[deky]

Originally Posted by MaserQ

I happened to read the first part of your writeup before I left for Ladakh. It gave me a whole new perspective of what the region was like many years ago. And now I am reading your latest Leh travelogue just days after I got back myself. Brilliant. Thank You.

Slightly OT, but a small prayer for lives lost in the flash floods that devastated Leh. May they rest in peace.

Thank you. I was also amazed to see so many changes over the past 20 years in the place. Well some changes are obviously for the better but some changes left me a bit disturbed. But overall I was really happy to be back there.

Originally Posted by unoczar

very nice photos.

felt very sorry to see the "red road" in srinagar, it is a beautiful place ruined by MEN! i wish they all leave the place and just keep it naturally beautiful for us tourists!

Not only for the tourists but I feel the general Kashmiri Junta also doesnt want this lafda and bund and stone throwing business.

In Srinagar we stayed with a Kashmiri Family. They were also fed up with the situation. Bund all the time, no school for kids, no essential commodites at home. Govt offices closed hence no one to clean the streets etc etc and the list goes on.

Kashmir is actually a Jannat and I hope the true sense of "Jannat" is restored as soon as possible

[unoczar]

Originally Posted by deky

Not only for the tourists but I feel the general Kashmiri Junta also doesnt want this lafda and bund and stone throwing business.

In Srinagar we stayed with a Kashmiri Family. They were also fed up with the situation. Bund all the time, no school for kids, no essential commodites at home. Govt offices closed hence no one to clean the streets etc etc and the list goes on.

Kashmir is actually a Jannat and I hope the true sense of "Jannat" is restored as soon as possible

Yes, beautiful place indeed with many beautiful people, infact, i made 3-4 friends in just the one day we were there. Strangers greet us with warm welcomes. My wife even said, lets settle down here, i just said jokingly, "chalo ghar jayenge, sapne dekhna band karo."

[MX6]

Originally Posted by unoczar

My wife even said, lets settle down here

After reaching the last point of your trip, may be your wife was afraid of retracing all the route back, thanks to Mazhar's exceptional driving skills.

[unoczar]

Originally Posted by MX6

After reaching the last point of your trip, may be your wife was afraid of retracing all the route back, thanks to Mazhar's exceptional driving skills.

Why are you so fond of him? I think you should meet him once, may be when you come towards hyd sometime.

By the way, his latest adventure... (sorry for OT deky)

Came to me and said..

Bhai, zara gaadi(bike) ki chabi deo na.
kaiku re?
zara kaam hai, abhi aatu.
kya kaam hai, mai nahi deta tereko.
bhai, passport ka form lena hai, abhi 5 min. mein aatu.
theek hai, le.

After 10 mins. dad is furious and looking for him all over.

Mazhar kaha gaya?
mujhe nahi malum.
tumhari gaadi leke gaya na...
haan? chor!

After another 10 mins, comes back panting, hands over the keys and runs away to the car. I was curious but he wouldnt say anything.

Next evening, i found out from the local bandi wala that mazhar had dropped and papers from the bike and sped away without realising. Came back from the passport counter dazed and confused and that bandi wala, took the number from his papers and called him and gave him the papers!
Amazing aint it?

[MX6]

Truly Amazing Unoczar.

And regarding my earlier post in this thread, of showing Siachen as part of Pakistan by google, Is Times of India reading this thread too?
Suddenly there seems to be a buzz!
This is headlines in TOI now.

Google 'gives' PoK to Pak again! - Internet - News - Tech - The Times of India

Let those morons know that it's the tricolour that's flying in Siachen and POK is disputed and doesn't belong to Pak.
I don't know what's stopping us from proclaiming it's a part of India.

[tsk1979]

SO Pok is under Indian control? Or pakistani control.
International corporations will show actual line of control as the borders on International sites.
On google.co.in, the official "version" of India will be shown.
But on google.com, the current state of borders which is LOC will be shown.
Many people are criticizing google for showing PoK as part of Pakistan.
Well I want to ask them is that is google showing wrong? Isn't Pakistan Occupied Kashmir actually occupied by pakistan? Or did the govt lie to us all the time, and PoK is actually under India control.

Nevertheless, if you search through the archives of news agencies, you will see similar dilemmas have come in cases of Arunachal pradesh too.

[MX6]

No wonder our government is non-committal about any of it's border issues tsk.
And Google maps are now erasing parts of the LOC as well. Our Netas are busy bidding for cricket teams.

[deky]

Thats the crux of the whole problem. One of the areas that was not properly demarcared by the 1972 Shimla agreement was the Siachin Glacier. No one at that time thought that this cold place would be of interest to anyone.

Later Pak started sending/ giving access to this region to its mountianeers claiming it to be part of its own territory. India in 1984 then completely took control of the whole Glacier by launching an offensive and making the Pakistanis retreat. Later there were lots of Paki advances to get back the control but they were made to retreat.

The LOC itself is pretty elastic for e.g there are some villages just after Kargil which had a Pak address in between 1968-1971 also Turtuk village till 1968 had a Pak postal address.

As for what Google is showing, well till they show complete Siachin i.e East of Saltoro Ridge including the 3 high passes within India and the glacial valley west of Saltoro ridge in POK and also proper LOC with Pak and LAC with China and mentioning that they are LAC & LOC in bold, then its ok.

Regards

[highwaypatrol]

This is one of the best travel journal i have ever read on internet. I really appreciate the way you have narrated all the incidents / happenings through out your journey. Its a real motivation for any one who is craving for doing a long trip especially to the toughest terrains any where in India. Special congrats to your family for the great support and courage for undertaking this long trip.

Drive safe and smooth.

XX peaceXX