From College Buddies to Travel Companions
My husband Srinivas and his four friends were planning deligently for months for a dream trip to Kashmir with their respective families. Finally, the day when the dream would become a reality arrived. With five families in tow, we had flown in from Chennai, Coimbatore and Bengaluru. With bags packed and hearts full, we set off not just toward Kashmir, but toward moments of togetherness we would cherish forever.
As we landed in Srinagar, I was pleasantly surprised by the compact size of the airport—almost comparable to the KR Puram railway station in Bengaluru. A board welcoming us to the “Paradise on Earth” instantly set the tone for what lay ahead. That moment felt truly defining. Snippets of songs from films set in Kashmir—Roja, Raazi, and others—began playing in my mind.
As we waited to collect our baggage, the chill in the air gave us a gentle preview of the breathtaking—quite literally chilling—experiences that awaited us in the days to come.
Day 1: To the Beautiful Beginning in Srinagar
Our designated travel team received us by wrapping traditional Kashmiri shawls around each of us. The shawls and their hospitality made us feel warm and comfortable. What a wonderful welcome it was. The beautiful beginning set the right tone for the rest of our journey. With excitement in the air, we drove towards Dal Lake in a tempo traveller, where we would be spending the night in houseboats. The way to Dal Lake from the Srinagar airport was filled with houses, shops and hotels. While Srinagar was lively and bustling, it definitely looked very different from the other cities that I have seen in India. The army personnel, dutifully holding a gun, were present at every 100 mtrs distance. The men and women, who were mostly dressed in traditional attires were busy with their routines. The drive was not only scenic but intriguing as well.
Upon our arrival to the Dal lake, we were further transported to our houseboats through a small boat. The short boat ride was mesmerizing. We were gazing at the stars in the grey sky above us with one eye and the lapping water of the tranquil Dal lake below us with another eye. A pair of eyes weren't enough to take in the views of the colourful stalls and the floating market of the lake in the night. With excitement soaring sky high, we reached our houseboats. We had booked two houseboats for our team of 18 people. We were warmly invited by the houseboat hosts and treated to a delicious spread of hot rotis, rice, dal and potato sabzi. The menu also included some non-vegetarian delicacies.
Before we could retire for the day, the boat owner had arranged for some Kashmiri cloth shopping with a local vendor. He showcased some of his products like sarees and shawls. As we were impressed with the quality and the pricing, we went ahead and purchased some sarees and salwar materials. We reserved some shopping for later after exploring other places too. However, it turned out that we couldn't spot a single vendor who would match the quality and price of this vendor in our entire trip.
Day 2 : On a Magical Exploration of Gulmarg
At the crack of the dawn, the floating tea shops of Dal Lake came alive. We started our day with a warm cup of traditional "Kehwa" tea of Kashmir and some fun banter. In the next few hours, we got ready, had our breakfast (which was frankly not too great), and headed for a scenic drive to Gulmarg. Gulmarg is situated at an altitude of 2650 mtr height in the Peerpanchal mountain range of Himalayas. It has two phases- a low phase called phase one and a high phase called phase two. Both the phases are reached through a cable car, called Gondola . During winters, phase two is closed to tourists due to heavy snow. As we went during summer, we could cover both the phases through the Gondola ride. Gulmarg was the coldest place that we visited in Kashmir. We protected ourselves with the winter gears like heavy jackets, boots and gloves that were available for rent at the foothills before taking the Gondola ride. The ride stole the show. The breathtaking views of the rolling snowcapped mountains were treat to eyes. On reaching phase two, we were spellbound by the picturesque view of the mountain. It was as picturisque as the Alps mountain range that we saw in Switzerland and Austria. I was pinching myself to check if it is for the real. In no time, the kids started playing by throwing the snow at each other. The vibe was so mesmerizing and contagious that even adults became kids and started playing, singing and dancing in the snow. I always prefer travelling to such places as a group with like minded people who would enrich the experience. After all, today's experiences are tomorrow's memories.
Now, back to the phase 2 in Gulmarg. It was stone cold with chilly breeze blowing from all directions. A vendor was preparing hot maggi noodles, which were selling like hot cakes. We treated ourselves to plates of piping hot maggi to cope up with the cold. Gulmarg was nothing but pure magic. If Kashmir is the crown of India, Gulmarg is the shining diamond in the crown.
The Twist in the Fairytale: The Pehelgham Attack
When we were on the top of the world (lol... literally in high altitude), little did we know that an unfortunate event would bring our spirits down. As we reached the foothills and got the signals in our mobiles, we got to know about the Pehelgham terror attack that happened a few hours ago. It sent chills down our spines as the activities for the next day were planned in Pehelgham. We were supposed to leave Gulmarg and check into a hotel in Pehelgham on the morning of the next day. Alas. What would have happened to us had this attack happened a day later? What if our luck didn't serve us? With a floodgate of questions in mind, we thanked God for showing us some mercy. At the same time, our hearts went out for the fellow tourists that had to see such a fate. Our mobiles were buzzing nonstop with calls and messages from our near and dear ones, who were checking on us. On the other side, our parents were pursuading us to cancel the rest of the trip and return home. With mixed emotions running high, we took some time to process the news and modify our travel plans for the next day. A sobering reminder that life is unpredictable.
