#bbc2leh - Patnitop to Srinagar

Day 5 started on a very relaxed note. We slept well and had a sumptuous breakfast. Thomas, Shibu and Shonan were ready and finished breakfast even before Chanda and I got ready.

While having breakfast, we heard Shibu's plan of World Tour. :) Shonan and Thomas went ahead and settled the accounts and loaded both the jeeps.

Chanda was busy talking to the waiter who was serving us. He said that they depend on snow for their water requirement. From last 2-3 years, the snow fall has reduced causing water problems once in a while. They depend on the seasonal rivers for their water requirement.

A word about Patnitop. This place is plastic-free zone marked with boards every 500mtrs. However, that doesn't affect people in anyway.

While Chanda was chatting away and guys were loading the jeeps, I took some pictures of the hotel. It was bright and sunny but was quite cold too.

View from the hotel

Facade from dining area

Open-air dining area

We finally began our journey around 12:00 PM. Now, that might sound late, but we just had 200 kms to cover. We decided to take it easy, drive slowly, and take lots of pictures on the way. It was getting cloudy and I could hear thunder. I so desperately wanted rain and slush - the jeep was looking very clean.

Clean jeep and rain clouds

We inspected our the vehicles, before we set out. We also removed the wheel covers so we wouldn't lose them on rough roads.

Inspecting the Bolero - we check the tires

Shonan and Matt - Securing the wheel caps to the Gypsy with scarves from Rajasthan

Shibu's Gypsy

Dark clouds

The Arabs - Shibu the Jeep Captain and Shonan

On the way out from Patnitop

Potato seeds, anyone?

This lady was busy staring at Chanda - don't know why!

To my utter joy, it began to rain right after we left Patnitop. To add to my joy, the roads were pretty average but there wasn't a great deal of slush. We made steady progress and the route was incredibly scenic. The highway was parallel to the river Jhelum for several kilometers and we clicked lots of pictures.

River Jhelum along NH1A

Shooting pictures on the way

Baglihar hydel project

We were slowed down by the heavy truck traffic on the highway and unruly cab drivers. We were stuck in traffic jams several times. But we again make good use of it by taking pictures!

Lots of traffic, average roads, but no slush! :(

Waiting for the CRPF carven to pass

Long queue waiting next to the Jhelum river

Titli Khera - Chanda's travel companion who has traveled thru India and Europe with her

Just after Ramban, at Ramsu, We stopped at a road-side shack for tea at around 3:00 PM and had tea and "pooris" with the mango pickle that my mom had packed for us. This was to also be our lunch break as we didn't want to take longer breaks. Shibu and Chanda also tried the "malpuas" at the shack.

Shibu heats his "malpuas"

We all have tea in the shack

The navigator chooses to sit in the Bolero

Some shops in the villages on the way

Some shops in the villages on the way

Rajma, Rajma and Rajma

Colorful shops

Furnishing House!

Smiles!

Mating centre! :)

Steel House

At many places, we saw boards stating that no photography is allowed due to sensitive locations. In fact, at one place we were shooed away by army jawans for stopping for taking pictures! They were angry because we didn't read the indications. This happened sometime before Jawahar tunnel.

We reached the Jawahar tunnel by 5:00 PM. There was a huge traffic jam before the tunnel though. The drive through the tunnel was a different experience. The tunnel by itself is not very large and is poorly lit. Ventilation is very scanty and thanks to the aircon, we didn't have much of a problem. If you are a claustrophobic, don't worry. The tunnel is only 2.5 kms long. 

Soon after we exited the tunnel, we came to Titanic point where we caught our first breathtaking glimpse of the Kashmir valley. The sight of snow capped peaks and misty valleys was very beautiful and we spent a fair amount of time there.

What is Titanic point?

Memorial near the view point

How does it really look?

Kashmir Valley

Snow capped mountains

We reached the Kashmir toll gate by 5:20 PM. This was an old-fashioned place where we had to stand in a queue to collect the receipt. The road, NH 1A, was very good. We made good progress but suddenly, near Bijbehara, Shibu pulled over. His Gypsy had developed a snag and we needed to get it fixed.

We enquired at a gas station and were directed to a yard that was half a kilometer away. We spent nearly an hour getting the vehicle repaired. The silencer clamps had broken and it was resting on the housing. This has caused it to crack. Had this gone unchecked, the silencer would have broken away.

