There were lorries parked on the sides of the road and one had parked in the traffic lane so nobody could pass it. After we had sat for a while our driver went to see what the problem was on our side of the road. There was a lorry further down loaded with steel plates waiting to make a delivery which was also in the way. A policeman came along from the control point on the corner and moved the lorry with steel plate and some of the other lorry drivers set about moving the one parked in the traffic lane. At about 1pm we started back on our way. It was a fairly good trip now and the roads were not too bad.
At about 3pm we stopped at a Mirchi restaurant for late lunch (the food was good). It was raining quite heavily now and we had to close the windows but the AC did work. This was still about 150 km from Delhi.
After lunch we carried on along the NH1 towards Delhi. At about 4.30 we had a message from Air France saying the flight had been cancelled and we would not now be leaving Delhi until 00.40hours on Monday.
We reached the outskirts of Delhi at about 6pm and took until 7.30 to reach the airport - there was heavy traffic and heavy rain. At the airport we found the Air France office and Steve queued up to try and find out what was happening. He was told that if we needed to get back to Birmingham tomorrow they would try and put us onto another flight , otherwise they would put us up for the night. We were not told what the problem was but assumed there was another strike of air traffic controllers in France.
We decided to stay in Delhi and take the flight on Monday so they put us up in the Shangri La Hotel (a Luxury Hotel near Connaught Place in New Delhi). We were taken there by AC car at about 8.30 - the first to accept being put up - and booked in. The room was very luxurious with a large bathroom overlooking the room.
We phoned Andrew and Kathryn and let them know what was happening. We got Andrew to try and phone Steves' mum and let her know we would not be back in time for the funeral. We also phoned Ami and told him what was happening. He was surprised at where we were being put up. His train to Goa leaves at 3pm tomorrow.
We went to find something to eat and the first restaurant we found was the 19 Oriental Avenue which serves Japanese, Chinese and Thai food. We had dim sum (prawn and chicken). Abalone and seasonal greens, stir fried vegetables and mixed fried rice. Steve has 3 Kingfisher beers and I had a Honeybee. The food was excellent and the service was faultless - our waiter even gave us 2 complimentary deserts of fresh pineapple and kiwi and a lemon syllabub. (it appears we should not have eaten in this restaurant and when we booked out we had to pay for the meal but it was well worth the 3476 rps they charged). We finally got to bed at about midnight - it had been a long day but exciting.

27 July 2008

We had a late morning because the bed was really comfortable (especially after some of the beds we have slept in over the last month). At 9.30 we went down for breakfast. There was an enormous selection of Thai, Chinese, Indian, fruit, cakes, cheese and biscuits, different breads,eggs, bacon, sausages etc. It was hard to know what to have but we both had our fill. Steve found fresh brown bread and well cooked bacon, his first bacon sandwich for over a month. We sat in the lobby / coffee shop reading but, with the AC we got cold so tried to go outside but were told it was closed because it was going to rain - this was 10.30 - and the tiles got slippery when wet. We went back to the room and at about 1pm it started to rain.
We wanted to try and go to Connaught Place to look around but it doesn't open on Sundays so we stayed in the room reading and watching TV.
We had a mixture of sushi and deserts for lunch with a glass of Champagne each which we had to pay for.
At 8.30pm we had a wake-up call - our bus to take us to the airport is due at 9pm. We went down about 8.45 and booked out. The bus was already there so we got on ready for the airport as soon as our bags had been loaded. There were 14 of us put up here - others had been put in different hotels.
Got to the airport and booked in - the plane will be full. Even though the plane was full we both managed to sleep.
We arrived in Paris on time and transferred to the domestic terminal where we waited for a couple of hours for our flight to Birmingham. Everything was to time and we arrived in Birmingham about 10.30. We took the local train to the International station and then through to New Street. We had to wait here for about ½ hour for our train to Narborough. We sent Andrew a message asking him to pick us up at the station at 12.40, which he did. We were home safe and well before 1pm after an interesting and eventful month.

Now we will get ready for our next trip - France and the boat on 11 August.