Day 2 : Ludhiana - Amritsar - Jammu

Day 2 : Events (Aug 16)

• Started from Ludhiana by around 9 am
• Got into Amritsar to visit Golden Temple and touch up on Wagah Border
• Got boiled up with traffic and heat while reaching Golden Temple
• Visited Golden temple in 2 batches (each batch would guard the bikes and luggage in turn) and started the journey again at around 3-4pm (skipped Wagah border visit)
• Reached Pathankot and enquired about the direct road to Udhampur
• Changed plan, and instead of Udhampur, started towards Jammu city which was 70 km away
• Rode through mountains to reach Jammu.
• Took a right turn from Jammu chowk toward Srinagar
• Then followed a guy through twists and turns to reach an area with few budget hotels
• Found one for 1200 per room.
• Had good food (chicken, jeera rice, egg curry, and roti)
• Me, Naren, and Murali shared a room.

Route:

Ludhiana - Jalandhar - Amritsar - Pathankot - Jammu

Road condition:

Till Pathankot, it's again Punjab highways, so I maintained a good speed. From Jalandhar to Amritsar is a single-lane high traffic, high-risk overtaking route. So had to be alert and careful all the time. Just before reaching Pathankot, the highway gets narrow briefly and the number of trucks increases causing slow-moving traffic and occasional jams. Again after Pathankot, roads are decent till Jammu. So not many problems there.

Climate/Weather:

Punjab was hot and humid, but good cruising speeds on highways, more than compensates for the same. As one crosses Pathankot, the cold breeze can be felt and the surroundings get cooler (than Punjab).

Fuel Stops:

Ludhiana : 

Rs 740 / 72.00 pl = 10.3 Ltrs

Filled at a bunk while leaving Ludhiana.

Entrance to Lovely University, near Jalandhar

Pointers on the way guiding towards Amritsar.

Murali rolled past my parked bike.

MG waves off as he overtakes.

Sameer stops to pose for a shot.

Kept the shoes in counter# 7, which had less crowd

After bearing through the hot and humid weather in Punjab since our arrival, I just loved standing in the cold water spots before the stairs.

We were parted with few members amid the chaotic traffic and bad roads.

It was a refreshing site for me and provided a good breather for Pegasus too.

Getting my mobile charger wiring fixed in Punjab. The crowd around gathered out of curiosity to meet us and see the bikes.

There was a narrow road and a trail of trucks, just before reaching Pathankot.

The first sight of mountains after riding for 500 km.

Punjab to Jammu route that we took.

Night Halt:

Place                : Jammu-Srinagar Highway

Accommodation : Some hotel

Cost per room    : Rs 1200

Room Capacity   : 2 + 1 additional mattress

Other Details     :

- Bikes parked at the entrance of the hotel with the guard keeping an eye

- Food (dinner/breakfast) charges were separate

- Food quality and taste were great, but expensive

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Day 3 : Jammu - Srinagar

Day 3 : Events (Aug 17)

• Rode from Jammu towards Srinagar
• Crossing some challenging ghat roads in really dangerous conditions and sharing the road with trucks, buses, and few cars.
• Was wondering how my friends traveling by bus must be feeling going through this route, where I struggled to ride a motorcycle through.
• While struggling through the tough terrain and damaged roads, the first feel of Kashmir appears when I reached Banihal. Rivers, greenery, and a beautiful valley with people dressed in traditional attires.
• Keep on going straight and I got closer to Srinagar, but the road got worse with every mile
• The last 50 or so kilometers to Srinagar were the worst till now, due to roads under construction and tons (and tons and tons) of dust blown by the vehicles going in the front.
• Due to a half-face helmet and unusable visor, I had a tough time making it to Srinagar
• Finally reached Srinagar at around 10 pm
• Stayed in a hotel near Batwara Chowk after crossing many Indian Army setups.

Route:

Ludhiana - Jalandhar - Amritsar - Pathankot - Jammu

Road condition:

Till Pathankot, it's again Punjab highways, so I maintained a good speed. From Jalandhar to Amritsar is a single-lane high traffic, high-risk overtaking route. So had to be alert and careful all the time. Just before reaching Pathankot, the highway gets narrow briefly and the number of trucks increases causing slow-moving traffic and occasional jams. Again after Pathankot, roads are decent till Jammu. So not many problems there.

Climate/Weather:

Punjab was hot and humid, but good cruising speeds on highways, more than compensates for the same. As one crosses Pathankot, the cold breeze can be felt and the surroundings get cooler (than Punjab).

Fuel Stops:

Somewhere between Jammu and Patnitop: 

Rs 599 / 82.04 pl = 7.3 Ltrs

An Epic-Selfie attempt (pun intended!) during breakfast near Jammu.

Excellent roads from Jammu towards Srinagar. Alas, they only lasted for 20-30 km.

On the first look at this stretch, I thought, going ahead may be this is how the dangerous mountain roads would look like. Well, I was so wrong. Now looking back, this very stretch would be the last thing I would recall as dangerous or even remotely risky.

One of the numerous bridges connects the mountain roads.

Getting tire pressure checked. Wasn't very sure if I would get to find a garage ahead for this.

The line/road in the background is where I just came through.

This is what valleys look like. River just adds to the beauty.

Entering Banihal.

Jenab, ye hai river 'Chenab' :)

Inside Jawahar Tunnel, the length was close to 3 km. I enjoyed every moment while riding through this tunnel. However, it was very noisy when a train (I guess) passed over it when I was near the exit. Also, it may appear to be a bit spooky, if you are riding through it alone.

For some reasons important to me, arriving in this city for the first time on a motorcycle marks a day in my biography for sure.

Night Halt:

Place                : Batwara Chowk, Srinagar

Accommodation : Modern Residency

Cost per room    : Rs 

Room Capacity   : 4 + 2 additional mattress

Other Details     :

- Bikes parked at the entrance of the hotel with the guard keeping an eye

- Food (dinner/breakfast) charges were separate

- Food quality and taste were great, but expensive

View the Main Post for this ride