Gypsy being fixed

Shibu verifies the fix

Once the Gypsy was fixed, we sped towards Srinagar. It was 6:00 PM, but the sun was still bright. Our fellow traveler, Anil was already in Srinagar waiting for us.

That's a service station for tanga (horse wagons)

Old and New

Sunset at Kashmir

Sunset at Kashmir

Sunset at Kashmir

We made good progress. Truck traffic was heavy and so was the army presence. It was still bright when we entered Srinagar. It took us but a few minutes to locate the hotel. The city wore a deserted look and it was quite cool.

Srinagar

Rooms were booked by Shahid. He is a friend of Rajiv who introduced Shahid to Chanda. Chanda and Shahid worked together to book the rooms. Shahid roamed around, checked all possible hotels, bargained for the tariff and got us a great deal in this hotel called Meridian.

The hotel was beautiful. Although not as posh as its namesake, it was very well designed nevertheless. The rooms were very clean and comfortable.

Shahid was on phone with Chanda most of the time checking how we are doing and reaching Srinagar. We invited him to have dinner with us.

Shahid arrived shortly after us. With his help, we ordered dinner that included 2-3 Kashmiri delicacies. We had to leave early the next day. So we retired to bed early.

That's how the day ended! Beautiful journey!

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#bbc2leh Long drive - Delhi to Patnitop

I had never heard of this place until this trip. Patnitop is a popular hill station near Udhampur, in Jammu and Kashmir. The drive to Patnitop was to be the longest in our three-day trip to Leh. As usual, we didn't sleep well the previous night (this is turning out to be a regular thing with us), and we were very tired the next day. We woke up at 3:00 AM and were out of the house by 4:30. Looks like destiny, or rather the Arabs, had other plans for us. While Shibu was in India already, Shonan was to reach that morning. He did, but very late. So we extended our tea break at Chanda's parents place and finally left at 5:30 AM.


Sun rise in Delhi on NH24



We decided to meet Shonan and Shibu at Mukarba Chowk, an important point from where buses to Haryana and Punjab ply. We took the ring road and continued on to ITO and Raj Ghat and then to Mukarba Chowk. Today's journey would also take us on the historic Grand Trunk road and we were already on it.


Watching the world pass by at Mukarba Chowk

Crowded bus stop

So after a quick round of hugs and greetings, we set off on NH1 towards Patnitop. The drive would take us through Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir. We stopped for breakfast at Haveli, a swank restaurant with a dhabha-like ambiance, in Murthal. We feasted on aloo paranthas, aloo kachori, suji halwa and washed it all down with tea and lassi.


Kachoori aloo (Chanda's fav)



If you ever travel down this road, be sure to stop at one of the Havelis. The facilities are excellent (especially the loos) and the prices are very reasonable. A sumptuous breakfast for five cost us ~500 rupees.


Entrance to Haveli



Thomas and Shonan



Chanda



Shibu



Punjab is a rich and fertile state and the people here are beautiful. However, the climate here is quite extreme. Summers are very hot and winters are very cold. It was quite hot on the day we left and most of the towns wore a deserted look. The roads, however, were excellent and we maintained a good speed. There were a few diversions on the way as the highway was being expanded from 4 to 6 lanes.


Excellent roads



Deserted roads and colorful people



We made it to Khanna, Rajesh Khanna's hometown, by lunch time. So we stopped at a "vaishnoo dhabha" for lunch. Vaishnoo dhabhas serve pure vegetarian food. They cater to pilgrims going to Vaishnoo Devi and Amarnath. I had never heard of such places before. The food was very good.


Lunch place - "vaishnoo dabha"

We continued north on NH1 and crossed some India's most industrialized towns Ludhiana and Jalandhar. From Jalandhar, we switched to NH1A towards Pathankot and Patnitop. We didn't encounter many toll gates. While Shonan and I managed to catch some sleep, Shibu was going strong. We finally stopped at a dhabha in Dasuya (15-20kms before Pathankot) for tea.


Now, for all the tea aficionados reading this post, let me warn you that tea on the highways is the most abused beverage. Strong tea can be interpreted to mean anything ranging from a syrupy muddy concoction to flavored tea. Never the real robust red stuff. I had to suffer, albeit silently, throughout the journey. The tea at Dasuya was no different. The patti kum paani zyda doodh kum (extra leaves, more water, less milk) formula never worked!


