Amritsar To Katra | 350 km

Woke up at 6.30 am. finished morning deeds and ordered breakfast Aloo paratha, Bread butter & Tea. Until, organized all the luggage. after breakfast wore riding gear took all this luggage and leave. at door I just turn to look back is there anything left, in that my tripod bag touch to the glass on table and its fall and broke. I lock the door and came to reception. Owner & manager they both are there. owner greet me morning. then manager is settling the bill, I told him about broken glass. His expression is like, want to argue but controlling in front of owner. He told to bell boy to check & ask owner about breakfast and broken glass. he said its ok, don’t charged. I looked at oldie he is smiling. he is really great host. then manager finalized the bill, I paid it up and leave. looked at sky, it was cloudy. so I attach liner to jacket & put cover of saddle bag & sack. set map on mobile and started ride about at 7.45 am. My today’s plan was reach up to Katra, base of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi. I am not in hurry because I kept buffer day of tomorrow for Vaishno Devi darshan. My route was Batala-Gurudaspur-Pathankot-Jammu-Katra.

Nearby Gurudaspur started drizzling its continued up to one & half hour. road was superb but I’m riding cautiously in rain after Pathankot roads get little narrower. As I enter in J&K my prepaid connection was stop working. I know that, that’s why I backed Mtnl postpaid card for this journey. promptly exchange it….. tadhaaa!!!! Welcome to J&K

About at 01.15 pm nearby Jammu. miss bypass & went little ahead on Akhnoor road. realized that when road gone more narrow and no sign board of Udhampur or Katra. then ask one of shopkeeper and return on Udhampur highway. About 30 km later leave Udhampur highway and turn left on Katra road. now bumpy road start, somehow cross that stretch and reach katra at about 2.30 pm. on the way I’m looking for some hotels, suddenly saw Vaishno Devi Sansthan accommodation (Vaishno Devi Spiritual Growth Center) and went there to inquired. It has huge parking but totally empty it means no crowed. at reception there are some young chaps they adore me when they come to know that I am riding from Mumbai. They are friendly and helpful. dorms are totally empty and rooms also available. They recommend me dorm because of cheap rate and low crowed. Its only 250 INR for a day. so I decided to go with dorm. Went with one of them at first floor. he unlock dormitory, its about 20 bed dorm. I choose first bed and settled. ask him about lockers, he said if you have your own padlock then use lockers at bathroom area nor keep at reception. I don’t have any, I only have tiny zip locks. So decided to keep at reception. After refresh went to reception to keep luggage and ask him for good place for lunch. He walk with me up to the road to show me direction of Vashnov devi sansthan Bhojanaly. I thanked him and went on motorcycle. Its just 1 km away near bus stand. I ordered rajma chawal & poori chana after that return to dorm.

Its 4 o’clock, dorm are still vacate. now my plan was rest & went for darshan at early morning so that I can get enough time, if there are rush in Bhawan. I read that its took 12-16 hrs to complete the trek and darshan, its depend on rush. want to return early from trek tomorrow, then I can get ample time to recharge myself for day after tomorrow ride. I went to reception and took cloths and toiletries for tomorrow. about 5 o’clock one couple & big family came. Couple went after some time and never come back. Now I am trying to sleep, the big family is little noisy but when they saw I am trying to sleep they talking silently. at about 6.30 pm fall a sleep.

That’s all folks……