the road tracklog 
from Bikaner to Amritsar
from 01/05 to 02/05/2007 

The 01/05 was the first driving day towards Kashmir. I passed brutally from the Thar Desert in the west of Rajasthan to plains and orchards of the rich area of Punjab, State of the five rivers, tributaries of Indus from which only two are in India. I stopped around 19:00 on the carpark of a dhaba, restaurant for truck drivers.

Thar desert 
en route 
the 01/05/2007 

Orchards of Punjab 
en route 
the 01/05/2007 

the road tracklog 
from Amritsar to Srinagar 
from 02/05 to 03/05/2007 

The 02/05, I begun again my progression on road NH15 up to Pathankot where I tried to find a cybercafé. Downtown I stopped in front of a mobile Nokia store where I got information. The manager reflects one moment and indicated me the terminal of one of his employees while saying to me, you can send your emails; it is also that India. After Pathankot in the valley of Kashmir I was taken in a violent storm with hail. The road up to Jammu is a toll road. Actually it is a highway in becoming,      in many years. The soldier at the Toll Gate who dealt with me was very courteous and gave me addresses to stay in Srinagar. I arrived at the night falling at Jammu. The truck which preceded me on the bypass forked on the left towards an immense parking for trucks. In fact it was a waste ground where more than one hundred of trucks to Srinagar stationed, sensitive nose to abstain from. Despite everything I spent the night there.

the future highway
en route to Jammu 
le 02/05/2007 

The 03/05 I left the truck carpark to Srinagar by the NH1A. It is a sometimes narrow mountain road whose surface quality was very variable, from acceptable to very bad. It crosses two passes at more than 2,000 meters high and at 80 kilometres approximately before Srinagar it crosses through the Jawahar tunnel. Landscape were dramatic. The traffic of trucks in the two directions was very intense with military vehicle convoys. All along this road the military presence was very visible by cantonments and soldiers patrolling. I drove the 300 kilometres in nine hours deduced stops. I arrived in Srinagar about 6 pm; I got information near a army checkpoint for a place of bivouac. The officer advised me to station close to the checkpoint on the road opposite a Bharat petrol station. Srinagar is located at 1768 meters high. The temperature was very pleasant approximately 27°C.

The morning of the 04/05 the chief of the army checkpoint prevented me that he took me at 08:30 to the carpark of Tourism Reception Centre. That is thus preceded by an armoured vehicle that I went to install me on this carpark at less than two kilometres! At 09:00 I registered on the book of the Tourist Office. Then with the JKTDC van. I went to do shopping in two mini-markets. Indeed the 04 and the 05/05 were days on strike, all the shops being closed. At the end of the morning I did my daily visit at a cybercafé closed the 05 due to strike and the 06 holiday. I was thus to find another cybercafé. After having lunch I decided to see the two main Mughal Gardens, Nishat Bagh and Shalimar Bagh. Alas they were closed on Friday. While returning I strolled by bicycle on the Boulevard, esplanade along the Lake Dal. Of return to my truck I became acquainted with a businessman who offered me the tea and made me meet one of his friends, owner of a car technical-control workshop and salesman of tires. Both invited me to dine the following day. I proposed to them to visit my camper with a demonstration of the system of navigation.

Dal Lake 
Srinagar 
le 04/05/2007 

In spite of the closing of all the shops for strike, I decided to visit the old city and its various mosques. It is located on each side of the Jhelam River from the Zero Bridge to Safa Kadal of which the oldest are out of wood. The houses are out of wood and brick. Among the visited mosques those which particularly held my attention were Shah Hamdam Mosque, for its timber structure, and Jamia Masjid for its pillars in cedar of the Himalayas. I finished my visit while strolling on the Boulevard very animated in the end of the afternoon. The evening I was invited to dine by the two Kashmiri businessmen met the day before. It was a very interesting pleasant evening.

Old Zaina Kadal 
Srinagar 
the 05/05/2007 

Shah Hamadam mosque 
Srinagar 
the 05/05/2007 

In the late of the morning 06/05, I received my Kashmiris friends to make them visit my truck and to expose to them the embarked technology. They invited me to spend the afternoon with them; I declined the invitation having projected to see the Mughal gardens. Shalimar Bagh created in 1613 is organized around a central channel with marble houses. Nishat Bagh dates back to 1634 with also a shaded central channel by plane trees. In this sunny Sunday Kashmiris were numerous to walk there.

Shalimar Bagh 
Srinagar 
the 06/05/2007 

Nishat Bagh 
Srinagar 
the 06/05/2007 

The 07/05 was one day devoted to prepare my departure to Ladakh, to fill up the truck, with diesel and water, and to check the various levels, oils, water, tires. I made complements of provisioning and I went to inform the Tourism Reception Centre of my trip. Finally I published the update of my Internet website and I took note of the results of the presidential election of France.