Remembering White Kashmir

Last year almost around this time (Jan 23-26, 2009), we travelled up north to one of the most beautiful destinations in India, the Kashmir valley. Usually summer is the most preferred season among tourists to visit this natural splendour, but we decided to visit in winter for a very special reason - SNOW.

Brief info:
Season of visiting: Winter, December to February
Places to see: Srinagar, Gulmarg, Sonmarg, Pehelgam. (Due to poor weather we were unable to go to Sonmarg)
Travel days: 4-5

We flew from New Delhi to Srinagar via Jammu on Jan 23. Our bags were full of warm clothing a must must in Kashmir and that too in winter!! We reached Srinagar airport at 12:30 pm. The flight was splendid overseeing the majestic Himalayan ranges and snow-clad peaks. Srinagar as expected was very cold even during the day time - temperatures of 2-3 degrees during day time. We had booked a car for our local traveling and thankfully the driver had arrived at the airport for our pick-up.

On our way to the Srinagar city from the airport, we could feel the presence of armed personnel at every few meters almost. There was a army man in complete armour at every 20-30 feet. Although it was a little awkward to see army personnel all over the city, it also made us feel a little more secure in some way.

Its easier to camp in Srinagar for the duration of the stay and plan to drive to Gulmarg, Pehelgam and Sonmarg from Srinagar for the sight-seeing.  We camped at a nice, cozy yet non-expensive (thats another reason to visit Kashmir off-season) hotel very close to Dal Lake at Srinagar. Contrary to the outside cold temperatures, the insides were warm with a nice heating system and also heating in the bed. It is so cold that you have to have a heating system in the bed too. After a nice lunch at the restaurant of the hotel, we went out for a stroll on the Dal lake which was just walking distance from the hotel.

Srinagar - Dal Lake
The weather near the Dal lake was even colder than what we experienced at the hotel. We hired a Shikara for the next few hours to take us in the lake.
The lake is simply beautiful. We had heard a lot about the lake and its floral glamour in the summer months, but a Shikara ride on the lake at 3 degrees celcius temperature at 3 pm in the afternoon is something of an adventure. The lake is surrounded by snow-clad mountains on three sides making it a splendid place.




 

The Dal lake is one of the central high points of the site-seeing in Srinagar. What is normally covered with a blanket of colourful flowers and adorned by house-boats was blue and serene on this winter day. Temperature during mid-day was as low as 3 degrees celcius at the lake, so one needs to go well prepared.

The sheer calm of the icy blue waters and the chill lent by the snow-clad mountains presents a perfect setting for a shikara-ride in the lake. Get yourself cozy with some warm clothes and you are set for a pleasant afternoon. In warmer weathers, a stay on one of the many house-boats on the lake is recommended. But house-boats dont operate during the cold season.
The lake also has a small park in the center which were told is full of roses and other flowering plants in spring and summer, but at this time of the year, it was only barren and dry as though waiting covered in a veil of brown until the sun shone again.

You can also enjoy some shopping during your shikara-rides with vendors ready to grab your attention with all kinds of discounts. If you want to stop over at a few artifact shops or just pick up an item of warm clothing or a fancy shawl, you could just pull over the shikara by one the shops in this water world. And while you are enjoying your shopping, dont ever refuse a cup of steaming kahwa (kashmiri tea) if you are offered one that is.

After a lot of boating and walking, we got back to the hotel for a nice warm evening - warm only thanks to the wine, hukkah and mouth watering kebabs...
 

Kashmir country-side

Gulmarg - Winter Sports Capital

The drive to Gulmarg is around 4 hours from Srinagar. On the way up the mountain, you can make a quick stop at a small shop and rent some gum boots and trenchcoats to help you in the snow. Carrying sun glasses is also a must. Fortunately for us, as we started to drive up the mountain, it started to snow - exactly what we were hoping!

There are a lot of things to do at Gulmarg. You can ski, go on a little sledge ride (pulled by humans not dogs or reindeers of course) or also take the cable car up the mountain slopes to enjoy the landscape. All of us surely had a lot of fun - already standing in knee-deep snow and enjoying the snowfall at the same time. The steaming maggi noodles and tea  was too refreshing and got us charged for more fun. After spending around 4 hours in the snow, we got really tired. By this time, the snowfall was also getting heavier, and we started downhill to come back to Srinagar before the weather turned more hostile.

Pehelgam -

We started for Pehelgam on Jan 25. Pehelgam is again 4 hours drive from Srinagar. We also got to see a lot of snow at Pehelgam. Unfortunately it was also raining at Pehelgam adding to the cold weather and making it harsh. So, we couldn't step out of the car much except for a little bit of stroll. Pehelgam is otherwise known as a pilgrim spot on the way to Amarnath Yatra and during the yatra time it is almost flooded with people. But this time of the year it was quite isolated with only a few locals on the streets during the day time.

Another must-stop place are these small factories where bats are made. The Kashmir willow cricket bats are quite popular and can be good gift to carry back home for your cricket loving family and friends, only if you are willing to carry the extra weight back with you. You can also pick up a base-ball bat here.

A trip to Sonmarg was due to Jan 26, but after driving for more than an hour we were informed that the road to Sonmarg was blocked due to heavy snow-fall and we had to retreat to Srinagar to keep to some local sight-seeing. Shopping was also out of question. The day being Jan 26 there was a lot of tension in the city and it was advised to stay indoors most of the time until we were ready to head to the airport to fly back home.

Back in Srinagar, we were constantly reminded of the threat to life that confronts the people of this land every single waking day. This grim reality poses a stark contrast against the mesmerizing sky-lines like this one.

As we bid adieu to this heaven on earth, we could only pray for peace for this land and its people.