I stood before a man who seemingly relished his authority over me, a stroke of his pen would dictate my travel plans from that day forward. I was in the disorderly Delhi visa office waiting on a new exit stamp, me and 200 other people that is. The icing on the cake of losing a passport here is replacing your Indian Visa, all done is classic, chaotic Indian style.
The man's decision was still a mystery but my reactions to the outcome were as clear as day. Kick me out now and I'm Bangkok bound to sip Chang and swing in hammocks. Let me stay for another month and I'll end my trip off like I planned to from the on set; with a thrilling road trip to Leh via some of the most mesmerising, scenic, and highest mountain roads on earth.
"You must leave in 2 weeks, this is the longest I can give you".
Thailand it was I thought!
"But I don't want to leave yet, I still have 35 days on the original Visa that I lost" I replied.
"I usually only give people 3 days" he said.
It seemed even diplomatic decisions are able to be bargained down in this country because I got my July 1st exit date, and with that came a bit of anxiety because I knew I had a lot of planning to do. Next stop was the train station to start booking tickets North towards the Jammu/Kashmir region. This is the only thing I knew I had to do, the rest of the steps and formalities of getting to Leh via Srinagar were still a bit of a mystery. For instance, apparently once arriving in Jammu at 3am all you need to do is wave rupees in the air and someone will take you to Srinagar, 8 hours away by jeep. Sounds a bit complicated, but time and time again I've learned that somehow everything works out in India, all you need is a bit of patience and bargaining skills.
A road journey to Leh was always in the back of my mind as the perfect way to end off this trip. I wouldn't have bothered going in the easy way via plane - too quick and not scenic enough for me. So that meant waiting until the government carved out the summer highway route through meters of snow and rubble, which just so happened to be about a month ago.
From what I've read, few road trips offer such a magnificent journey coupled with an even more magnificent destination as the Srinagar-Kargil-Leh Highway. Buddhist Leh sitting 3500m above sea level is a top destination in its own right, but from there even more thrilling jeep rides take you through even higher mountain passes, visiting turquoise blue lakes and ancient monasteries along the way.
But I'm getting a bit ahead of myself here again (and starting to sound like a bit of a travel agent), because two more destinations lie in between me and this road trip -Amritsar and Srinagar. I already know what to expect in Amritsar, sweltering heat and a golden temple. Srinagar is a bit of a mystery still, but even mention the name to an Indian and their eyes light up.
"Heaven on Earth" they say.
Not a bad review of a place is it?
The man's decision was still a mystery but my reactions to the outcome were as clear as day. Kick me out now and I'm Bangkok bound to sip Chang and swing in hammocks. Let me stay for another month and I'll end my trip off like I planned to from the on set; with a thrilling road trip to Leh via some of the most mesmerising, scenic, and highest mountain roads on earth.
"You must leave in 2 weeks, this is the longest I can give you".
Thailand it was I thought!
"But I don't want to leave yet, I still have 35 days on the original Visa that I lost" I replied.
"I usually only give people 3 days" he said.
It seemed even diplomatic decisions are able to be bargained down in this country because I got my July 1st exit date, and with that came a bit of anxiety because I knew I had a lot of planning to do. Next stop was the train station to start booking tickets North towards the Jammu/Kashmir region. This is the only thing I knew I had to do, the rest of the steps and formalities of getting to Leh via Srinagar were still a bit of a mystery. For instance, apparently once arriving in Jammu at 3am all you need to do is wave rupees in the air and someone will take you to Srinagar, 8 hours away by jeep. Sounds a bit complicated, but time and time again I've learned that somehow everything works out in India, all you need is a bit of patience and bargaining skills.
A road journey to Leh was always in the back of my mind as the perfect way to end off this trip. I wouldn't have bothered going in the easy way via plane - too quick and not scenic enough for me. So that meant waiting until the government carved out the summer highway route through meters of snow and rubble, which just so happened to be about a month ago.
From what I've read, few road trips offer such a magnificent journey coupled with an even more magnificent destination as the Srinagar-Kargil-Leh Highway. Buddhist Leh sitting 3500m above sea level is a top destination in its own right, but from there even more thrilling jeep rides take you through even higher mountain passes, visiting turquoise blue lakes and ancient monasteries along the way.
But I'm getting a bit ahead of myself here again (and starting to sound like a bit of a travel agent), because two more destinations lie in between me and this road trip -Amritsar and Srinagar. I already know what to expect in Amritsar, sweltering heat and a golden temple. Srinagar is a bit of a mystery still, but even mention the name to an Indian and their eyes light up.
"Heaven on Earth" they say.
Not a bad review of a place is it?
didn't tell us how you got the extra days though..
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