Feeling the love

I had such a nice day today.

There were a few admin bits to do, but as always in Pakistan, things take a while and frankly, I was knackered due to the jetlag and also the late nights with Nisara.

Today was my first day to see Dhani and Muzaffarabad city again. It’s been only approx. 4 months since I was last here and I was surprised to see some changes here and there on different levels, which, given the resources and infrastructure of the country, suggested that perhaps change is inevitable, even in the most difficult of circumstances. On the individual family level, I noticed how various houses around Dhani had been improved upon; on a local level, Dhani now had a fruiterer selling fresh produce at the cable car lift so people did not have to travel into the city for the basics; some roads around the city were repaired making driving a lot more pleasant and possible for all types of vehicles; I hear that the transport system is being managed better in the mountains to provide better access to remote areas. It was nice to see/hear about these developments and I pray that it continues.

We had to visit 3 banks today, including mine to check that all's well with my account. My lovely bank manager was there, looking, dare I say it, a little dashing in his suit and tie. Now, I suspect a bit of this positive perception of him was related to the fact that he did just randomly give me 10000 rupees last trip, but actually, I noticed this time that he was really shy in a really endearing way eg he made fleeting eye contact and he always had this tiny smile on his lips which suited him. Oh my goodness - I think I fancy him a little bit!?! Not helped at all by the fact that he then changed my pounds into rupees using a good rate and without commission. Such a lovely, lovely man.

I met up with a few of the people I'd met previously which was nice and I got bought the only fizzy drink I really actually like: Miranda! It's an orange drink and it's lush.

I love Kashmir right now and I think Kashmir loves me back!