A Trip to Kashmir - The Paradise on Earth

There's nothing as refreshing as a holiday in the midst of the lush green mountains jewelled by white layers of snow, rolling meadows, blue sky and mesmerizing views of the nature till the horizon.

But until the time⏳ you can unwind though the alpine forests and get carried away by the picture postcard valleys and gurgling mountain river, relive the good old days with a #TripDownMemoryLane that you have spend with your friends!

Throwing back my trip to Kashmir with you that I covered with my 4 friends, it was one of the most beautiful trips of my life. Once the great Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan had stated "ya firdaus barruhe zaman ast, haminasto-haminasto-haminast" - (If there is heaven on earth, then it is here). And infact, this is very true, its captivating beauty can leave anyone spellbound.

On 19th October’18, me along with my four other friends, proceeded to Indira Gandhi International Airport and took our flights to Srinagar. All five were waiting impatiently. With each passing second, all of us were looking at our watches and mobiles to check when we will reach Srinagar. We were discussing what we will do and where we will go and I was busy fitting my camera.

After 3 hours journey, we finally reached our destination and proceeded to our hotel. As we came out from the airport en-route our hotel we mostly saw army men with their guns patrolling in the streets. There was not much crowd. The driver told us since it was Friday it was a holiday and that’s why less crowd on the roads. After 30 minute drive we finally reached our hotel. In the reception we were greeted warmly by the hotel manager who offered us some refreshing and aromatic Kahwa made from dry fruits which made it even tastier and yumm.

The hotel that we checked-in was situated beside Dal Lake and its view from our hotel room was really amazing. After relaxing for some time, we went out for local sightseeing. There are number of Mughal Era gardens in Srinagar. And the most popular one is Mughal Garden or Nishat Garden built during the regime of Emperor Shah Jahan. Nishat is an Urdu word and the meaning of it is Garden of Joy," "Garden of Gladness" and "Garden of Delight.

This terraced Mughal garden is built on the eastern side of the Dal Lake. From here one can see the picturesque views of the beautiful Dal Lake. We also went and explored Shalimar Bagh, Pari Mahal, Chashma Shahi and Nehru Garden. When we visited Chashma Shahi garden we came to know a very interesting fact that Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru used to get the water of the spring to Delhi. Since we visited in October, Tulip Garden was closed. After visiting the beautiful gardens we proceeded to Shankaracharya Temple. The temple is said to have been built in 371 BC at a height of 1000 feet above the plan overlooking the city of Srinagar.

In the west, the sun was setting down in the horizon and the mist was slowly covering Dal Lake and this made the whole view look like a painting made by an artist. As it was getting dark, we came back to our hotel and went into our respective rooms. By 8 p.m. we went to the dining area and had some really yummy Kashmiri food like rogan josh, yakhni, gushtaba and modur pulav. After a hearty dinner, all of us went for a walk along the Dal Lake. And strolling through the streets of Kashmir is just un-imaginable. But we did it and it was not at all scary unlike shown in news channels. But there was pin drop silence, we could only here flapping sound of the waves in Dal Lake and some local songs playing in some houseboat and of course the gentle breeze blowing against our faces. All this made us forget all our worn-out bodies.

On second day i.e. 20th October, after a warm breakfast all of us head-out to Gulmarg - the ski capital of India and also home to world’s highest gondola ride. We passed through the winding roads of Kashmir which was just awesome. And when we reached Gulmarg we were mesmerized by its utter natural beauty. It was just WOW! We took gondola ride and rode up to second phase where we found fresh snow fall and started throwing snow at one another like a child. The view from the gondola ride was really worth to see. After completing we stroll around to see the iconic Shiva temple where Jai Jai Shiv Shanker of Aap ki Kasam was shot and also in the Mann movie where Sharmila Tagore’s house is shown. While returning back to our hotel, our next memorable trip was a shikara ride. By the time we rode on our shikara, it was almost getting dark but it was one of the best experiences. The flapping sound of the boat paddle and the gentle breeze accompanied by the melodious voice of our boatman just added more beauty to the whole situation.

On the third day after early breakfast we all headed to Sonmarg through Leh-Srinagar highway. Sonmarg is often called as Meadow of Gold. The place is about 85 km away from Srinagar; the drive is absolutely worth it because of beautiful Himalayan peaks. One is captivated by these natural wonders. One can enjoy the scenic beauty of Sonmarg, by walking through its quiet meadows and flower-carpeted fields. It has a number of trekking and hiking trails, which attract the adventure-seeking tourists. In short it is a heaven for adventure lovers.

Once we reached there, we took a jeep ride up to zero point and by God’s grace we found fresh snow and it filled us with immense joy. The snow-covered meadows, barren mountain at one side, alpine forest at one side and the fast-flowing Sindh River made all of us enthralled. Like small child all five of us were running and throwing snow at one another. And as we stared towards the barren mountain, we could clearly see goods trucks and army vehicles moving to and fro towards Leh. After returning back in the evening we checked out from our hotel and rode on a boat to our houseboat for the night to stay in Anarkali houseboat. No doubt we were literally tired but once we stepped inside our houseboat, we were back on our foot and more over as you all know girls like to click photos and likes to be updated on their social media pages. So, me and Chanda after a quick shower and refreshing tea we got dressed up and began to take snaps in every nook and corner of the houseboat. Our boys were lazing on their respective beds. Both of us went to their rooms and began emotional atyachar. And finally they had to give up to our demand and they too joined us. All five of us enjoyed a lot and we still cherish the moment that we had enjoyed in Kashmir.

On fourth day, we started our journey to Pahalgam at around 6 a.m. as curfew was to be imposed from 9 a.m. as some firing had happened in the city. Our driver drove us safely through Srinagar-Jammu highway to Pahalgam. We passed through apple orchards and saffron fields. By 9.30 a.m. we reached Pahalgam - the 'Valley of Shepherds’. We checked into our hotel which was situated beside the Lidder or Liddar River. After getting refreshed, we proceeded to Aru Village & Valley and Betab Valley through the thick alpine forest. In between we stopped to catch the eye catching glimpses of Kashmir – which is truly a heaven on earth. All five of us rolled and laid down under the blue sky and left all day to day worries of city life by closing our eyes and enjoying the gentle breeze and chirping of the birds. After spending almost 5 hours we all headed back to our hotels with a heavy heart. During our Pahalgam trip one of my friend’s birthday was also on that day. And we secretly arranged a surprise birthday for him. We had asked our hotel staff to arrange a birthday cake. And they arranged it accordingly and in the evening they lit a bonfire and brought in the cake. Prakash our friend didn’t expect all these things. We enjoyed cake cutting, danced, sang at the top of our voice for we all knew it was our last night in Kashmir. Next day we would be back to Delhi and back to our old city life where it hovers around office, home and office. We left no stone unturned. We all enjoyed each and every moment of our stay. And that’s why we still cherish and recall whenever we meet or talk over the phone.

Trip with pals remains forever in your heart. Those times where hours flew by, as one danced the night away, you laugh 😄as if there was no tomorrow or perhaps make it more sweet and memorable. Time spent with your buddies is really magical . Miss you all guys.