A long awaited trip to the Valley

The prologue

It was 1993, precisely 15^thAugust, when I was first introduced to the world of Kashmir. Roja, a movie made on Kashmir won National awards that year and was telecast on Doordarshan on the Independence Day. The movie instantly hooked me up. Mani Ratnam has created a magnificent tale of rising insurgency in Kashmir. He not only presented the rising phenomena of terrorism with a captivating story, but also splendidly captured the scenic beauty of the valleys through his lenses. The song "Ye haseen wadiyan" was playing everywhere around. Those were the days, I used to think that when I grow up, I will move to Kashmir and spend my life there.

20 years since that incident have passed. Insurgency in Kashmir grew with each passing days. I grew up, became wiser and realized that my childhood dream would probably not come true. Economic and political conditions in Kashmir would make me better off stay elsewhere. Nevertheless, I decided that I would plan a long trip to Kashmir sooner. However, rising insurgency added with the pressure from family was forcing me to hold my plans of visiting Kashmir every year. Finally, this year I could not resist the itch and booked an itinerary, despite knowing that troubles in Kashmir has risen again with the execution of Afzal Guru. I was determined that come what may; we would not cancel our tickets.

On the way to Kashmir

My travel date was approaching fast and alas, an unfortunate incident happened. Five Indian soldiers were shot down by the insurgents and an indefinite curfew was imposed in Srinagar. Almighty probably did not want my wish to be fulfilled easily. But, as I decided earlier that come what may, I will go to Kashmir, I packed my baggage and left for the place with a slight uneasiness feeling.

All my apprehensions vanished the moment I landed in Srinagar airport. Taxi operators on the airport said that curfew usually does not affect the tourist centers in Srinagar. It is the city, which remains deserted during this time. I was in touch with a Houseboat operator and he arranged a pickup taxi from the airport for me. Our journey of fifteen kilometers from airport to Houseboat in Dal Lake made me realize why Kashmir is still a dangerous place to visit. Police check posts were at every kilometer along the route and the streets were entirely empty. I thought I might have to spend the next few days sleeping in my houseboat. But, when I reached Dal Lake I found that the taxi people at the airport were right. The place was full of life. Tourist spots and tourists are normally not troubled by both the army and the insurgents. Taxi driver dropped me there and I was guided towards a Shikara, which took me to the Houseboat.

Dal Lake, Houseboat and Shikara

Picture 1: Dal Lake

I freshened up in the Houseboat and in another hour went for the Shikara ride in the Dal Lake. Shikaras are smaller boats decorated in fancy ways to provide a nice warm experience to the worried tourists. But, It was a ride to remember. I started at around 5 pm and enjoyed the ride for about 3-4 hours. The Lake is huge with a shoreline extending up to 16 kilometers. There are mobile shops and markets in the lake, which provide locally manufactured handicrafts and goods. You will encounter several photographers and other sellers during your ride. It got real freezing in the Lake by the sunset. I would advice to take blankets along with you, if you want to enjoy the ride and do not want to hurry back due to the unbearable cold.

Picture 2: Houseboats in Dal Lake

Houseboats are larger stationery boats in the lake and usually contain 3-4 bedrooms along with a living room and a kitchen. They provide a different kind of ambience not normally available in the hotels. If you visit Srinagar, you may try out these places instead of hotels. I reached back to my houseboat at 9 pm and was welcomed by a nice Kashmiri meal and Kahawa there. If you are fond of beverages, try Kashmiri Kahawa, a local flavored Green tea with spices.

Picture 3: Busy roads in Gulmarg

Gulmarg and the Gondola ride

Next day, we planned to go to Gulmarg, a hill station located 50 kilometers away from Srinagar. Gulmarg is a very popular ski destination and is located at a height of 9000 feet. It has one of the highest cable cars in the world called “Gondola”, which goes up to 14000 feet. We left very early in the morning because of curfew inside the city. Streets were still empty. But, the view was breathtaking. There were towering snow laden mountains all around. I was especially surprised with the infrastructure of the city. I found the roads to be one of the best among the other state capitals. Gulmarg is situated at heights, so it gets very freezing while climbing up there. You should pack all you warm winter-wears and get snow-boots before placing your feet on Gulmarg snow. Gondola ride to the 14000 feet peak was one of the most amazing experiences I had in my life. You could see the ski marks on the mountains all along the way up from the trolley. I wonder how the skiers find courage to ski from such heights.

Picture 4: Gondola and the skiing marks

Picture 5: View from 14000 feet peak

We came back tired after clicking thousands of snaps of stunning views in Gulmarg. Two hours of rest and we got ready again to explore the local market in the city. Most of the shops were still closed. But, we could find few shops selling locally manufactured leather goods and handicrafts. Kashmiri wool and leather is not obscenely costly there and if you are good at bargaining, you can get great deals. In addition, the local handicrafts is one of the stuffs you can explore purchasing.

Picturesque valleys of Sonamarg

Picture 6: Way to Sonmarg

Picture 7: Sonamarg Valley

Sonamarg is one of the other places you must not miss during the trip to Kashmir. Sonamarg is situated approximately 96 kilometers from Srinagar. It again has snow all over, but the way to Sonamarg is not that steep compared to that in Gulmarg. You climb slowly and easily, moving along with tens of feet of snow on both sides of the road. Scenic beauty is amazing, with a view of snow-laden mountains all over the place your eyes can reach. We were fortunate as the Sonamarg valley was opened the very first day after the winter, when we reached there. So, we found barren unexplored snow everywhere. It was exciting but equally dangerous too, as you do not know what is beneath the snow. Overall, it was another incredible experience.

Exploring local tourist attractions in Srinagar

We spent next few days exploring other locales around Srinagar. Kashmir is known for its lush greeneries and vegetation. There is Mughal Garden, Tulip Garden, Pari Mahal, Dargah Hazratbal, Chashma Shahi among other popular places that tourists flock to when they are in Srinagar. But, as we went there in the month of March (end of winter), trees were all dried up because of the harsh preceding winter. The gardens were barren. We realized that we could probably have come 1-2 months later, when the trees and gardens come to live with blooming new leaves and flowers.

Way back home

Our return date finally approached. Due to curfew, we could not explore the Srinagar city much. But, on the way back to airport from Dal Lake, we experienced an entirely different city compared to what we saw, when we arrived here. Curfew was subsiding and so the emptiness in the city. Srinagar looked as busy as any other city in India. We were advised to reach airport two-three hours prior to the departure, as the security arrangements are very stiff there. Although necessary, I found the frisking process to be a little overstretched.

On the way back to Delhi, I had already started making the plans of my next visit to Kashmir during the times of normalcy. After all, I could not explore the Srinagar city and the greeneries of Kashmir that it is known for.  And yes, I realized why the countries are fighting over with each other to have a dominance over the region - the paradise on Earth, Kashmir.