Strong tea in Dasuya (l-r Matt, Chanda, Shonan, and Thomas)



From Dasuya, I moved into the Gypsy with Shibu and we had a long conversation on Jeeps and his restoration work. He has more than a dozen jeeps and has restored most of them. That conversation led me to decide to buy an MM540.


The evening wore on and we reached Pathankot at 6:00 PM. The town had changed very less in seven years. Chanda and I had been to Dalhouisie for our honeymoon. We had taken a train to Pathankot and then a cab to Dalhousie, a beautiful hill station 80 kilometers from Pathankot.


Pathankot Air Force Station



We reached Lakhanpur, a small town at Jammu and Kashmir border, around 7:00 PM. Before entering Jammu and Kashmir, we were stopped by at the Punjab checkpost, a filthy and dusty area, by the Punjab police who then noted down out vehicle details.


We were asked to produce the vehicles registration papers and licenses. As Shonan was driving, his license served the purpose. The police stopped me from taking photos of this place. The Jammu and Kashmir side was much better but was heavily fortified. I did not risk taking pictures.


Shonan, Chanda and Thomas wait at the dusty and filthy Pubjab police checkpost in Lakhanpur



Jammu and Kashmir toll gate in Lakhanpur


The route from Pathankot to the Jammu and Kashmir border was dusty and the road was 2-lane most of the way. It just got worse after we crossed the border. The highway was being repaired so there were several diversions. Truck traffic was heavy and we often had to share the lane with trucks from the opposite lane.


Sunset in Jammu and Kashmir



I took to the wheel and pulled Shibu in so he could sleep. Thomas and Shonan (Tom and Jerry) drove the Gypsy. It was getting dark and Patnitop was still far away. Chanda was having a tough time with the hotel folks who were rude and uncooperative. Our cell phone connections were weak and this was making it harder for us to get through to the hotel in Patnitop. This was tourist season and they didn't sound keen on holding the room for us.


Except Chanda's phone, nobody's phone connection was working. That was strange because all of us have Airtel connection. Shibu (the Arab) had his phone connection from Dubai with international roaming. His phone was showing Paktel connection (Pakistan's cellular company). It was very interesting for us because we were close to India-Pakistan border! After Paktel connection, his all SIM cards stopped working! I guess he had some 3-4 phone connections! These Arabs, I tell you! :P


Shibu's phone showing Paktel connection



Tom and Jerry in the Gypsy



Shalini has warned us against being rude to the policemen in Punjab. Point taken. Punjab police successfully eliminated terrorism from Punjab in the 80s and that seems to have scarred them for life. They are tough as nails and sport automatic weapons. I, unfortunately, extended this rule to the Jammu and Kashmir police. After all, they are fighting militants too.


So, when we were stopped at a police checkpost in Samba (a militant hot-spot), we courteously responded to the stern policeman. After what seemed an eternity, the SoB suddenly softened and asked for chai-paani (bribe.) I was shocked!! How could cops, in such sensitive areas, be like this? I changed my tone, handed him a hundred rupees, and drove away. I didn't want to sermonize on that mountain - it was desolate.


It was pitch dark now with not a soul in sight. We were supposed to bypass Jammu city and take a diversion towards Udhampur. After reaching Kishenpur, we almost lost our way due to confusing signboards. Both sides of the signboard indicated Patnitop! To make things worse, the directions and distances were different. We checked with the locals who pointed us in the right direction.


Confusing signboard - side 1



Confusing signboard - side 2



The climb was getting steeper and I was feeling sleepy. We crossed Udhampur at 10:00 PM and Patnitop was still quite far away. Chanda kept in regular touch with the hotel folks who by now had softened a bit.


They agreed to serve us dinner no matter how late we reached. I finally handed the Bolero over to Shonan and joined Thomas in the Gypsy. We reached Patnitop by 11:30 PM, but we spent another anxious 30 minutes finding the hotel, Green Top. We finally checked in at around 12:30 AM.
We were dead tired and it was very cold. When we left Delhi, we were dressed up for summer - shorts, tees and Capri! The moment we walked out of our jeeps, we were instantly frozen! It was extremely cold!


We guys got together for a round of Cognac that Shonan had brought with him. Chanda instantly went to sleep because she didn't sleep the night before! Dinner was excellent and drinks were relaxing! With these, our journey from Delhi to Patnitop ended. I liked Chanda's planning of covering the maximum distance on day one. From the next day, I knew we are going to do smaller distances and relaxed drive. :)

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