I woke up the next morning in the hovel. I can't remember but I think that the "facilities" were almost non existent. If I recall it correctly there was a latrine affair a short walk away from the hovel which involved going up some wooden steps into an elevated wooden cubicle with a hole in the floor through which you did your business. This simply fell the few feet you had climbed and must have been in a heap underneath the platform. I don't mind roughing it, I don't, honest. I do mind paying 850 rupees to rough it. I am not a masochist.
There was no sign of the driver. I don't recall having much by way of breakfast and I decided to set off down towards Pahalgam on foot. It was quite a pleasant walk along the road despite the light rain and the fact it was quite chilly. When I got to Pahalgam it was pretty much closed. The jktourism.org website says that it is Kashmir's premier resort but, like I said, everything seemed to be closed. Perhaps there was another strike or perhaps at this end of the "season" there was no point in being open.
Somehow or other the driver found me and I hopped back into the car and we headed back to Srinagar. I noticed the car had only a quarter of a tank of petrol. Not much of it was used as the driver coasted and freewheeled most of the way down. I don't know what time I got back to the houseboat but it must have been quite close to curfew. Shortly after my arrival Bashir turned up with two Australian's that he had somehow managed to capture. I was no longer the sole occupant of the houseboat.
That trip up to Aru and back was pointless and expensive (in relative terms). It didn't do much to help me warm to my host and I was going down with a cold too.
