Kashmir: an unforgettable 5 days in Heaven on Earth

The snow capped mountains visible from flight was a sight to behold. All the tourists passengers including us had mobiles with recording on to capture the beauty.
We reached Srinagar airport at around 7 am as the flight got delayed due to fog which resulted in blur vision not adequate for landing. As soon as we deboarded the plane a gush of cold wind chilled out the spine. Thankfully we had our jackets handy. It took us 10-15 minutes to stop shivering. We collected our baggage, completed check out formalities and called our driver who was waiting for us. Seeing our condition he switched on the heater as we settled ourselves into the cab.

Tip: Keep your Parkas in your handbag esp if you are travelling to Kashmir during winters.

He then narrated us the plan. Firstly we were going to pahalgam. The roads, the views everything was at its best. We saw saffron fields , chinar trees, shooting location of the movie bajrangi bhaijaan, while moving towards pahalgam. We stopped for lunch and had delicious aloo Parathas and tea. At around 2 pm we reached our resort and it was one of the best resorts we have ever been to. It was situated very near to the rafting point so the river was visible, though the water level was less as it was the month of November. Our room was very cosy and beautiful. We quickly changed and got ready to explore pahalgam.
Our pre booked cab and driver took us to the place from where we had to hire a pony in order to reach baisaran valley. There is a rate chart displayed where they charge differently depending on the number of points to be covered. After a lot of bargaining and confusion we chose a pony ride up to the baisaran valley also known as the mini Switzerland of India. It costed us 4000 for 2 people. (We couldn't bargain properly)

Tip: Ask your driver to bargain on your behalf
It's quite a possibility you will end up with comparatively good rates.
However we started our journey but just after 500 meters we returned back as it was very scary for us, though people were going and it's completely safe as ponies are well trained but still we couldn't overcome our fear and hence returned back.

Tip: If you are scared of pony rides please reconsider this route.

On our way back we stopped by the lidder river and clicked innumerable pictures. The beauty was splendid. It seemed as if there was a sketch of a beautiful landscape portrayed in front of you. The water was freezing and the wind was kissing our faces. We wanted to stay there but time is the constraint. We moved back to our hotel and had a delicious dinner.

Tip:  1.Always indulge in these kind of self retrospective activities. It will help one to connect with oneself.
2. Consider including your breakfast and dinner in your room Booking as it would be a  job to find dinner especially in the chilly nights.

We checked out from our hotel and headed towards Gulmarg. It took us 4-5 hours to reach Gulmarg. We checked in to our room and as promised by our tour organizer we were given the room with magnificent views.
After having some refreshment and mandatory cup of tea we headed for our evening stroll.
It is said that gulmarg' s air is doped. Once you breathe here there's no coming out.
We took our walk and it was one of the best memories of our entire Kashmir trip.
The next day we got ready early as advised by our guide for the gondola ride. Our driver arranged for tickets in advance. There was a long queue. Finally we boarded our cable car, which is the world's second highest cable car ride. It is a must do activity when in gulmarg. While returning we had our lunch at 8000ft and the experience was one of its kind.
Finally we returned back to our hotel.

Tip: If you want to indulge in winter sport activities, make sure you bargain well and account for these expenses while budgeting your trip as these expenses constitute a good percentage of the total expense incurred.

The next day we headed towards Srinagar. Enroute we stopped for shopping. I felt the prices were exorbitant hence didn't do much of the shopping.
We checked into our hotel and spent the evening in the hotel as we were exhausted.
The next day we did local sightseeing in Srinagar and then checked into our house boat. We opted for a houseboat in nigeen lake as we prefer calmness . You can get many other options if you choose to stay in dal lake. The experience, food, hospitality everything was amazing here. I would suggest to stay in a houseboat atleast for a day as it would be a wholesome experience. The dinner and breakfast which was served in the houseboat were delicious.