Shakti's Musings & Travelogue

It was an exhilarating experience to be near the Himalayas. I have a great fascination for these enormous mountains and tall pine trees. This trip was made much prior to the abrogation of Article 370.

From Pahalgam, you gotta check out Chandanwari (where the Amarnath Yatris take a rest) and Aru (pronounced as “Addo”). You can hop on a pony to visit Kashmir Valley, Baisaran, and Banyahal. We kicked it in Pahalgam for 2 nights, and man, you could hear the chopper shuttling Amarnath Yatris to Panchtarni from morning till afternoon.

After enjoying Pahalgam, we drove down to Sonmarg which is at a height of 2667 mtrs on Srinagar-Leh Road. Indus River flows close by and the hotel we stayed in had a good view of the Thajawas Glacier. On our way, we got to see ruins of Awantipur. The archaeologists believe that 2 temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu and Shiva was built in 9th Century by King Avantivarman.

Hotel Sonmarg Glacier had all the comforts and good dining. On reaching, we immediately went to enjoy the beauty of the Glaciers. Since next day was our day for Amarnath Yatra, both of us wanted to retire early to ensure we were up at 3 AM to get ready for the trip. 5th of Aug was last day of the Yatra and the most auspicious day (full moon day)

Early morning, we made our way to Baltal from where we were supposed to take chopper to Panchtarni. We were keeping our fingers crossed on the weather. Our Army friend had made arrangements with the pilot of chopper to take us on the 1st flight.

I had the privilege to be on the chopper by the pilot seat who was an ex-army colonel. I was excited as a kid to be viewing the valley at close quarters from the chopper as it made its way to Panchtarni. One could view the Amarnath Yatra route from the top and it definitely did not look an easy one. In less than 5 mns we landed at Panchtarni.

Since temple was closing at 12 in the noon, we had to take a Palki to reach on time. The view of the mountains is heavenly which can only be experienced by one and no amount of words would help to describe its beauty. Amarnath Cave is 12,758 feet hight and cave itself is 60 feet long and 30 feet wide. Below the cave, Amar Ganga flows where pilgrims take bath before entering the cave. We had a good darshan and felt blessed to have seen the ice lingam from close quarters.

After 2 nights at Sonmarg, we made our way to Srinagar where we were supposed to stay in Houseboat “Canberra” for 2 nights. The moment we arrived at Srinagar, there was some tension on the outskirts and we had to go via by-lanes to Dal Lake. The houseboat was beautiful and looked almost like a palace inside with exquisitely carved furniture.

Unfortunately, we did not find our houseboat Manager very homely and he seemed to ignore aspects of good hospitality. He and his wife never bothered to find out if we wanted lunch or dinner. We decided to have our dinner at Shamiana restaurant on Dal Lake road instead of having to remind the Manager every time.

While taking a Shikara ride in the evening, the cloud started gathering and in less than half an hour, we were welcomed with strong winds and rain. Luckily our one hour Shikara ride came to an end before getting caught in the downpour. We had yummy Afghani Chicken at Shamiana and around 9:30 PM decided to go back to our houseboat. More surprises were awaiting us as there was no power and the Manager informed that he will switch off the generator by 10:30PM which meant no fans for us !

It seemed that he was more interested in saving money than treating guests well. We decided to leave for Gulmarg the next day itself as we were not enjoying our stay at houseboat. Come morning, we left the place before 9 AM. While in Srinagar, we visited Shankaracharya temple, Mughal Gardens, Chasma Shahi, Lal Chowk, old Srinagar town etc.

The sight of the Pakistani flag flying high in the old town was quite the spectacle! Even more surprising was the chef’s revelation about Dr. Manmohan Singh’s recent visit from India. Our innocent inquiry about his nationality led to an unexpected response – the youth’s aspiration for Azad Kashmir, a separate country, instead of aligning with India or Pakistan.

We were too happy to leave Srinagar and reach Gulmarg which is also known as “Valley of Flowers” situated at a height of 2730 mts. We stayed at Heevan Retreat which is nicely placed and very close to the Gondola (cable car). Since this was our last place to relax, both me and my friend decided to take it easy and enjoy the pristine beauty. The next day we took the Gondola to Khilanmarg and the Alpathar range from where one could see the LOC. We also freaked out on the sledge.

While in Kashmir, you simply can’t afford to miss out on the Kashmiri Wazawan. We tried Rista (Lamb meatballs), Mutton Roganjosh, and Mirchi Korma, but sadly missed savoring the Gustaba. Don’t forget to indulge in the Kashmiri tea “Kahwa,” complete with “Kesar” and dry fruit pieces. Surprisingly, no tea leaves are used in this flavorful concoction.