Day 176-2011 : Paradise On Earth - Part 6

Sonamarg! That was our destination on this, the penultimate day of our wonderful holiday.  We kicked off our day trip just after breakfast.  It was a 2 hour drive to Sonamarg from Srinagar.  We did stop on the way at Kangan for something that we had by now got addicted to - Kahwah!

The landscape en route to Sonamarg are simply breathtaking! Tall snow-capped mountains sometimes lined with pine trees and sometimes just brown and barren were simply a sight to watch.  We also stopped briefly to take in the beauty of the surroundings.  Of course, we also couldn't resist a good snow ball fight!  Priya and the kids on one side and me, fighting a three pronged attack valiantly, on the other side.

Finally we reached Sonamarg.  The mountains were all covered with snow.  There were many tourists (and their vehicles) at the site.  We immediately embarked on an 'expedition' to trek our way up the hills.  No sooner had we started off, we were surrounded by men offering their services to accompany us to the top along with their sledges.  Our short walk and the rarefied thin air made us realise that we would need them.  Especially with the two kids.  So we hired them.  I thought we hired two of them, but realised that four of them were walking alongside us within a few moments.  The expedition party was becoming bigger.  We used the sledges, the men pulling them on our climb up the mountains.  The kids were loving it and so was Priya.  I climbed for most part of our journey, as the guy was finding it really difficult to climb while pulling my sledge.  We reached the top and the sight was amazing!

We then had to make the mandatory snowman, of course!  We did that and then started our descent.  The plan was to use the sledges on our way down.  Considering that it was quite steep, it was indeed a bit scary.  But it took us a fraction of the time to slide down the slopes compared to the time it took for our laboured climb up!  After a bit of haggling, the 'sherpas' were paid off.  I however realised, after speaking to others, that we paid about four times of what some of the others paid for the same services.  Looked like we had been taken for a ride by the locals...literally and figuratively as well!  But I do not mind it.  For us it is a once in a lifetime experience; for the locals it was only one of the few ways they could earn their livelihoods in a terrain like this.

After a very tasty lunch, at probably the only hotel in sight, we started our drive back to Srinagar.  Once we reached Srinagar, the ladies were all in a frenzy keen to do some shopping.  The men folk weren't interested.  So it was decided that the men would retreat to the hotel after dropping the women at the main market for the shopping.  After the shopping the women would join them at the hotel.  Priya was back in a couple of hours, just in time for dinner.  However, she seemed worried.  Two out of the four women had got lost in the crowded market and had not yet reached the hotel.  Moreover, Priya narrated an incident which she witnessed in the market.  A government vehicle which was towing away illegally parked vehicles in Srinagar's main market area was attacked by a stone-pelting mob.  She was, very justifiably so, very frightened.

The busy day however took its toll and after dinner, we had a good night's sleep.  I must say, the hotel was very comfortable as well, compared to the one that we were in at Gulmarg. 

My dream holiday had almost come to an end.  All that was left of it was the flight back to Mumbai the next day. 

Take care!

Day 163-2011 : Paradise On Earth - Part 5

It is amazing that even after a month and a half since we came back from Kashmir, I am still able to recall the smallest of details of the trip. 

So here we were on Day 5.  The agenda was to get out of Gulmarg and drive down to Srinagar.  Actually a lot of people who were with us in the group were quite happy (and relieved) to check out of the hotel!  We made a couple of stops on our way.  The first was at Tangmarg, after descending from the hills of Gulmarg, to return the rented warm clothes!  Priyanksh had lost a gum boot the previous day, somewhere between getting off the Gondola at Kongdoori and boarding it again on our way back.  After paying for that we were on our way to Srinagar. 

Just before we entered Srinagar, the convoy stopped at an emporium.  It was quite a big one, with almost everything that anyone would want to buy as a tourist from Kashmir!  The moment I saw it, I knew that this was going to be our first major touristy spend on the trip.  After an hour of frantic shopping, Priya looked satisfied that gifts for everyone had now been bought.  My spend control tactics helped and thankfully it was not a very large sum that I was looking at, at the end of the adventure!

We reached Srinagar and checked into the hotel after the shopping.  After a good lunch, we were off to see the sights of Srinagar city!  The first stop was the Shankaracharya temple on top of the Gopadari hill.  It is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is said to be one of the oldest shrines in the city.  Priyanksh had dozed off in the vehicle on our way to the temple.  Hence I offered to baby-sit him while Priya and Suryanksh went to the temple.  This was the first time in the 5 days that we were in Kashmir, where the security environment became a bit obvious.  The temple is a heavily guarded monument.  All of us had to get down from the vehicle at the bottom of the hill itself, for the BSF to sanitise it, before we continued our journey to the temple atop the hill.  Even within the temple none of our modern day gadgets were allowed.  Even cameras were banned.

After the temple, it was the turn of the gardens.  Srinagar is a city of gardens and shrines.  Up next were short visits to the three main Mughal Gardens in Srinagar.  The Nishat Bagh, Chashm-e-Shahi Bagh and the Shalimar Bagh were beautiful.  They are well maintained by the government agencies and are a treat to watch.  Nothing spectacular, but neat and clean.  Being a holiday, all the gardens were choc-a-block with visitors on that day.

Also, after we visited all three of them, it dawned on me that Mughal Gardens are all step gardens, with common architectural themes.

It was now quite late in the evening and we were all tired and very keen to get to the hotel to call it a day.  Not the ladies though.  The ladies in the group were planning on some additional shopping in the city area of Srinagar.  We stopped at another emporium for another round of shopping.  But as soon as we entered the place, I knew that this was a place, not to be in.  Everything was priced very high, with no value for money.  It took us exactly 5 minutes to get out of the place.  We men, very tactfully I must say, convinced the womenfolk that shopping on the next day, which was a Sunday, might be a better idea.  Mission accomplished, we were back in the hotel and looking forward to a good night's sleep.  Next up was the final leg of this wonderful trip...Sonmarg!

Take care!