Day 3 : On a Damage Control Mode in Srinagar
Wasn't it a chilling reality check? After the Pehelgham terrorist attack, we had to pivot our plans. On the next day morning, we decided to visit Doodhpatri and other places instead of Pehelgham. We navigated through heavy military convoys. We also realized that the military personnel stationed along the way seemed to be doubled over night. The men in uniform were kind enough to wave their hands as a friendly gesture to comfort the tourists amidst the tension. Our vehicle was diverted by the local police in all routes. With no place to go, our driver took us to local temples and a beautiful park in Srinagar. The temples in Kashmir are beautifully maintained and tourists visit them. There were many tourists present in Kashmir despite the terror attack. After a quick visit to a kali temple, we spent the rest of the day in a beautiful garden, which is frequented mostly by the locals. We dressed up in Kashmiri outfits as couples and family, took tons of pictures and spent the rest of the day by soaking in the local vibe. As a bonus, we got an opportunity to stay in the houseboat for another night. This time the house boat owner had arranged for the saffron and kawa tea shopping with another vendor. We purchased saffrons to take back as souvenir.
Day 4: On an Adventurous Horse Ride to Sonamarg
A new day, a new adventure awaited us. We were off to Sonamarg as per our itinerary. On the way, we had a pit stop for tea, where we stumbled upon a beautiful store selling Kashmiri handicrafts. We picked up some gorgeous stoles, shawls and handbags with intricate Kashmiri handwork on them. We noticed that our driver would voluntarily stop by in some stores and restaurants, which we believe pay him a commission for bringing in business. As tourists, we were very much aware of this driver-local business nexus through our friends who had visited Kashmir earlier and from various YouTube videos. So, we consciously chose the shops and extremely mindful of the prices and quality of the products. Being savvy travelers, we saved ourselves from getting duped by greedy sellers. While by and large, we found the Kashmiri merchants genuine and helpful, there were still some desperate sellers who wanted to hard sell their products as they were gazing at a bleak future due to the impact of the recent terror attack.
Back to our trip to Sonamarg! We were super thrilled to cross the tunnel which was opened a year back by our Prime Minister, Shri. Narendra Modiji. I have seen similar tunnels in European countries like Switzerland, Austria and Italy. However, this is the first time I was traveling in a tunnel in India. I called my parents back home to show them the long and well-lit tunnel. Minutes after crossing the tunnel, we reached Sonamarg. Since my husband, Srinivas, had motion sickness, he and his friend Ganesh chose to stay back while the rest of us braced ourselves for a trip to Thajiwas Glacier.
We rented boots and a pony for the three kilometer journey from Sonamarg to Thajiwas Glacier. While the pony ride was enjoyable after overcoming the initial fear, the sight of Thajiwas Glacier was extremely ghastly. There was a massive crowd of ponies and their owners, which overshadowed the beauty of the glacier. The place was filled with the waste of ponies. After crossing the pony alighting point, the scenery slightly better. It was hard to climb. Still, we reached the top and clicked the mandatory selfies and headed back to our starting point. Again, the pony ride back to Sonamarg stole my heart! It wasn't just fun, but a bit scary too... I saw a middle aged woman being toppled by the pony. She fell off her pony on rocky terrain. That was quite a shock. As we reached Sonamarg, it started drizzling. We enjoyed piping hot maggi noodles and headed back to our room in Srinagar, where we spent the next three days.
Day 5: A Sojourn in Srinagar
After a delicious breakfast, we headed to the Shankaracharya temple at the heart of Srinagar. Our vehicle was stopped at a two kilometre distance ahead of the temple. We walked up to the temple, where we had a good darshan of the presiding deity of Lord Shiva. One cannot miss the ariel view of Srinagar from the temple. The view of the city was indeed splendid. Then, we visited the Mughal gardens after lunch. The recent rains had ruined the Tulip plants. However, we were lucky enough to witness a good number of Tulips. We headed straight to our hotel, where we spent some quality time by chatting, dancing and playing with the kids before we could wrap up the day.
Day 6: A Brave Journey to Pehelgham
On the last day, we wanted to grab every opportunity that was available at our disposal to visit Pehelgham. On the way to Pehelgham, we stopped to purchase traditional Kashmiri kawa tea, saffrons and saffron creams at Awantipura. The route was a visual treat, which was filled with beautiful streams, views of mountains and apple fields. We also briefly stopped to drink apple juices that were sold in a farm house. As we entered Pehelgham, our hearts were beating fast. Surprisingly, the situation was under control and normal. However, there was some local strike that thwarted our plans to visit the A, B and C valleys. Alternatively, we could visit some famous shooting spots that featured in the Tamil movie, Leo. It included a famous Shiva temple and a coffee shop called Sifar. The kids, who are the diehard fans of Actor Vijay were jumping out of joy as we reached the Sifar Cafe, famously known as the Leo Cafe. After having a gala time by dancing to the scores from the movie and having a sumptuous spread, we headed back to Dal lake for the famous Shikara ride. I take a moment to record that everyone we met in Kashmir—from our driver, Umar bhai, a friendly young man, to the manager of the Sifar Café in Pahalgam—believed that the terror attacks were not committed by terrorists. As locals, they said they had never seen or heard of terrorists in their region. How and why they held this belief was difficult for us to understand. In the end, only the truth will reveal the truth.
Our driver informed us about the famous wicker bat factories that were lined up along the way. We requested him to stop and bought some wicker bats. In the next one hour, we reached Dal lake for a relaxed shikara ride. In the lake that was glowing in the sunset, we enjoyed watching the floating shops and post office. After the breezy Shikara ride and a quick rest at the hotel, we headed to Lal chowk by the local autos.
We took selfies in front of the iconic Time Square. Then, we shopped for some Kashmiri artifacts, kashmiri embroidered bags and gifts as souvenirs. Our bags and hearts were filled with the beauties of Kashmir. What a memorable conclusion to the trip!
Day 7: Bade Adieu to the Beautiful Kashmir
The next day morning, we checked out the hotel and reached the airport much ahead of the time. The bittersweet moment of the departure arrived. While waiting after the security check, we were reminiscing our trip that was a beautiful tapestry of experiences- joy, laughter, bonding, risk and beauty. Goodbye Kashmir, until we meet the next time.
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