Very Fine Batsman with Mike Ferris

This entry is part 12 of 17 in the series Adventure Rider Issue #43

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Mike and the Border-crossing ploy.

Denise wasn’t entirely comfortable at the sight of
an AK-47.

Captain’s log: Stardate 41322.7. Destination Kashmir.

The actual date in Earth years was July 2004. My soon-to-be-wife Denise had not yet acquired her own bike licence and was therefore on the back seat of my Enfield for her first trip across the Himalaya.

Our group had been delayed, yet again, by interminable roadworks and the notoriously impenetrable Indian bureaucracy. Since the ‘undeclared’ – but very real – war of 1999 between India and Pakistan along the Line Of Control more stringent traffic restrictions had been put in place.

A magazine full of Bullets.

Challenges

The highway’s classification was something of an enigma, it being both a public road and a major military supply route to the front line. The Indian army had built the road and therefore had a reasonable say in how it should be used. The top brass had declared for the previous four or five years that during daylight hours the highway was to be used for military purposes only. All other minority traffic, including nosey tourists on motorcycles, was obliged to travel under the cover of darkness and without the use of headlights.

The road at various points was partially visible from, and definitely within range of, Pakistan-held high ground in the surrounding mountains. Headlights in the darkness would have clearly pinpointed the precise location and presented a great temptation to Pakistani forces, no doubt keen to lob a few shells over in an attempt to damage the road and interrupt the military supply route.

So we were in the less-than-desirable position of having to ride in the dark, and there was precious little help from the moon. There had been further recent unrest in the Vale of Kashmir, an almost perennial state of affairs to which I had become quite accustomed, but which was inevitably unnerving to any newcomer to the region.

A spectacular pass.

Paperwork

We were riding through a remote mountainous plateau on our way to crossing the Zoji La, the steep pass leading down into Srinagar within the beautiful Vale of Kashmir. We’d already run the gauntlet of passing through several checkposts where inspection of our passports had elicited a range of reactions, from arrogant disinterest to almost hostile suspicion. And the filling in of many forms, most of which demanded ridiculously redundant information such as a father’s profession, the rider’s profession, the rider’s education level, and of course, the rider’s religion.

But patience and calm attitudes prevailed and we continued on our journey.

Mike Ferris

Hit for six

With a dozen bikes close behind us we swooped along a dark valley full of shadows and swung through a corner to arrive at an iron bridge. Suddenly, out of the darkness, appeared two bright torchlights and we heard a shrill whistle.

I heaved the Enfield to a halt and flagged down the others as two soldiers aggressively approached. I could feel Denise’s body language registering no small discomfort behind me at the sight of their AK-47 machine guns being prominently displayed.

“Stop!” commanded a rough voice. We had already stopped.

“Where are you going?”

We couldn’t see the owner of the voice because the bright torch was being shone directly into our faces.

“Srinagar, sir!” I replied in a relaxed and friendly voice. I had played this game before, but Denise’s grip on my waist was far from relaxed.

“What purpose?” the voice demanded.

“Tourism, sir. We happen to be tourists.”

I made a point of putting my hand up to deflect the light from the interrogation beacon in our eyes. I was expecting yet another demand for our passports but instead he lowered his torch a little and simply asked, less aggressively, “What is your country?”

“Australia, sir.”

“Australia?” he queried, with an animated eyebrow. We could at last see his face.

“Australia,” I confirmed.

His dark, bearded face broke into a broad, white grin.

“Ah, Ricky Ponting very fine batsman! Please proceed.”

Approaching Kashmir.