Of Chinars, Snow-Capped Mountains, and Kahwah - Srinagar

Kashmir - Heaven on Earth, was on my travel destination list from God knows when.

Maybe from the time I watched "Kitni khubsurat yeh tasveer hai" from the Hindi film Bemisal?

Or maybe those picture-perfect images they showed of the Dal Lake, shikaras, the impossibly green valleys surrounded with white peaks on Doordarshan?

Or was it earlier, since the time I watched Shammi Kapoor serenading Sharmila Thakur with "Yeh chand sa roshan chehera" on  a shikara, from the film Kashmir Ki Kali?

And who can forget "Yeh haseen vaadiya, yeh khula asmaan" from Roja - the first mainstream film to address the elephant in the room - that of growing terrorism in this beautiful paradise?

To me, Kashmir symbolized the ultimate natural heaven, that elusive chimera that remained out of reach for ordinary people like us for more than thirty years. And when something is unreachable, it becomes irresistible.

So, for my silver jubilee anniversary,  it was obvious that I wanted my life's dream to be fulfilled. And presently, circumstances have also normalized in Kashmir, to an extent for us timid travellers to take the chance!

Still, the looming elections cast an ominous shadow of the possibility of trouble, so we were on tenterhooks till the day of departure. Who knew what we were walking into, we thought, even while boarding the plane.

That First Glimpse

As we neared Srinagar, one look outside and all fears melted away. What an awe-inspiring view - of peak after peak of ice-capped mountains, shining in the glow of the afternoon setting sun!

Was there anything so fascinating I had ever seen? I wanted to freeze that image in my mind forever.

By the time we landed, it was 6.30, but the sunlight all around till almost an hour later, was a surprise indeed. The sun really sets late in the crown of India.

It was dark when we reached the hotel, located on the back side of Dal Lake. We could see shikaras docked for the day.

The next day, sunlight peeking inside the windows revealed the splendour all around. The lake was partly visible from behind the constructions in front of the hotel. So much for lake-view, we thought! Still, watching people go about their business in small shikaras was an experience in itself. 

A seller was vending flowers, another tea and snacks, and a little girl in a uniform was rowing herself to school!

Day 1 - Off to Sonmarg

The day being all sunny and bright, we decided to do a day trip to Gulmarg or Sonmarg. Since we hadn't procured tickets in advance, for the cable car (Gondola) ride that takes one to snow in Gulmarg, we were advised to go to Sonmarg, where we could horse-ride to the snow on the fringes.

Passing the crowded city of Srinagar, we came to the other side of the Lake, and made a short stop at the famed Hazratbal Mosque. 

It is a revered place of worship for Kashmiris, but is also associated with painful memories of violent activities in the past. 

The mosque sits besides the Dal Lake, and the faithful thronged it for prayers. We skirted it from outside and clicked a few pictures around the lake. 

By now, we were on the highway, driving along the gurgling river, surrounded by green meadows and white capped peaks. It was impossibly beautiful. 

Stopped for lunch at a river-side dhaba, where the view made the food more tempting!

The cold had started to increase by now, with a chilly wind making us city folks scurry for our shawls and caps.

When we reached Sonmarg, we were surprised to see the whole place full of thronging visitors. It was obviously a very popular destination for winter sports, but now, even the receding snow couldn't deter tourists from indulging in a bit of sledging. 

The hubby had caught a chill, so preferred to stay in the warm car, while my daughter and me ventured to meet the snow on two horses.

Horse-riding is no cake-walk for unaccustomed city-bred folk like us, and my boy was the adventurous sort with a mind of its own. The owner told me to let it be, and off it went on its own route. Ohh well, when will the childhood equestrian lessons come of use, I thought, going up and down with the trotting horse. Daughter followed on a tamer horse.

Creaking bones and aching thighs couldn't take away from the panoramic beauty all around. The snow finally appeared after a 7 km long ride, and stepping down, I promptly slipped on it! It was really difficult navigating the slippery ice with the heavy boots, my flowing kurta, shawl and cap. But then, I had a plan up my sleeve too!

Inspired by all the images of chiffon-clad heroines preening in the snow in Yash Raj movies, I wanted to sashay in a saree too! In all this melee, with swirling winds all around, falling and slipping on snow, I draped my modal silk somehow on my kurta.

My daughter was my rock, carrying things, shielding me from the public, clicking me, and encouraging me throughout.

The horse-keeper observed my antics with amusement and played along gamely... He was wondering what to make of this woman who was almost collapsing on the way up, and was now posing for reels in a saree!

What a day it was! Sightseeing, horse-riding, sareeing, posing, playing with snow...all in a day's work!

My daughter and I returned reluctantly, as we didn't feel like leaving the place.

We had never seen such natural beauty anywhere else. It was so, so picture-perfect, anywhere you click, you would capture beauty. 

It was a long and treacherous road our driver had to negotiate coming back. We returned at 10, and were bone-tired. After a dinner of Kashmiri rotis, kebabs, and afghani chicken curry, we called it a day.

The next day, after a good night's sleep, we were up and about, but rain decided to play spoilsport. It was overcast and raining heavily till midday.

Since we had planned local sightseeing that day before leaving for Pahalgam, we were a tad disappointed. However, by the time we slowcoaches got ready, the sun was out in its full glory. And seeing the shikaras, we decided to go on a shikara ride before our road journey to Pahalgam.

Now, Srinagar and Dal Lake are synonymous with shikaras. Its a leisurely ride along the lake, with beautiful scenery all around. And the floating market, with kahwah, kebabs, shawls, pherans, trinkets being peddled all around. Kahwah was so refreshing! Saffron mingled with crushed nuts in hot mild tea, it was just what the doctor ordered!

We went to the Meena Bazaar which had shops selling woolens, dry fruit, perfumes, and all Kashmir's delights.

Our driver was waiting on the other end of the lake, so we had to rush. And so, we embarked on our Pahalgam yatra. Passing Pulwama on the way made our hearts heavy. It was the place where some years back, our brave soldiers had got martyred in a blast. Now the place is deceptively calm, with shops doing business as usual.

Pahalgam and houseboat diaries follow in my next post. Till then, alvida....

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