Sweet Dreams and Babas
Wednesday 24th October
Now I don't sleep well - bad dreams though thankfully the ones about thermo nuclear war have subsided and I don't want to sound like my grandma who always used to say "off and on" when asked how the night had gone sleepwise - I always suspected that was down to the fact that in between having coffee mornings with ladies who lunched and playing golf she could could usually be found crashed out in her rocking chair for most of the morning whilst Jimmy Young wafted out of the radio in the background.
Anyway Nazir the last time I was in Kashmir had mentioned that he knew this Baba who could sort out all my problems re my dreams - now some people may think all this is hocus pocus but me I've an open mind - so after some seriously sorted buttered toast - think Happy had got the hang of making by now I found myself on a bus making my way to the little village of Dialgam just outside Anantnag.
It's very strange as when I'm home I'm quite anonymous but getting on a local bus in Kashmir - the only thing I can equate it to is being famous in Britain - the people were really friendly and just interested in what I was doing but sometimes it felt a little overwhelming when the whole bus was just looking at me.
The Baba and his family were really nice - made us tea before I was ushered into this room where I was given this blank piece of paper and told to hold it up to the window and look into it and "say what I saw" (copyright:Roy Walker) - to be honest I couldn't really see anything apart from a face that looked suspiciously like Osama Bin Laden and I didn't think he had anything to do with my bad dreams. There was another lady in the room with me who had problems as well - she was seeing a Hollywood epic in her bit of paper - I could have made something up but that's not me . Despite my rubbish attempts with the paper - the Baba gave me some writing that I had to put in a bottle of water and drink once a day as well some writing to put in a locket round my neck - it is really strange as since I've been wearing the necklace (it's the one I fiddle with a lot) the dreams have calmed down alot only had one seriously bad one (and I'd forgotten to put the necklace on) - they're usual of the genre now of last night's - me staying in a hotel where they were filming an episode of Coronation Street, I was an extra wearing my pheren and Anita Dobson and Brian May had a cameo role - that I can cope with and no need for hot chocolate at five in the morning in the garden.
What was really nice about the village - it was untouched by the tourist malarky - now I know I am a tourist and part of the problem that has spoiled other places. Just seeing people go about their daily life and really happy to see me - cool about having their photo taken without the word money being mentioned - it was like going back 25 odd years ago when you took peoples addresses and promised to send them a photo and they were happy - and we did try and send them back then though I did have a guilt trip about one I took in Turkey of this man with his two kids who was so happy - chopped his head off (in the photo sense) - so never ever trust a 14 year old who doesn't know what she's doing with a fancy Pentax camera. Leaving the village the Baba's wife gave me a special stone to bring me luck and said I was always welcome to come back and stay with them - really nice.
It's a good job I'm not a pine tree height wise - Rafi had probs I remembered from the bus back from Mattan - as it was standing room only on the bus to Verinag (source of the River Jhelum) - my head was touching the ceiling before I got a seat next to a woman clad in a burka. As you may know I'm not a fan of the burkha and I did find it hard to have a conversation - it's a face, expression thing maybe that's why I struggle on phones as I can't see a person's expressions - but her English was really good though I think the word rupee was mentioned on a couple more occasions that I felt necessary so I went into my Inge from Iceland mode - "no understand!".
Verinag was a really pretty place - the toilets in the Moghal Gardens would have put most British bus/train stations to shame (know I shouldn't have mentioned that first but sometimes you do enter in trepidation of what you might find) - and the gardens themselves really beautiful culminating with the most amazing blue pool from where the Jhelum starts. There was a large army camp next door but from what I gathered they were moving out - as I sat on the grass chilling out guys were transporting fish out of the base to a lower pond - a sign I thought that times might be changing we'd heard that in the last few days they were going to be taking down the barricades in Srinagar - another sign that once more Kashmir may be returning to the "paradise " that it was before the troubles.
It was a very speedy ride back to Anantnag - Nazir went and grabbed the bags whilst I went and sorted out the jeep - front seat and I know the local rate matey - big smile - bless they were really good and quite amused by me. I was a bit concerned that we'd hit Srinagar after the beer shop shut - wasn't helped by the truck that had overturned on the main road - it was total madness four lanes of traffic on the two lane road weaving - breakdowns, crowds lining the road and when we eventually reached the front of the queue the soldiers stopped the traffic totally - the breakdown truck was in the offing - but after a while people got impatient nothing was happening so we all jumped back in the jeep and wayhay we were through spotting the breakdown truck about a mile down the road - people were though shifting for him.
Srinagar was busy as we headed along the Boulevard - the Bengalis apparently are great travellers and it was the height of their holiday season - so it wasn't easy finding a hotel so we dropped the bags off at one to mind whilst we headed out - really weird in that some hotels in Kashmir won't let Kashmiris stay in them but in the end after a quick sortee to the beer shop which was still open (yes!!) found a sorted place further down the road - bit of luxury for a change which after the Hotel (sub) Standard in Anantnag felt like I was in a palace - well I didn't have to stick the boiler on for a shower so it was a palace to me!!!
Right that's it for tonight photos hopefully later on this week - off to run in a St David's Day race tomorrow - 5k in Cardiff - today was cross country knocked 10 mins off the time I did the last time at ran at Blaise Castle in Bristol (my hoodoo course) but I severely suspect it was shorter but it was hell of a lot nicer we even had entertainment from a posh girl ranting on a horse that they had dared to hold an event on where her and Dobbin went for a canter - honestly one day a year for a few hours - its give and take the countryside is for everyone!!
