Leh Diary- Rest of the Journey!

Day 9(Sonamarg- Srinagar- Gulmarg-Anantnag- patni top)

360 Kms

By far the return journey did little to worry us. The Jhelum gives a perfect backdrop for photographers. 

We halted at Srinagar for 2 reasons.

1) Get the spare part of Safari fixed. (finally, some smiles)

2) Lunch (kebabs, mutton, chicken- no place for veggies)

After a stumptuous meal, we headed for Dal lake. 

But the moment we parked our vehicle, the weather got nastier and the Shikarawalla said -" 1 crore doge to bhi nahi jayenge". Neither we had a crore nor we wanted to risk our lives, so we moved straight to Gulmarg. 

Kashmir is blessed with such beautiful landscapes at every corner, much like wonders of nature, but you cannot get enough of it even if you get to stay there permanently, so we had to move on.

Without wasting a minute, we headed stright to PatniTop, our planned stoppage for the night. And as always, we were already late. With no liquor available and no liquor shops around, it was difficult. But on such trips, you have to be prepared for extreme situations. 

Round and Round and Round and Round.

"When will I get  to drive on staright roads?" I wondered.
Everyone waas asleep, except Shaily and Anshuman. It was already 1:30 AM.

Finding a hotel at 0200 hours can be tedious. After a couple of enquiries we managed to get a decent room. The clock had struck 3 and it was time to give my eyes a little rest.

Day 10(Patnitop-udhampur-Pathankot-Hoshiarpur-Rupnagar-Kharar-Chnadigarh)

450 Kms

And Finally, we bid adieu to mountains when we descended PatniTop. A long affair it was, and a beautiful one too. Something that will stay in our hearts for a long time. Early morning breakfast ensured we started early. We drove on the marvelous 4 lane highway. Safari was in good shape by now, and I was more determined to carry this through without passing the baton of driving. An ordinary lunch, annoying city traffic, traffic signs for various other destinations(Dharamshala,Kasol..) and a drive through the well planned city of Chandigarh were the high point of the day. 

It was time for us to bid adieu to Anshuman. A small celebration made the moment complete. 

Day 11(Chandigarh - Delhi - Mumbai - Pune)

The saddest day of the trip. It was almost over. No more travelling, no more sight  seeing and no more Himalayas. I took back seat as Amit took over for the victory lap. Nothing unusual happened other than a small traffic jam due to huge crowd for some political rally. We luckily escaped the traffic jam. Next we dropped Jyoti at a nearby metro station(Again, we were getting late :) ). And finally the Safari was parked where it should be. Hell yeah!
LEH'ED- HELL YEAH

I managed an hour sleep after lunch and boarded the flight. Mumbai to pune was also an easy ride due to normal traffic. We sneaked under the bed at 3 a.m., no lights, no fan due to short circuit fire in the building. But who needs the light and fan when you have sleep in your eyes.

P.S- Thanks to everyone who was a part of this journey! You guys were awesome! A wonderful company. Kashmir is probably the paradise that we keep talking about. Sadly, it has been devastated by the floods. And we are grateful that we did not encounter such a horrific experience. The Indian army is again playing its part in what it does best. Anshuman's bike is still in Srinagar due to floods. We all are still mesmerized and in awe of the beauty that was served to us. 

Iss Dharti pe Kahin swarg hai to yehi hai, yehi hai, yehi hai….
Kashmir, I'll be back again!