Jammu to Srinagar

Scene: A 3500 kilometer journey from Mumbai to Jammu (by train), Jammu to Srinagar (road), Srinagar to Leh (by road) and around leh (road). Cast: Harish, Jaydeep, Saikat, Ashima, Madhuri and Rupali. Duration: 2 Weeks.


JUNE 2009
20th
The best thing about traveling in long distance trains in this beautiful country is that you get a flavor of the country and a huge nostalgia trip unmatched by any other mode of transport, and of course, not to mention a brief sampling of the various kinds of foods that each region or state is unique for. Our journey from Mumbai to Jammu, crossing six states over a period of nearly 36 hours was just that. From khaman dhoklas at Surat to chhole Puris at (Punjab station) to batter-coated chili fries at MP, you get the entire treatment. Of course, not to mention that you need to have a very high threshold of fortitude as the train loos is a mean test.
Other benefits which I discovered are learning new card games, catching up with your reading and meeting with new people (from Army jawans going home for a two week furlough to devotees who are traveling on a shoe string budget and an even shorter time budget to pay obeisance to Gods across the length and breadth of this country.)
As for us, we reach the local Dak Bungalow in Jammu, which is anything but a bungalow and more a five-star hotel, going by the number of rooms (350, according to a waiter) and used as the temporary residence for many government officials during the time the administration moves to Jammu.
As for me, I am more than happy to sleep in a stationary bed after tucking in part of the famous Kashmiri wazwan feast. (But more on that later)

21st
The 300 kilometer long Jammu-Srinagar is one of the most strategic roads in this country and is used for ferrying supplies to the Kashmir Valleys. Trucks form a major part of the vehicular traffic here followed by tourist buses and cars. The road, though prone to landslides, passes through some very beautiful landscapes and takes about 10 hours to travel. It boasts of the Jawahar tunnel, a 2.5 kilometer long narrow tunnel and also some very good dhabas on the way whose sole specialty is Rajma Chawal: A plate of rice, some spicy rajma (English translation) and a huge dollop of desi ghee. Heaven is something closer to this. There have often been proposals to widen this road to a four lane highway for many years, but all of them have remained on paper and the road is bad in patches and for a long stretch runs parallel to the Jhelum River. Closer to the valley, we begin to see the chinar trees which become an incandescent red and yellow in winter and rows and rows of rice and saffron fields and a strong buildup in military presence.
A small detour: Visitors to the Vaishnodevi shrine ply on this highway for the first 60 kilometers to Katra and take a detour. You can either chose to walk to the shrine which is a good 10 hour walk back and forth (recommended starting to climb at dusk) or take a chopper to the shrine and back.

22nd
Wazwan is a traditional Kashmiri meal and is largely meat based and it is highly recommended to fast for a day before sitting down for this wonderful repast. According to a local friend, typical wazwan food served at weddings can go up to as many as 52 courses costing 3-4 lakh rupees and have been known to lead to bankruptcy for the hosts. One such meal, where we went to a restaurant in main Srinagar served 8 rounds beginning with earthen pots and plates containing rice and meth maaz after which a procession of dishes followed including tabak maaz, rogan josh, rista and finally rounded off by gostaba which is a mutton preparation with curds. Of course, all this has to be washed down with kawa, a sweetish typical kashmiri tea which aids digestion and is warm water flavored with almond shards, saffron and some other dry fruits. For a brief description of the wazwan, please see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashmiri_cuisine
Another kind of tea which is consumed a lot in Kashmir is the namkeen chai which is tea with salt and served along with sattu but unfortunately for us we were still recovering from the wazwan and could not eat much of it. One thing about the Kashmiris: despite the violence which has left each and every citizen of this beautiful Valley scarred, they are an extremely hospitable and kind race and who open up their homes and hearths.
The Jamia Masjid in Kashmir is situated in the old city quarters of Nowhatta, a slightly tense area of the city and is one of the most beautiful places of worship to visit. The mosque can house 3,33,333 people and the inner sanctum has the 99 names of the prophet inscribed in black marble. There are 370 deodhar tree columns inside the shrine and there is a garden inside the shrine and we spent a lot of time absorbing in the intricate carvings and the solitude of the place.


23rd
Pahalgam (Village of Shepherds) is nearly 100 kilometres from Srinagar and passes through some of the beautiful countryside including snow-capped mountains, frothing rivers and lovely vistas. Lots of apricot and chinal trees on the way with the river Lidder flowing past us. Located in the Anantnag district, it is also one of the entry points for the Amarnath Yatra, but due to heavy snowfall due to which the Yatri traffic was being diverted to Baltal. A couple of streets lined with shops selling everything from dry fruits to carpets, army camps, some hotels, schools and a sprawling park cum zoo filled with couples and hordes of school kids along with the ubiquitous cheetah and a couple of bored bears is pretty much it. But there are a lot of small treks being organized there and we went for a mini river rafting experience. (2 kilometres, no paddles for you as two professionals do the heavy lifting and a river which at best gurgles, 125 rupees per head and you can get your photograph taken with all the paddling paraphernalia to show your friends back home). Highly recommended for couples and family! Fun minus the adventure!
Dal lake:
the scene of many a Hindi movie in the 60s and the 70s, is quite breathtaking if you approach it from the main Residency road. After braving some very bad traffic (if you think Mumbai and Pune are lawless, the valley is the capital of lawlessness), you suddenly stumble upon a narrow strip of road on which one side is flanked by hotels and the other side THE LAKE. An entire economy thrives on the lake and according to one breathless estimate about 10000 shikaras, houseboats etc can be found on the lake at any time.
The lake itself which was once 24 kms has now dwindled to around 10 kms and is in real danger of dying out thanks mainly to pollution and the people who live on the lake and the government said in June it has set aside 20 billion rupees for cleansing it. Apparently, to clear final level examinations in 10th standard kids must swim across the lake, a distance of 10 kms. It is quite difficult to believe sitting on the porch of the houseboat watching the far lights of the Sankaracharya temple on top of the hills on the other side of the lake with the water gently sloshing the boat and the sun dropping away, the troubles in this beautiful valley.
One of the must see things in the early morning is the vegetable market which runs for an hour every morning between 5 and 6 on the lake. It is a beautiful spectacle with small canoes milling around each other filled with vegetables and vendors swapping them in the backdrop of the lake with water herons, kites and eagles for company.