"Shangri-La beneath the summer moon, I will return again"
- Kashmir, Led Zeppelin
Sometimes one should take holidays where one does nothing apart from reading and eating. I did that recently.
One hears so much about the 'strife' in Kashmir but none of it was evident when we took our flight from Delhi to Srinagar. It was choc-a-bloc and no one seemed to be worried that we were flying to a 'violence-prone' area. In fact there are about 10 flights daily from Delhi to the valley and all of them go completely full. Not to mention the people who get there by road. A heartening sign indeed. Let us hope it continues.
Our first stop was Srinagar (that is where the flight landed. Duh!). I had visited Kashmir with my parents in the early 80s. I can be forgiven for not remembering anything of that trip. Srinagar is at a surprisingly low altitude (1600 m) so it was quite warm there (and the Sun was strong). The city is famous for its lakes and gardens. I found Dal lake to be pleasantly neat and clean but it was full of houseboats. Though we were also staying on a houseboat but not on the crowded Dal lake but in the quieter Nageen lake. To get to the houseboat one had to cross the lake by Shikara. The waters were crystal clear and one could see the reflections of the nearby mountains, clouds, and other shikaras criss-crossing the lake. The house-boats themselves are quite comfortable – with walnut panelling and intricate roofs. There is utter silence on the lake and there is no better place to sip kahwa, eat pakodas, read a book, or just snooze.
There are numerous gardens in the city. The moment we stepped into Shalimar Bagh it started raining. Now remember I have been spoilt by 5 years of British “rains” (slight drizzle is the word one is looking for). We had to take shelter in the entrance ‘gate’ of the gardens as dogs and cats fell from the sky for over half an hour. Then suddenly it cleared up and we were on our way to amble in the gardens. Shalimar Gardens in Srinagar are very similar to the gardens with the same name in Lahore except that the ones in Srinagar have the added advantage of beautiful mountains all around. In Islam, gardens are supposedly representations of paradise and this garden, with its roses, pavillions, and fountains, is no exception.
The next stop was Nishat Gardens, which were a similar set of gardens - thankfully it was not raining so we were able to stroll about without getting wet!
From Srinagar we moved to Pahalgam - a 2.5 hour road drive away – the road connecting the two cities is really beautiful – with walnut, apple, and apricot orchards on both sides not to mention the willow and chinar trees (maple). Because of the large number of willow trees in the vicinity there are lots of cricket bat factories. The route passes through wee hamlets with streams running through them. All in all very very picturesque indeed.
Jammu and Srinagar are too hot during summers but Pahalgam (which is slightly higher) remains much cooler (in fact, one needed a jumper during the evenings). The hotel we were staying in Pahalgam was on the banks of the Lidder. Sitting in the lawns and reading a book was the main (and pleasurable) activity of the day. Though we did go for a few walks / drives around. The drive to a wee hamlet called Aru (about 12 kms from Pahalgam) was the pick of the lot. The road ran alongside the Lidder and there were beautiful vistas all around.
We also tried our luck at the newly-opened Pahalgam golf course which is as beautiful as they come. Given my lack of golf skills I will refrain from revealing my score!
