Srinagar- Jammu- Amritsar

My yesterday's day consisted of the journey from Srinagar to Amritsar, with a stopover in Jammu.

The alarm clock rings at 6 in the morning and the excitement is high. Feels like training camp... Too early and freezing cold. At 6:30, there is breakfast, but I didn't eat much. At 7, my driver from the previous day arrives, who takes me to the bus station and shows me where I need to go.

We go to Jammu in a jeep, which is fully occupied. The luggage is strapped to the roof and it's quite cramped in the wonderful vehicle that is supposed to take us through the Himalayas.

The route is beautiful. A magical mountain pass that is about twice the length of the direct distance to Jammu. In the morning, it's almost freezing in the car, but by noon, you can take off your sweater. With two short breaks, a pretty long traffic jam, and a sore butt, I arrive in Jammu after dark.

The driver quickly sends me on a crowded bus that takes me to the bus station. After some searching, I finally find the booth where I can buy my bus ticket. Waiting for 3 1/2 hours until departure is a bit long, but I kill an hour until I decide to buy some dinner and a drink for the journey. Then I chat with one of the workers from the travel agency. The bus arrives on time and with the help of the worker, there are no problems with the seat. He just tells me: "No matter what anyone tells you, don't get up from your seat!". Done. Next to me is a young Indian who kindly shares his hotspot. After everyone has their seat, or not, we leave half an hour late.

The journey goes smoothly, without any problems. However, the bus driver decides not to arrive at the regular bus station, but 1 1/2 km away, under a highway bridge. Luckily, my seat neighbor is also going to the Amritsar bus station, so we take a walk there together. My hostel is right next to the bus station.

When we arrive there, it is closed. And without his help, I would not have been able to get into the hostel at 4 am and would certainly not have had a place to sleep. But because he called ahead, the door was opened for us and I got a bed through early check-in. However, this wouldn't have worked without him, as the receptionist doesn't speak English :/

Anyway, I have a place to sleep in Amritsar and will stay there for the next two days.