Day 1 (Delhi-Jammu-Katra)

Okay, glad to have you back here. Reporting from Katra (sometimes pronounced as ‘Katda’), a scenic hill station in the foothills of the Himalayas, about 50 km from Jammu.  Although today was mostly spent in travel (actually for me, it was ONLY spent in travel), it was still an eventful and fun-filled day. Today kicked off with a late start, having slept late yesterday. Had a proper breakfast and then Dad went to the bank for some work. After he came back we all had lunch and started off from the guest house to catch our flight. After a few hiccoughs on the way (Dad had forgotten his shoes and we had to go back, wading through a traffic jam), we reached the newly renovated Terminal 1. Although not as impressive as T3, it was still pretty good and deserves appreciation.  Our flight was three quarters of an hour late, so we spent the time reading books and idling around. The flight was pretty boring, partly because the sandwich + coke   price had increased to Rs.150 and also there were no mountains to be seen from the flight. Apparently Jammu is on a plain (which is totally not acceptable since Jammu is in Jammu & Kashmir, and Jammu & Kashmir is supposed to be made of mountains.. L ) Also the Jammu airport proudly said that Jammu was the City of Temples, while I am sure that only Bhubaneswar is supposed to be called the City Of Temples! Copyright violation!! The drive to Katra (not a short one) lasted for an hour and a half and was unexpectedly beautiful. The mountains slowly appeared and the evening made them look even more enchanting.  A cool breeze blew all through and since the river was right beside us along, it made the drive even more scenic. We checked into our rooms in the hotel and then wandered about the surrounding lawns and swimming pool. The view from here is magnificent. We had a few snacks too. Returned to our rooms, had a quick bath and then headed down again for dinner. It was a quiet affair. Since we have a long day tomorrow, and have to wake up early too, I guess I’ll stop here. Tomorrow’s gonna be really exciting. Make sure you turn up. Keep reading.. Cheers!