I then headed off to the Nepalese Embassy where I was pleased to find that despite my nationality and the vicarious liability for the oppressive behaviour of my colonial forbears, I was welcome to visit Nepal. My visa was granted.
My next stop was the Government of India Tourist Office. I had started to have some misgivings about traveling to Kashmir. There was trouble up there too. I had already made my reservation on the train up to Jammu but I thought that I would stop in at the Government Tourist Office and make some further enquiries before I made any other plans. If you look closely at the scan I made of the page in my passport in my first posting about India my visa did not allow me to enter any restricted areas. With news of unrest in Kashmir I thought I would make sure that Kashmir had not been categorised as a restricted area.
I seem to remember that nearby (possibly outside) the said office there was a very large electronic counter showing the speed at which the Indian population was growing. It was phenomenal watching the number tick up faster that 1 new member of the population every second.
I went into the office, queued and after a short while I found myself standing in front of man in a turban. I told him that I planned to visit Kashmir. He said nothing. I said I had heard that there was trouble up there. He looked at me impassively. I went on to ask whether there was any official prohibition on traveling to Kashmir. He still didn't say anything. I asked him if it was safe to travel to Kashmir. His head wobbled slightly in a strange way. I was not entirely sure what this head movement signified. Did he mean that it was safe to go there? Again the wobble, not a very pronounced head movement but perceptible. Did he mean that it was not safe to go there? Again, answer came there none save for the wobble. All the while this Sikh government official held a very pleasant facial expression. I had to say that I wasn't entirely sure that I was clear about whether it was safe to go or not. Nothing. OK then, if he was me would he go to Kashmir? Head wobble, pleasant smile. I think I must have been there about 5 minutes and it became clear that the man was not going to say anything at all and was likely simply to greet every enquiry with a pleasant smile and a head wobble.
I had read about this and Rudiger had mentioned it when I was in Eastern Turkey. It was frustrating to experience it but at the same time the man was extremely pleasant in the way he dealt with me. He didn't actually say a word to me or answer any of my questions in any useful way but somehow it didn't matter. The only lasting feeling that I have about the encounter is one of amusement. Even now I am smiling as I am typing.
I wouldn't want to ascribe any stereotypical qualities to the Indian persona but the head wobble is very peculiarly Indian. It extremely expressive but unfortunately at the same time incomprehensible. It might mean "yes", it might mean "no". It might mean "I don't know", it might mean "I don't understand what you are saying". It is nearly always accompanied by a very pleasant smile and a sort of "I know something but I couldn't possibly tell" coy or smug look. Other people might have found it unbearable but all I ever felt when I encountered it was the desire to laugh. More often than not the wobble is accompanied by the utterance of the all purpose word "Acha!" which is the verbal equivalent of the head wobble.
So I was no further forward in discovering whether it was wise to head North. There was nothing for it but to go up there and find out for myself. I left the office. In the time I had been there thousands more Indians had been born.
Next stop was Great Adventure Travels where I booked myself a week on a Houseboat on Dal lake, Srinigar. I couldn't get any useful information at this travel agency either. I paid up front and as I recall it it was about £5 per night all in. While I was there I booked an afternoon sightseeing tour. Then I went back to Paharganj and splashed out on 2 shirts for Rs50.
The tour took in the Red Fort and an exhibition of the life of Nehru and the monuments to Nehru and Ghandi. i cannot recollect a single thing about it nor a single interesting fact that the guide must have imparted. Sorry.
My first spell in Delhi was coming to a close. After the clearly quite forgettable sight seeing tour I must have gone back to the Metropolis where I met the chap called Dikkan again had some tea and then ate (for Rs14). Having achieved all the goals I'd set myself for the first couple of days and having nourished myself I set off for Old Delhi Railway Station to get the train to Jammu.
