Kashmir Great Lakes Trek - The Deceptive

Day 2

The Breathless Climb
Trekking for 8km , 4kms all ascend and then plain-ish.
This was the first day of actually trekking. The previous night the trek guide / lead briefed us about how the climb is going to be. I was prepared to climb, at my pace with great effort.
As soon as we started, i realised the climb is actually extremely ascending. After 2kms we had an army checking and entry point. Until that point we had perfect range . All networks were working. Post that none  work. Our target was to reach a dhaba. After that we were told the terrain will stop being all ascend .
The views kept me going. But after 3kms, my heart rate started going insane, and recovery was taking so much time..head ache increased so much. And the classic mountain sickness creeped in. I was closing my eyes , feeling drowsy after every 20steps. I wasn't doing well. So i decided to some how reach the dhaba and tell Puneet , i wanted to return back to Srinagar. . I felt sick and uneasy. But Puneet convinced me I could somehow make it work.
So I decided to rent a horse to take me the next 4 kms.

The Horse Ride :

If you ask me what was scarier , the trek or the horse ride , my answer would be - Horse Ride .
You see it's not like any other horse ride where you sit with a helmet and the horse gently takes you around plain meadows. This one is over boulders and streams and tall rising tree roots and slipper wet mud , etc !
You hold on for dear life and shift your weight forward and back ward basis the terrain.
The trick : Talk to the horse. Just like you talk to ur pets .they understand totally!
Mentally i was ready to atleast see 2lakes and go if I was done with the trek. The headache hadn't reduced and neither  the breathlessness. But the effort was down to half, and that helped. The horse men charge you around 1200-1500 for 4-6kms . And it's the best option if you are injured or feeling sick

Day 3
The Worst

It rained all night and morning. @himadri_bhuyan was very sure that the rains would be all along . Risky affair for horses and us to trek.
The whole path was slippery and slushy. We had many boulders to climb and it was all ascend for almost 4kms . Today i felt better so decided i shall ditch the idea of taking a horse and go up hill. Anyways it was going to be a tough one as the slopes were still wet . So off I started with great hope I will be able to make it. In after 1hours, again I went through the same issues as the previous day. Drowsiness, head ache, loss of balance , breathlessness! But i had no option I had to endure and walk up hill and then it was 8 kms of all downhill and meadow lands ! Thanks to @thruthatlens and his nonstop motivation and push i somehow made it to the highest point on the climb . After which It was the prettiest route ever. Flowers everywhere, glaciers and moody clouds .. it was a hike in dreamland !!. @wa_see_m__
Our Trek Guide and lead came back for me and decided to help us get to our campsite like a pro! As soon as I reached the camp site, i heard one of our campers say to me .. " This was all Will Power "! And i felt so good to hear that. I made it! Made it through the 13kms that day with all that sickness , slush and rains ! A day to remember! And the bestest Alpine cook had hot pasta ready for us to have as evening snack.
Pic 1: Himadri and Puneet being normal
Pic 2: the trail
Pic 3 : small India Shaped lake enroute we spotted.
Pic 4: Puneet in action
Pic 5: streams carrying the molten glacier waters.
Pic 6: flower beds
Pic 7: clouds and mountains playing hide and seek
Pic 8: Sheep spotting
Pic 9: Best Pasta ever!

Day 4

Finally the massive alpine lakes
Today total distance was supposed to be 18kms and based on the previous day's experience, I decided to take a horse till the pass which was around 4kms all ascend.
Note not all horses carry weight of above 90 kilos. This has never been mentioned in any of the online blogs or websites. So if you weigh above 90 kilos and you need to take a horse for any reason, it is not always possible or advisable.
My horse needed constant convesation and petting. So i did just that. Vishnasar lake is one gorgeous lake. Large blue and the reflections of the mountains look so magical. Next we crossed Krishna sar lake and then the steep gruesome climb. The horse huffed and puffed , slipped and struggled but some how managed to drop me . From there I decided to walk 12kms all alone ( minus the company of my trek group or friends ) saying hi and hellos to other trekkers.  We crossed the magnificent Gadsar Lake too. I dont have a pic of that lake here , as it's on my camera.  But the whole walk was gorgeous green with clouds casting shadows on the valleys and changing the scenery every minute.
This day was very consuming. Tiring and ofcourse very long ! Here we had army checks and we submitted our adhar card for entry. We knew next day was just 8 kms long. So all of us wanted to relax and recover.

