SXR-DEL & MR. HASSAN

The skies were neutral and the driver calm; I had time to reflect while I studied the streetscapes of Srinagar. This trip to the airport relaxed me. I had been along this route four times and it was becoming familiar. There was the Zero Bridge, the playing field, the university. There were the barracks. There was a sudden stop, a hitchhiker - Mr. Hassan.

Mr. Hassan of the Tourist Police was my first friend at Srinagar (SXR). He and three others, plus a driver and I, had taxied in from the airport to the Tourist Reception Center (TRC) in town after my inbound flight. At the airport there had been the press of baggage claim, plus tourist registration, and in my case the bonus of a lost luggage report. After that, new arrivals are pinched over by touts for houseboats, houseboats, houseboats and taxis. And as you leave the airport: Mr. Hassan - da mang who makes sure you get where you are going or to the TRC all in one piece.
Photo credit: MHIP