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| Keran Resort - at the Brink of the Geopolitical Fault Line |
Day
14: Sunday, August 31, 2014
We Needed a ‘Break’ in
Vacations!
Last evening we reached Keran Resort and booked a room for three nights.
After living in tough conditions for two weeks the time had finally come to
change gears to the relaxation mode and Keran was the right place to do that.
Relaxing at the Edge
Located at the river bank, and easily approachable from Muzaffarabad
through a metalled road, Keran is a peaceful and laidback place perfect for a
leisurely holiday – but with a twist. That part of the free flowing River
Neelum is Kashmir’s version of Berlin Wall, or the Line of Control in the local
context. On the opposite side of the watercourse,
right in front, lies the Indian Occupied Kashmir at a stone’s throw away. The
heavy presence of the two most antagonistic armies, both of which do not think
before exchanging heavy artillery fires, could not be a good omen for a laidback
picnic. However, thankfully, there has been peace in this ‘sector’ of the LoC
for last few years benefiting both holiday seekers and locals.
Keran Resort – Highly
Recommended Even for Most Picky of the Tourists!
Managed by a local tourism outfit, Valley Trekkers, Keran Resort is the
most sought after lodging facility in the area. We also found that pretty
livable with well maintained building, good range of facilities, spacious and
adequately furnished rooms, hospitable staff, and aesthetic location. The backyard
fruit orchard at the riverside needs special mention; apple laden trees, lush
green scenery, and a tranquil ambiance makes the whole experience quite
pleasurable. In short, I would highly recommend the place. The best would be to
go there in the off season, avoiding the months of June and July mainly because
of the high demand. From my personal point of view the only missing element was
the lack of authenticity as the arena was fenced and out of bound for locals.
Still then I made up for that by inviting inside and joining a bunch of cricket
playing local teens!
For the rest of the day we did nothing special except for lounging out,
fruit picking, and eating chicken karhai
while the kids found enough place to run and chase around resort’s pets.
Because of the weekend there were quite a few tourists, highest number of
visitors we saw during the trip, however, the resort was far from being full.
Most of the groups we interacted with had no plans to go further and were there
for a 2-3 days break. The young Lahori bunch of friends was complaining about
the low ground clearance of their car – Vitz. But they were enthusiastic about
attending Imran Khan’s dharan on the
way back.
Back to the Real Ugly World
That was the first time after so many days that we had access to the
television, which was hysterically showing the political developments in Islamabad.
Like everyone else, we also glued to the idiot box and kept doing that for the
whole night. It was absolutely mayhem on the streets as the protestors started
marching towards the red zone while the security forces had been firing live
rounds to bar them from doing so. We wish we could go back to Taobat where
there was no TV!
Day
15: Monday, September 1, 2014
For most of the previous day, or in fact all, we confined in the
resort’s premises to chill and relax. To break the monotony, we ventured out firs
thing in the morning. Outside, there was nothing much to do, or maybe we got
enough of the trekking and hiking, except for a small rip-off dhaba where we had breakfast before
returning back. Adjacent to the Keran Resort, there was another guesthouse maintained
by the government which we found worth exploring. It looked in good shape with
a lush garden in the center and a playing are with swings which kept kids’
interest alive in the trip.
The Fault Line; But Whose Fault
Was That
On the backside of the guesthouse, there was an access to the fast
flowing river in the shape of a pebbles beach. On the opposite side of the
river, in the Indian occupied territory, we could see signs of life. The
landscape was as green and had no difference as compared to our side although
the cottages looked quite worn out and most of them looked abandoned. Cron was
cultivated on the steps of the hill slope with fruit trees in between. The most
obvious thing was the mosque where the moizzin
was reciting azaan on the
loudspeakers for Zuhr prayers. We
could also see some locals walking around and kids waved hands at them too but
it was probably too far for them to notice us. Hopefully, the conflict line
could be abolished in the future so that Kashmiri people on both sides of the
river can once again meet each other without any hassle.
