Hitchhiking in India: Jammu and Kashmir

26^th of May, 2023.

Hitchhiking in India: Jammu and Kashmir.

I have a photograph of arriving in Jammu, but I cannot remember who drove me there. In my notes I have the following: Khudwani; and Varun (kind Sikh man, from Kashmir but living in Jammu, who has a 3 years old boy).

** Update from Inspector of Police Davinder, who picked me up in Pathankot (Lakhanpur) and drove me to Jammu Kunjwani Chowk. We talk about my travels and my new lifestyle, trying to live without money. We also talk about Laal Singh Chaddha (what a surprise, I love talking about Aamir’s films). Davinder try to give me some money, but I kindly refuse. He says in his comment that he thought it was disrespectful but I don’t think so. I think he was just trying to help, and I appreciate the gesture.

When I am in a gas station, somewhere, two guys in a black Jeep tell me I can come with them. Sahul and his friend have a tourism company and are coming to check out an accommodation place somewhere. There is a huge traffic jam because of the roads being under restoration. His friends had warned them, so they take a detour, which they say it is a short cut, but I am not so sure about that because it seems that we would’ve been able to go by the road easily, and faster than by taking this detour. It is a countryside road, and we can see the highway for most of the drive.

When we get back to the highway, more traffic jam. Well, actually the traffic is completely stuck. Mostly trucks but also some cars. But only one way. We wait for quite a long time, or we drive slowly, some few metres at a time. After we see some cars taking the opposite road, due to the fact that there are almost no cars coming in our direction, we do the same. We can drive for some time but after a while, the traffic police, had been informed of what was happening, made a barricade, so after certain point nobody could carry on in the opposite side.

At the same spot where the police barricade is made, the guys will take another route, while I must continue on the highway. But they don’t want to just let me out here, so they talk with the police officer to see if he can find me a car going towards Srinagar. It is clear though, that I will not arrive there today, so knowing someone in a smaller town on the way to, the guys call this person and arrange a place for me to stay there. That’s very nice of them!

In a few minutes, the police officer gets a single man in a car who will pass by this town, so I say goodbye to Sahul and his friend, and carry on my journey.

Well, I try. A few minutes after the police barricade, we have stop again due to the traffic jam. But this time is different. The car we are driving is surrounded by trucks. All the truck drivers and passengers, gather around our car to see this very curious thing: a western woman travelling alone by hitchhiking. They all start asking me questions, trying to understand what’s going on. Laugh. They offer me drinks and snack, and they tell me what they are transporting in their trucks. It is a very interesting moment in my travels.

We finally get to move. It gets dark soon and also it starts to rain. When we arrive in the small town, the driver contacts Sahul’s friend, and he comes to meet me. We walk to the place where I am staying. It is some kind of organization to help people. But I must say that, when we are walking through the streets, and enter the alley where the room is located, it seems like I will disappear into it and nobody will ever know what was made of me. Of course, I keep going because I don’t have a feeling that I am in danger or that I cannot trust in the guy leading me.

Once we arrive, I meet some other two men, who also leave in this building. The room I am staying is actually by the river, and if it wasn’t for its precarious conditions, or better saying, the almost non-existent balcony, the view would be amazing!

The guys bring me some dinner and we arrange the time of my departure tomorrow morning. I go to sleep right after.

Next morning, it is really tricky to go through the mud. I leave quite early, because I have hopes of arriving to Gurez today. Sweet illusion.