Inner Line Permit

Just after 2:30pm we arrive en masse to the Kinnaur administrative office at Rekong Peo. We are planning to visit the Inner Line area, which is a restricted zone, and we will need special permits before we can go there. Having filled in the forms and provided photocopies of our passport we wait in turn to be called for a desk lamp in the face grilling from the local intelligence officer. Zen you will be lined up and shot! The truth is not so glamorous; the details on our forms are read by a man, then transcribed by a lady typing with two fingers, after which are our pictures are taken (reminds me of life back home). The office contains a parked motorcycle (Pulsar 180 DTSi for reference); obviously the preferred choice for pursuit of dacoits escaping the long slow arm of the law

Next we have to queue again to see the Assistant Commissioner for Kinnaur, Sri Rajiv Kumar, who checks the details again. His office does not contain a motorcycle, just piles of important looking papers, so I'm not so impressed, but he is a jolly decent fellow. With that we are free to proceed.

The whole process take 3hrs or more and we are bored stiff. This has to be revenge for years of colonial rule!

At least it's a good chance to share little details of our trip with friends, like: "are you sleeping OK" or, "had the shits yet? Oh yes, time flies when you're having fun. Well at least I can catch up with my Blog. Oh, and in case you're interested in the last question, Alex told us a very useful tip "it's a brave man that farts in India". Says it all really.