Kashmir: In the Lap of the Himalayas
Imagine: Vast green lands with fresh mountain water flowing as river Jhelum Chenab and its tributaries, filling lakes and fueling even more greenery with birds of all kinds flying past you, sitting and chirping besides you with tall Chinar (Platane) and Pine trees everywhere you look. The weather is always cold between -4 to 25 degrees in the summer. There is nothing but green and white on the mountain tops. No matter where you look, you either see a river, a lake or mountains and sometimes all together. THIS is Kashmir. It leaves you speechless when you see it. No wonder they call it “Heaven on Earth” or in local Kashmiri “Jannat”.
My ten day trip to Kashmir started with Bombay-Ahmedabad-Delhi-Srinagar Spicejet flights. It was tiring. But when you reach Srinagar and get out of the airport, you get a sense of whats in store. Beautiful clean roads and snow covered mountains in the distance make you forget your turbulence ridden flights and immediately you get a sense (an overwhelming sense rather) of where you are. No matter where you turn your head, your eyes are bound to land on something beautiful. And as you move further from the airport into the city, the sweet sounds of the “Kashmiri” language fill your ears. Don’t get me wrong. The language is sweet and the people far sweeter. Srinagar is unlike any other capital city of India. Its a city bustling with people and tourists from all over the world. But the difference here is that the people know how to treat tourists and outsiders. There are no dirty streets and the rule of law is final. You can see the Indian Army soldiers every 500 meters and they make their presence felt. But what you see or read in the media about Kashmir, it is completely the opposite. Dal lake just grabs your eyes and makes you think how can it be so beautiful?! It mesemerises you. The beautiful Shikaras and Houseboats make it even more beautiful. There are shops and eateries along the shore of the lake and bakeries and hotels surround you. The main part of the city is Lal Chowk and Ghanta ghar which were attacked by terrrorists last year and are now being restored.
After Srinagar, we moved on to Gulmarg. Gulmarg is located 2000 metres further above Srinagar and to give you an idea of what its like, imagine a humongous gigantic 32 hole golf course with wooden huts and stone buildings with a river and some small tributaries in between. This is in Summer. It turns plain white in the winter like Siberia and completely brown in Autumn.
Remember that song “Jai Jai Shiv Shankar..Kaanta lage na kankar” ? That temple in which they shot the song sequence is here in Gulmarg. The beauty of Gulmarg is the very fact that its totally green and people have maintained it. It is surrounded by the Himalayas on 4 sides and there is not a single residential building. Just Hotels and restaurants and no new construction is allowed. Cleanliness is the norm there and hardly you find any garbage lying around. We took Gondolas (Ropeways) up to Phase I and Phase II to see and experience snow. Went further above 3400 metres. It is awesomely Beautiful to see snow and not even feel cold. The sun was shining bright and there was really no need to wear a Sweater or a Coat inspite of the temperature being -5 degrees. The Pakistani border was visible at a distance and there was an Igloo shaped Indian Army Base Camp there too. The ride on the Gondola is just beautiful and if you are lucky, it will be so cloudy that you wont be able to see the gondola in front of you!
After Gulmarg, we moved on to Sonmarg. Sonamarg, at an altitude of 3,000 metres above sea level, 87 km north-east of Srinagar is a great place for Trekking. One day at Sonmarg is enough and Horse riding is not to be missed. The riders take you to see three points which are almost same. What is worth is the Horse Riding and here the journey is more enjoyable than the destination.
After Sonmarg we again reach Srinagar and this time we live on a 50 year old Houseboat called “Alif Laila” where Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi once stayed. The houseboat frankly felt like a haunted haveli being so old, but was awesome nonetheless. The Beauty of living on a houseboat is the view you get as soon as you leave the boat and walk on the wooden pier. Water all around you and mountains in the front. Dal Lake is clean and the locals know how to maintain it. My Advice is to take two rounds of the lake on a Shikara.One after 6pm when its almost twilight and one after 8 pm when its dark. The Twilight ride will just mesmerise you and immerse you in the sheer beauty of the lake and the night ride will help you relax as there is not much traffic and all you hear is the boatmans oar and the water.
Much as i would miss it, my trip came to end with a bit of shopping and eating coconut chocolate cookies from a 145 year old bakery and some bad dinner and a photo session on the wooden pier outside the Houseboat. Kashmir is awesome. Go and see it. Rather go and EXPERIENCE it. It will surely change your life.
