I usually don't have problems with flying. But the plane trip to Srinagar in Kashmir was different. I guess that the terror attacks in Bombay did have a larger effect than I thought. I was more sensitive and my stomach tightened every time the plane tilted a little to much or made an unexpected move. I also felt a little uneasy with the height looking down from the plane when it was about to land. I was okay most of the time though.
Fire crackers have also made me feel more uncomfortable when I hear them explode. As a reflex I associate it with gun shots.
Anyway, Kashmir is a high security area. When i arrived at the airport I had to report my arrival at a special desk, and fill in a form. I have to write down where I was going to stay, when I planned to leave the area, my purpose for the visit, and so on.
The military was everywhere in Srinagar. More than in Bombay after the terror attacks.
It was really cold in Srinagar. It is up in the Himalayas after all, and it was far from being tourist season there at the moment. But I guess that it made my visit more unique, and more of a cultural experience (since it was foggy and cloudy most of the time I was there ... and rainy. ...and cold).
I lived in a houseboat on Dal Lake during my stay there. it felt very exotic ..and reminded me of some of the winter hikes in cottages out in the woods, that I made as a youngster. The nights were a little too cold though.
Farooq was the man that was taking care of the place and me while I was there. I took it easy on my first day, and had dinner with him and his family at night. On the next day I went on a shikar ride (a type of boat that the locals use). My Lamanvol (paddler) was Tanver, a pretty cool young man that was working extra. The ride was nice and interesting... even though the the clouds hid most of the mountains. It would have been totally gorgeous during the summer. Not only with the mountains, but also with the greenery and the "floating" parks on the lakes. After a tour in the lake we went to the Old Town and walked around there for a while. It was a Muslim holiday, and since Kashmir is heavily Muslim, most places were closed. As part of the holiday they kill sheep and eat it. So here and there there were guts and lungs and other inner parts of the sheep laying around on the ground ..or floating in the water, close to the harbour. I have no idea why they didn't clean up after themselves.
We went back to the boat and continued to other parts of the city... parts of Srinagar that could have reminded me of Venice with all its canals and buildings next to the water. But it rather felt like a flooded post war WW2 Eastern European city. ....like somewhere up in the Transylvanian mountains. It had a cool feeling to it though ..even if it once again would be a lot nicer during the Summer.
The next day I walked up the Shankaracharya Hill. It was foggy and a little rainy, but it was a nice promenade. There's a Hindu temple on top, but I would have been more interested of the view, that would have been fantastic if it wasn't because of the weather. I did get a decent view over the city and the lake on the way day though. ..and I enjoyed all the flocks eagles flying close over my head.
After that I went in to town and walked around and looked and shopped a little. There were soldiers everywhere. It felt like about 5 percent of the people on the streets were armed soldiers. I think that it's an even higher high security area because of the elections that were coming up the following weekend.
I might have visited Srinagar the wrong part of the year, but I don't regret going. I rather have visited it on the wrong time than not at all ..and it did feel like an adventure after all. It really did have a Central Asian atmosphere to it all ... with all the Kashmiri and other regional clothes ...and with all the military present.
I left for Jammu further south on Friday morning, by shared jeep. It was me, the driver and eight other passengers. I had planned to catch up on some sleep and read during the seven hour journey, but there wasn't much of that. I was so amazed by the view from the window once the weather cleared further south. I finally got a clear view of the mountains ..including the Himalayas. The jeep even made a special stop for me so that I could take photos. I sooo enjoyed that journey along the mountains ...where the roads could go to the left and right and up and down and back again. ...with Indian music being played in the car stereo.
Along large parts of the road there where still many soldiers ..with military posts on a regular basis. At one of the road blocks, foreigners were supposed to report in, and a soldier stopped the jeep and looked in to the car. The guy behind me tapped me on the shoulder and I got ready to take out my passport, when the soldier suddenly asked the driver to move on. I guess I looked somewhat Kashmiri with my outfit and dark unshaven beard and sitting in the shadows ...that or he didn't bother.