When we got back to our room, the couple from Karachi whom we met the
previous day was leaving. The place looked empty as other groups had also
departed except for a family who were going to visit the nearby Upper Neelum
village. We also wanted to explore that but then cancelled the idea and instead
chose to relax more!
Day
16: Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Riding the Rocket Bus, Again!
We had spent three nights in Keran and it was time to move to our final
destination of this trip – Kutton. With all the backpacks we once again boarded
on a Rocket Bus going towards Muzaffarabad. The bus was packed to the capacity
but we compressed in somehow in the rear portion. As per the local etiquettes,
ladies had the first right on the seats, while gents were standing in the
alley. Good for kids and wifey! Commuters were mostly going to Athmuqam, an
important town in Neelum Valley, where we reached in around twenty minutes. We
had to get off at Kundal Shahi, which was another ten kilometers and took
twenty more minutes. Kundal Shahi is the junction where one can hire fixed rate
car like taxis for Kutton, which is more like a hill station.
Kutton’s Jagran Resort
Hiring a car at Kundal Shahi for Kutton was not difficult at all. It
took me hardly ten minutes and we were in the old Toyota Corolla going up the hills.
From Kundal Shahi to Kutton, it was a beautiful mountain road running alongside
the furious Jagran Nala. On the way there were quite a few scenic waterfalls,
on both sides of the road, coming through the thriving natural greenery. We
were in the wild again. In about half an hour or so, we reached Kutton’s Jagran
Resort, where we intended to stay for next few days. Usually one has to get
advanced booking from their office located in Muzaffarabad, which was not
possible for us, however, due to low season we got a cottage without much fuss.
In fact, we had the luxury of selecting a room of our choice, where we
put out backpacks and rather than settling down requested the driver to drop us
to the Kutton’s main bazaar to have a look around. It appeared to be a low-key
locality as any other rural town in Pakistani mountains. The differentiating
factor was the abundance of ‘ladies tailors’ in the market which I saw very
first time at such locations! While doing the grocery I found locals friendly
and hospitable. There was nothing much to do so we walked back to our room
after having Daal Lobya from a
roadside hotel.
At the resort, there were only two or three tourists groups staying one
of which was leaving when we reached back. For the dinner, we ordered Chicken
Karhai from the resort’s mess and called
it a day after having that.
Continue reading Part 10
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| Keran Resort - the Mountain Village Behind is Located in the Indian Occupied Territory |
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| Entrance of Keran Resort |
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| Keran Resort's Main Building |
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| Extension in Keran Resort |
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| An Abandoned Cottage in the Resort's Premises |
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| 'Closed' Tourist Information Center at Keran Resort |
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| We Had the Rooftop Breakfast at this 'Rip-Off' Dhaba Outside Keran Resort |
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| Apple Laden Tree in the Backyard of Keran Resort |
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| Most of the Apples Looked Unripe |
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| Here I Found Some Ripe Ones! |
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| Fruits if Hard Work |
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| An Apple Loving Sheep |
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| Another Apple Lover |
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| You Guess!? |
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| Beware of their Duck Brigade |
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| Misha Enjoying a Scene from the Room Window |
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| Indian Occupied Kashmir |
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| A Mosque in the Occupied Area |
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| Signs of Life on the Other Side of the Line |
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| Government Tourist Resort |
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| Lush Garden of the Government Guesthouse |
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| Left Keran for Kutton and Reached Athmuqam |
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| Athmuqam Bus Station |
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| Work in Progress on the Neelum River Road Between Athmuqam and Kundal Shahi |
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| On the Way to Kundal Shahi |
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| Reached Kundal Shahi - the Gateway to Kutton |
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| Kutton Junction at Kundal Shahi |
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| Hired a Cab for Kutton |
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| A Waterfall on Kutton Road |
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| A Land Cruiser in Kutton Bazaar |