Day 5

The Best
By now i was in form and had walked so much , i could easily walk anywhere . I had found my rhythm. Anyways today was just 8kms and after about 3kms of climb it was all easy ups and downs and boulders across. Today for the first time I was even ahead of some of the others in the team and had lunch with every one at the stream. Post lunch , I decided to wait for Puneet @thruthatlens and then finish the rest of the trek with him. Biggest mistake of my day. I thought he will walk along side and spent an extra 30 mins waiting for him, but alas he had his own pace and I had mine. We couldnt match, he wanted to head fast.

Moral of the story: You walk alone ! No one will walk with you even if they say they will.

So I decided to overtake him when I could and reach the campsite all by myself, until i reached a patch full of boulders and no one at sight. There I had to scream and see if any one will respond. I had seen a guide walking behind me with some of his team members. Heard him direct me. So I went ahead.  It was Day 4 of the trek and i hadn't slipped even once ! The shoes bought had served it's purpose so far !
We reached the camp site together and decided to catch up with the trekking group as we were early and it was a good rest day

Day 6

Meet the Twin Lakes !
We were threatened by the trek guide that the boulders span across 3kms and it will be impossible for many to cross them. I was all ready to take that route but everyone convinced me that I shouldn't. What if i get stuck , it is very difficult to get a horse enroute as they take another much level route. I was super disappointed but i had not choice. So i took the horse. The worst decision ever. The horse route was as nasty as it could. Sharp pointy boulders all over and the heat. The horse was huffing and puffing all along. Some How i managed to take it to the pass. And as soon as you reach the pass the whole valley opens up and presents the twin lakes- Gangbal and Nandkol . The grandest of the lakes and our last pitstop and campsite for the trip. By now I had fallen in love with Kashmir and it's wadiyan but also wanted my city girl perks. To start with- a network for my phone.
We had a lovely descend into the valleys and then went to the first lake - Nandkol . She looked magnificent! Sparkling and i took my shoes off to dip my feet. The water was cold and so medicinal. The pain in my feet vanished. It was like a cold pack effect.  We chilled here for a while and @thruthatlens couldnt stop photographing her. Himadri too was some where on the boulders getting his shots @himadri_bhuyan .
We then hiked to the other lake Gangbal and found our campsite.
That evening was special. We all recieved certificates for our enduring completion of the Kashmir Great Lakes. We also thanked the staff and the horsemen for their amazing hospitality and care. We had to wind up early tonight as tomorrow we had to reach as early as possible to the army camp who would cross check our entries and exit from the mountains . This would take time. Also Srinagar has restrictions. We needed to enter Srinagar before 5 pm . So all of us decided to leave as early the next day.
I was now feeling the mixed emotions. I had grown attached to @meer_imtiyaz121 and @wa_see_m__ by now and i wianted to chill with these guides in the mountains with out the pressure to move. But we had so less time. Mostly will see them in the winters! Inshallah!

Day 7

Finally down down down

The last day was all about hurrying . The biggest hurdle was crossing a stream on a  narrow log of wood, which i was the 3rd to cross because i dont like to brew in my adrenaline rush. Just get it done with. And I was fine. Post that it was reaching the Army Camp. We spent almost 40 mins there waiting for each and every person verification done manually by the army guys. There after it was all walking downhill. Gruesome uneven boulders and loose soul everywhere. 8 kms of downhill to be precise. You don't get tired but your knees sure hurts and ur foot turns numb. Hats off to @columbiasportswear_in the shoes didn't let me have any injuries or blisters or bruises. Cushioned my feet like clouds. @meer_imtiyaz121 and me talked all along . Most of the trek i was all by myself . Either ahead of the pack or the last one . Today i decided to be the last. At the end of the trek, Puneet @thruthatlens waited for me and took a pic with the board. I had a great sense of satisfaction to have competed this trek with this weight and no injuries and ofcourse the altitude sickness.  We bought a mountain dew and took a selfie and rushed Outta the village into Srinagar. We had to head to our house boat.

Houseboat and Bath
Finally after 7 days of living in the mountains, we headed to the house boat and saw a bathroom. WE HAD ACCESS TO HAVE A BATH !!! This was an emotional moment.
I needed a shower so bad. We decided to just chill at the house boat. Buy off some lil trinkets from the shikara shops and call it a night. Our butler made some good chicken and food. All of us decided to contact home, upload instagram, and do everything we wanted to do with the internet and the network. A huge part of me is really happy I am a city girl. I don't like slow life and I dont like inconveniences beyond a point. I love the mountains and sure I will go back. May be not a very long trek but already planning on the next one. Mountains make me happy ! The house boat was exquisite. We felt it was too pretty for our face . But well we could afford it .. so why not!

