Jammu to Srinaghar
With Mix still feeling ill, we booked three seats in the jeep so that she could lie down. Thank goodness for PVM instant millie meal, this was the only thing either of us could handle to digest and hold in our stomach (to those budget boulderers that swear by Ace, absolutely no comparison...the nutritional value of PVM wins hands down ;). The journey was prospected to last 7 hours. Considering that it's only 300 km long, this perplexed me slightly. However, the fact that our driver was never exceeding 50km/h seemed to explain it. The signs on the road side provided a fantastic source of entertainment along the way. Here are some of my favourites:
After whiskey driving risky.
Life is short enough don't make it shorter.
Don't be silly in the hilly.
Mind you, the tortoise also won the race.
Life is a journey, complete it.
Drink & drive. Eat your peril.
You are driving on a highway not a runway.
It surprised me that people took these speed warnings to heart, but they would overtake on blind corners, hooting loudly to warn oncoming traffic. When we hit the first mountain pass, everything suddenly snapped into perspective. Oh, how to put he majesty of the Great Himalayas into words? Suddenly 30km/h turned into a frightening speed when overtaking around blind corners, 1000 m sheer vertical drop to the side. Zigzagging up and down mountains. The previously entertaining road signs now cast a morbid shade on the experience. To the enjoyment of our co-travellers and the dispair of our driver, Mix took a couple of chunders out of the car window. Spectacular mountain views opened onto rice field valley vistas as we arrived in Kashmir.
Srinaghar, City of Gardens, finally welcomes us at 9pm after over 11 hours of travel. Glittering lights and gently rocking shikaras (gondolas) on Dal Lake. Arrival in a magic fantasy land of water, calm and cool, as we are steered across the lake to our houseboat. We melt into our new surroundings, charmed beyond expectations.
