While in the north of India I almost (stupidly) headed into prime Jihad territory. I was planning on heading to Srinigar in the Kashmir region and I had heard from other travelers that it was nice and what not, but then I got myself some news via the ol' internet and found out otherwise. The most damning report goes as follows:
Britain's Telegraph reported-
[Indian officials] alleged 60 Taliban fighters captured in the Pakistan army's offensive to re-assert government rule in the Swat Valley earlier this year had accepted the deal and were now waiting with an estimated 300 jihadi fighters to cross into Kashmir.
Indian officials are now braced for a series of incursions and border battles in the next two to three weeks as the militants make their move.
Officials said the militants were offered a "jail or jihad" choice by senior officers of Pakistan's ISI intelligence service and that the plot had been discovered in a series of intercepted telephone conversations.
In addition, I found articles describing among other things a grenade getting thrown at a police vehicle in Srinigar last week and a bus getting attacked at a military police checkpoint on the road I was ultimately going to travel down.In a nearby town, which I had zeroed in on while breezing through my travel book is now a terrorist hot bed with lots of insurgents. Sounds like a nice place, huh? I was literally two hours from getting on the bus to Srinigar when I found out the news. So I was stupid and lucky. I got a refund for my ticket and then caught a bus going south and I am now in Delhi. Yesterday I spent 18 out of 24 hours on a bus! And the bus ride to Delhi is kinda a funny story too.
Normally, on a sleeper bus you have your own berth. You get a narrow little bed and it has a window and a little ladder down to the seats below. Well, last night I had a "double" sleeper berth which is maybe a little bit wider than a single and is in no way cheaper. "Double" means I shared it with a Sikh man for 12 hours. We were literally spooning at one point in the night. Most of the time we just laid there ass to ass like some human lovebugs. It was not enjoyable.
However, I am now in Delhi which is a big, nasty city. I will probably be here for about a week or so and then head back north to Dharamsala and some other mountain communities (although far, far away from Pakistan). The Dalai Lama will be delivering some teachings and lectures from his home abode in the Himalayan foothills and I hope to get my enlightenment on with his spiritual nurturing. Plus, it is a lot cooler, less noisy, less trashy, and all around more enjoyable up there than down here in Dirty Delhi. All is well and I actually have to meet someone this week about a real job opportunity in India. That will be quite the change of pace for my unemployed ass!
Britain's Telegraph reported-
[Indian officials] alleged 60 Taliban fighters captured in the Pakistan army's offensive to re-assert government rule in the Swat Valley earlier this year had accepted the deal and were now waiting with an estimated 300 jihadi fighters to cross into Kashmir.
Indian officials are now braced for a series of incursions and border battles in the next two to three weeks as the militants make their move.
Officials said the militants were offered a "jail or jihad" choice by senior officers of Pakistan's ISI intelligence service and that the plot had been discovered in a series of intercepted telephone conversations.
In addition, I found articles describing among other things a grenade getting thrown at a police vehicle in Srinigar last week and a bus getting attacked at a military police checkpoint on the road I was ultimately going to travel down.In a nearby town, which I had zeroed in on while breezing through my travel book is now a terrorist hot bed with lots of insurgents. Sounds like a nice place, huh? I was literally two hours from getting on the bus to Srinigar when I found out the news. So I was stupid and lucky. I got a refund for my ticket and then caught a bus going south and I am now in Delhi. Yesterday I spent 18 out of 24 hours on a bus! And the bus ride to Delhi is kinda a funny story too.
Normally, on a sleeper bus you have your own berth. You get a narrow little bed and it has a window and a little ladder down to the seats below. Well, last night I had a "double" sleeper berth which is maybe a little bit wider than a single and is in no way cheaper. "Double" means I shared it with a Sikh man for 12 hours. We were literally spooning at one point in the night. Most of the time we just laid there ass to ass like some human lovebugs. It was not enjoyable.
However, I am now in Delhi which is a big, nasty city. I will probably be here for about a week or so and then head back north to Dharamsala and some other mountain communities (although far, far away from Pakistan). The Dalai Lama will be delivering some teachings and lectures from his home abode in the Himalayan foothills and I hope to get my enlightenment on with his spiritual nurturing. Plus, it is a lot cooler, less noisy, less trashy, and all around more enjoyable up there than down here in Dirty Delhi. All is well and I actually have to meet someone this week about a real job opportunity in India. That will be quite the change of pace for my unemployed ass!
watch your situational awareness. Got caught up on all your recent posts. Camel cowboy uh. Looks like fun. Used hobbles on pack horses many times myself in the mountains. Hope your luck holds given the rat temple. I saw this quote the other day and thought of ya.
ReplyDelete"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page." - St. Augustine
Travel safe.