I had a few hours to kill in Jammu, before taking the train to Punjab. Jammu was a pretty interesting town, and I saw some really interesting things... but just the few hours that I spent there was enough.
Fire crackers have also made me feel more uncomfortable when I hear them explode. As a reflex I associate it with gun shots.
Anyway, Kashmir is a high security area. When i arrived at the airport I had to report my arrival at a special desk, and fill in a form. I have to write down where I was going to stay, when I planned to leave the area, my purpose for the visit, and so on.
The military was everywhere in Srinagar. More than in Bombay after the terror attacks.
It was really cold in Srinagar. It is up in the Himalayas after all, and it was far from being tourist season there at the moment. But I guess that it made my visit more unique, and more of a cultural experience (since it was foggy and cloudy most of the time I was there ... and rainy. ...and cold).
I lived in a houseboat on Dal Lake during my stay there. it felt very exotic ..and reminded me of some of the winter hikes in cottages out in the woods, that I made as a youngster. The nights were a little too cold though.
Farooq was the man that was taking care of the place and me while I was there. I took it easy on my first day, and had dinner with him and his family at night. On the next day I went on a shikar ride (a type of boat that the locals use). My Lamanvol (paddler) was Tanver, a pretty cool young man that was working extra. The ride was nice and interesting... even though the the clouds hid most of the mountains. It would have been totally gorgeous during the summer. Not only with the mountains, but also with the greenery and the "floating" parks on the lakes. After a tour in the lake we went to the Old Town and walked around there for a while. It was a Muslim holiday, and since Kashmir is heavily Muslim, most places were closed. As part of the holiday they kill sheep and eat it. So here and there there were guts and lungs and other inner parts of the sheep laying around on the ground ..or floating in the water, close to the harbour. I have no idea why they didn't clean up after themselves.
We went back to the boat and continued to other parts of the city... parts of Srinagar that could have reminded me of Venice with all its canals and buildings next to the water. But it rather felt like a flooded post war WW2 Eastern European city. ....like somewhere up in the Transylvanian mountains. It had a cool feeling to it though ..even if it once again would be a lot nicer during the Summer.
The next day I walked up the Shankaracharya Hill. It was foggy and a little rainy, but it was a nice promenade. There's a Hindu temple on top, but I would have been more interested of the view, that would have been fantastic if it wasn't because of the weather. I did get a decent view over the city and the lake on the way day though. ..and I enjoyed all the flocks eagles flying close over my head.
After that I went in to town and walked around and looked and shopped a little. There were soldiers everywhere. It felt like about 5 percent of the people on the streets were armed soldiers. I think that it's an even higher high security area because of the elections that were coming up the following weekend.
I might have visited Srinagar the wrong part of the year, but I don't regret going. I rather have visited it on the wrong time than not at all ..and it did feel like an adventure after all. It really did have a Central Asian atmosphere to it all ... with all the Kashmiri and other regional clothes ...and with all the military present.
I left for Jammu further south on Friday morning, by shared jeep. It was me, the driver and eight other passengers. I had planned to catch up on some sleep and read during the seven hour journey, but there wasn't much of that. I was so amazed by the view from the window once the weather cleared further south. I finally got a clear view of the mountains ..including the Himalayas. The jeep even made a special stop for me so that I could take photos. I sooo enjoyed that journey along the mountains ...where the roads could go to the left and right and up and down and back again. ...with Indian music being played in the car stereo.
Along large parts of the road there where still many soldiers ..with military posts on a regular basis. At one of the road blocks, foreigners were supposed to report in, and a soldier stopped the jeep and looked in to the car. The guy behind me tapped me on the shoulder and I got ready to take out my passport, when the soldier suddenly asked the driver to move on. I guess I looked somewhat Kashmiri with my outfit and dark unshaven beard and sitting in the shadows ...that or he didn't bother.
I had a few hours to kill in Jammu, before taking the train to Punjab. Jammu was a pretty interesting town, and I saw some really interesting things... but just the few hours that I spent there was enough.
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