Day 8

Lil Bit of Srinagar.
While the boys @himadri_bhuyan and @thruthatlens decided to wake up at 4am to go and see the floating market, i decided to snooze in my lovely bed in my floating dreams. When i opened my eyes are 8am I felt so ecstatic!! The body was thanking me for the rest. The mind was calm. The boys returned at 9ish and we had a simple egg and bread breakfast and Kashmiri Noon Chai ,which i disliked and so did the boys. We now had to check out and go to Sarovar Portico, we had a booking. At the end of every trip, I ensure we stay in a very comfortable room with everything fancy and a bouncy bed and Aircon. It's the way I treat my self.
Thank God Puneet is also on board with this . Enroute , we visited the famous Hajrat Bal, ate some unique boiled grain chat and then headed to @moonlight_thewalnutfudge_shop to pick the tastiest Walnut fudge ever. Puneet great find !!
Our plan was now to dump the luggage in the hotel.. freshen up and head for lunch . Today's Lunch and more on the next post !
Things You mUst try :
Walnut Fudge
Taj bakery all goodies - cream roll, and the mutton patties . It's fantabulous!

Wazwaan disaster

It was lunch time and we called for an auto and went to Mughal Darbar to have the popular Wazwaan. @thruthatlens had done his research and had read rave reviews of their food. So we ordered a Wazwaan which costed us 2500/- bucks and was all made of Sheep / Lamb. Firstly , the rice they use is grainy and I hated the texture. Next the meat of Lamb has a stench which was a turn off for me. Their kebabs are not at all juicy. The meat is dry. The gushtaba which is basically mince meal balls were another disaster, i felt like i was chewing on a rubber ball. Sorry, even RoganJosh was bakwaas. @reema.munshi your mom's roganjosh is the best so far.. and now i am spoilt for life. Post the bad meal we decided to have something sweet and morroccon tea at this chaijaai cafe near by . It was such a cute cafe . Suddenly there was this lil Brit corner in the city . Our next destination was Lalchowk and zero bridge and shopping . We basically wanted to vagabond aimlessly.
Interesting architecture fact in Srinagar is that unlike all the mosques I have seen their mosques  don't have dome shaped ceiling due to snow. It's like a pagoda . Sloping roof design everywhere. So we went around the Ghanta Ghar and hired the most dearest auto guy who told us all the tales of the city. And took us to the old bridges and we witnessed the most gorgeous sunsets . The city appears like lost in time. The buses are like multicolored and toy-ish.  Every one was getting ready for moharam and many shops were closed. People here are very sweet. They love to have long conversations and like to listen to our view on the loveliness of the city. Overall , loved the vibe, hated the food , regretted the short stint in the city and can't wait to go back for more.. By 8, we were done. @himadri_bhuyan and me decided we are not gonna venture out for the kebabs that Puneet was planning on trying and neither do the early morning shikhara ride at dal lake. We were ready for home.
So we went back to the hotel room and started fooling around on the bed eating wasabi coated nuts for fun and Instagraming

Day 9
The Downer!
The Sunday we had to return, Puneet @thruthatlens decided to go to the Dal lake for some early morning shots. Around 7, both @himadri_bhuyan and me woke up and decided we shall have everything in the breakfast menu. So we called Puneet and for our surprise , tells us the city is closing down. There are barbed wire barricades everywhere. They suspected unrest as there were some processions scheduled for Moharam. The security was tightened up and the city looked like a post war zone. Silence, police sirens, 100s of army guys and cops everywhere holding loaded guns. We were advised by the hotel manager, to leave as early as possible. Our flight was scheduled at 2pm so we had decided to leave at 11am. However we decided to call our driver at 1030 am. He took almost an hour to even reach the hotel. Not only that he walked the last kilometer after he parked his car some where safe as the cops weren't allowing him come any closer to the hotel. So he and Puneet lugged my rucksack and we  walked for 1km , crossing a foot bridge over the jhelum until our car. This was the last thing we expected after the relaxing stay . Then we went literally around the city to get to the airport which by the way has 3 levels of checking. It's extremely cumbersome and time consuming . No one had told us about the multiple checking and the rush and the requirment of atleast 1 hour to finish checking before entering the airport. Also Srinagar airport has made it mandatory for cabin luggage tags to be present. They call it a hyper sensitive airport.
Ok one last and important point.
No electronic or with a wire should be there in your check in luggage. They literally called Puneet back to check my luggage and remove the head torch i had stored. This is a torch that has wire no battery . The whole morning was so depressing. I couldn't wait to reach Bangalore. We flew via Delhi and luckily everything was on time. The first thing i bought as soon as I came to Bangalore airport were Krispy Kreme donuts !!! Haha needed the sugar rush after all that !
That's how the lovely trip ended