Now I don't sleep well - bad dreams though thankfully the ones about thermo nuclear war have subsided and I don't want to sound like my grandma who always used to say "off and on" when asked how the night had gone sleepwise - I always suspected that was down to the fact that in between having coffee mornings with ladies who lunched and playing golf she could could usually be found crashed out in her rocking chair for most of the morning whilst Jimmy Young wafted out of the radio in the background.
Anyway Nazir the last time I was in Kashmir had mentioned that he knew this Baba who could sort out all my problems re my dreams - now some people may think all this is hocus pocus but me I've an open mind - so after some seriously sorted buttered toast - think Happy had got the hang of making by now I found myself on a bus making my way to the little village of Dialgam just outside Anantnag.
It's very strange as when I'm home I'm quite anonymous but getting on a local bus in Kashmir - the only thing I can equate it to is being famous in Britain - the people were really friendly and just interested in what I was doing but sometimes it felt a little overwhelming when the whole bus was just looking at me.
The Baba and his family were really nice - made us tea before I was ushered into this room where I was given this blank piece of paper and told to hold it up to the window and look into it and "say what I saw" (copyright:Roy Walker) - to be honest I couldn't really see anything apart from a face that looked suspiciously like Osama Bin Laden and I didn't think he had anything to do with my bad dreams. There was another lady in the room with me who had problems as well - she was seeing a Hollywood epic in her bit of paper - I could have made something up but that's not me . Despite my rubbish attempts with the paper - the Baba gave me some writing that I had to put in a bottle of water and drink once a day as well some writing to put in a locket round my neck - it is really strange as since I've been wearing the necklace (it's the one I fiddle with a lot) the dreams have calmed down alot only had one seriously bad one (and I'd forgotten to put the necklace on) - they're usual of the genre now of last night's - me staying in a hotel where they were filming an episode of Coronation Street, I was an extra wearing my pheren and Anita Dobson and Brian May had a cameo role - that I can cope with and no need for hot chocolate at five in the morning in the garden.
What was really nice about the village - it was untouched by the tourist malarky - now I know I am a tourist and part of the problem that has spoiled other places. Just seeing people go about their daily life and really happy to see me - cool about having their photo taken without the word money being mentioned - it was like going back 25 odd years ago when you took peoples addresses and promised to send them a photo and they were happy - and we did try and send them back then though I did have a guilt trip about one I took in Turkey of this man with his two kids who was so happy - chopped his head off (in the photo sense) - so never ever trust a 14 year old who doesn't know what she's doing with a fancy Pentax camera. Leaving the village the Baba's wife gave me a special stone to bring me luck and said I was always welcome to come back and stay with them - really nice.
It's a good job I'm not a pine tree height wise - Rafi had probs I remembered from the bus back from Mattan - as it was standing room only on the bus to Verinag (source of the River Jhelum) - my head was touching the ceiling before I got a seat next to a woman clad in a burka. As you may know I'm not a fan of the burkha and I did find it hard to have a conversation - it's a face, expression thing maybe that's why I struggle on phones as I can't see a person's expressions - but her English was really good though I think the word rupee was mentioned on a couple more occasions that I felt necessary so I went into my Inge from Iceland mode - "no understand!".
Verinag was a really pretty place - the toilets in the Moghal Gardens would have put most British bus/train stations to shame (know I shouldn't have mentioned that first but sometimes you do enter in trepidation of what you might find) - and the gardens themselves really beautiful culminating with the most amazing blue pool from where the Jhelum starts. There was a large army camp next door but from what I gathered they were moving out - as I sat on the grass chilling out guys were transporting fish out of the base to a lower pond - a sign I thought that times might be changing we'd heard that in the last few days they were going to be taking down the barricades in Srinagar - another sign that once more Kashmir may be returning to the "paradise " that it was before the troubles.
It was a very speedy ride back to Anantnag - Nazir went and grabbed the bags whilst I went and sorted out the jeep - front seat and I know the local rate matey - big smile - bless they were really good and quite amused by me. I was a bit concerned that we'd hit Srinagar after the beer shop shut - wasn't helped by the truck that had overturned on the main road - it was total madness four lanes of traffic on the two lane road weaving - breakdowns, crowds lining the road and when we eventually reached the front of the queue the soldiers stopped the traffic totally - the breakdown truck was in the offing - but after a while people got impatient nothing was happening so we all jumped back in the jeep and wayhay we were through spotting the breakdown truck about a mile down the road - people were though shifting for him.
Srinagar was busy as we headed along the Boulevard - the Bengalis apparently are great travellers and it was the height of their holiday season - so it wasn't easy finding a hotel so we dropped the bags off at one to mind whilst we headed out - really weird in that some hotels in Kashmir won't let Kashmiris stay in them but in the end after a quick sortee to the beer shop which was still open (yes!!) found a sorted place further down the road - bit of luxury for a change which after the Hotel (sub) Standard in Anantnag felt like I was in a palace - well I didn't have to stick the boiler on for a shower so it was a palace to me!!!
Right that's it for tonight photos hopefully later on this week - off to run in a St David's Day race tomorrow - 5k in Cardiff - today was cross country knocked 10 mins off the time I did the last time at ran at Blaise Castle in Bristol (my hoodoo course) but I severely suspect it was shorter but it was hell of a lot nicer we even had entertainment from a posh girl ranting on a horse that they had dared to hold an event on where her and Dobbin went for a canter - honestly one day a year for a few hours - its give and take the countryside is for everyone!!
posted by aliceinw67 at 12:24 AM
2 Comments:
Nice travel blog!
Wonderful photographs.
Mike
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