Day 121 - July 7 - Still in Srinagar!

July07 at EveryTrail

Map created by EveryTrail: GPS Trip Sharing with Google Maps

Gave into the temptation of staying here for one more day. It turned out to be good. Even after the previous service at Dehradun the bike was giving a sick feeling mainly around the chain. But thought it was ok as the chain sprocket set was changed just 6k kms back. But wanted to check it any way. Then went into the Srinagar city in search of Herohonda show room. Just out of the Bualeward road, the city is dusty crowded busy hectic. And its a huge city as well! It takes me like 45 mins to travel 8 KMs to find the BSNL Telephone exchange. There was massive security and frisking to enter into a telephone office. Well no luck at getting a local sim any time soon. Was some more hard work to find the HH showroom. But the service wing is another 45 mins away it seems. I give up. Just buy a Engine oil can and trace back my way to a place where i had see a small HH workshop. Private ones. A 8-9 year old kid got into the act of adjusting the chain. Though i dont support child labor, should have seen him go! In no time he diagnosed Chain sprocket set is a dud and the sprocket rubber is gone as well. I dont believe it and asked a senior mech to check it out. The kid was right, the chain was gone. Even when tightened, the hugged the sprocket pretty loose. The Front sprocket teeth were bent to one side! Guess the Muktinath offroading took a toll. Any way good that it got noticed and i instruct to change the set, rubber and break shoes. The kid went into hyper mode in removing the wheel and the sprocket assemble all by himself! Just needing help on things which requires brute force. Mechanical whizz kid may be.

Any way got that done and back to the room by lunch time. Staying back helped big time. Had lunch and again some fight with the stupid Tataindicom connection for the log update which took me till almost evening. All my free time is going this way.

Having learnt the lesson the previous day, wanted a proper shikara ride today. So went by 7.30 and said i want the boat to be in the open areas and one hour is enough. Did not listen to their suggestions. This worked pretty well. It was a very pleasant shikara ride for the hour and nice timing as well. Back by 8.30 pm when it just getting dark and dinner time. Can i get to sleep early? No thanks to tata indicom, i have to fight again with the laptop :(

The non Lake part of Srinagar


A big mosque...


The city buses around here.. many of them have grills!!


The Mechanical whiz kid!!


My bike being worked on...


My bike and the Dal lake...


Another Shikara ride today evening.. Its 7.30 pm when i started...


Yasir the boatman...


Some more lake pix..




Desi speedboats prowl too...


Some party boats...


Tea, Pakoda, Shikara and Dal lake ;)


It was great sail, wish i was drunk :D


The GULFAAM house boat from the old famous TV serial Gul, Gulshan Gulfaam!!


Guess what i found, 4 10 Rupee coins!! And it has 2008 written on it. Made of two metals! Its already in circulation in kashmir but still elusive else where in the country...