I was very happy with my hotel - the room was comfortable, the proprietor was friendly and I could see the Habba Khatoon massif from my location.
I decided to ride around for a bit, see a bit of Gurez valley and then head back to Srinagar.
I set out on the bike and rode out on the Kanzalwan - Dawar road towards Achoora, the site of the Habba Khatoon springs.
I rode back up the road I had come on yesterday, again enjoying the views. The Kishanganga reservoir, the beautiful valley and green mountains, the fir trees…the morning rain had stopped now, and sky was blue once again!
It was a lovely send off from Gurez.
I reached the top of Razdan pass and stopped again to admire the view. I got off the bike and took off my helmet and breathed deep. Ah. Lovely.
I caught my first glimpse of the majestic Wular lake from a great height - hopefully this great lake was on the path to recovery now that the Tulpul dam was done, and the waters from the Kishanganga dam were also draining into the lake.


Once I was down by the lake, it was a smooth and uneventful ride down to Srinagar.
The bike courier process turned out to be smooth and hassle-free! The courier guy came to my hotel with a three-wheeled transport vehicle and loaded the bike in it, took the required paperwork and the payment - and that was it! She would be sent directly home now.
WELL BOSS - I GUESS THIS IS GOODBYE!


‘Goodbye flappy’… I almost teared up, as I said goodbye to my old and faithful riding boots.  ‘Thank you for your service!’


IT WAS AN HONOUR SIR!
Everyone had warned me to report really early for my flight from Srinagar - as the security checks could take a very long time. And they were right - you have to line up to to get checked again and again.
I snagged a window seat - and enjoyed spectacular final views of the Kashmir valley from the air before we went above the clouds.