Travel Diaries | Ladakh Day 2

 Travel Diaries | Ladakh Day 2 🚙

Jalandhar to Srinagar | 450 km

Started around 7 AM from Jalandhar

Today's target was Srinagar and we had around 450 km to cover

With the family and more importantly the girl gang and their luggage, starting on time itself felt like an achievement 😄

After crossing Pathankot, we stopped at Haldiram for breakfast

Soon after that, the weather changed and we got some heavy rain

But the drive was good

The roads have changed tremendously over the years

So many tunnels now and some really good stretches of road

The journey from Pathankot to Srinagar has become much quicker and of course much more comfortable

While driving, I kept remembering my earlier trips on this route

The old road had a different kind of adventure

There were times when we would spend hours behind a truck and sometimes more interestingly behind a whole herd of sheep 😂

At that time it was irritating

Today I actually miss it a little

The new roads are definitely better but somewhere along the way they have taken away a bit of that old school mountain road adventure

The landscape around Banihal was beautiful today

The rains have made everything so green

Mountains, clouds, waterfalls and mist

The whole drive was looking fantastic

My wife and daughters had visited Srinagar last year so Kashmir itself isn't completely new to them

But Gurez and Ladakh are still unexplored territory for them

And that's what makes this trip special for me

I have been to Ladakh many times but this time I get to experience it with them.

Before reaching Srinagar I also managed to meet three friends

Mr Shyam Chaudhary

Commandant, CRPF posted at Pulwama

Mr Vivek Aggarwal, IAS

AGMUT posted at Srinagar

Mr KPS Malhotra, IPS

AGMUT posted at Srinagar

Always good to meet friends while travelling.

Finally reached Srinagar in the evening

Tonight's stay is at Frontier Officers' Mess, BSF, near Srinagar Airport

And I must say what a place

A beautiful officers' mess, very comfortable and extremely well maintained

After a 450 km drive everyone was happy to finally relax 😊

Tomorrow is going to be more interesting

We leave Srinagar and head towards Gurez Valley

Gurez is one of the places I have been wanting to take the family to

For them this will be a completely new experience

And for me perhaps the fun will be in watching their reactions as the road gets narrower, the mountains get higher and the landscape keeps changing

Let's see what Day 3 brings

Day 2 done ✅

Srinagar to Gurez tomorrow 🏔️🚙

Stay tuned, network permitting 😄

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