Heaven On Earth?…Surely, The Heaven on earth

So that year, finally we had planned a trip to Kashmir ,India (from May 21 to 27) as it is one of the best travel and leisure destination to visit in summers( especially from April to Mid may). I was very keen to visit this place as I had heard a lot from people that it is the heaven on earth . The very first day when I looked out of the window of the plane I was mesmerized by the spectacular view , standing so tall (approximately 8,840m) were the Himalayas covered with snow. As soon the plane landed I could feel the chill inspite of a bright summer day.

That day we were staying at a houseboat which was situated in the Dal Lake. The beautiful Shikaras were carrying the tourists from the shore to the houseboat. The Shikaras were not only used for travelling purpose but also for selling stuff like flowers,accessories and were beautifully decorated. The only bad experience I had in Kashmir was that the lake was polluted and had a foul smell,even though it was situated between the mountains and the city lights at the night added to the beauty of Dal Lake’s magnificent view I was waiting eagerly to move out of the house boat as a surroundings were really polluted.

Day two, now I was heading to Gandola Gulmarg where people travel from the Rope way to the snow land. this is the place where most of the movies are shot. We reached the hotel Heevan Retreat and luckily got the Presidential Suite. It was a really nice placeand the rooms neat and cozy.  We went for a walk on the streets of Gulmarg where other tourists were are also strolling and also the soldiers of our Indian Army were present, but soon we had to rush back to a hotel rooms as it started snowing.The Kashmiri’s are really sweet and caring and helping in nature.The kasmiri’s have a beautiful skin and the natural blush is just like a cherry on the cake.The Kashmiri dishes like Rogan Josh, Yoghurt Lamb Curry, Matschgand are real delish and seduce yout taste buds well.

Though I was disappointed for not being able to see the Gandola tourist spot but I could never forget that daunting day when I got a chance to sit with a huge cup of coffee on a swing watching the snowfall.

Day Three, checked out hotel in Gulmarg and checked in Mountview, Pahalgam. We booked some ponies and horses and started riding up towards Mini Switzerland. As it started drizzling the path was muddy and steep that the whole journey we had the fear of falling off in the deep Valley. It was freezing cold even a cup of Kahwa (the famous Kashmiri tea) was not working in warming any one of us. But the scenic beauty of the Mini Switzerland was worth the freezing ride.

Day 4, Sky was clear and the weather in Pahalgam was good now. We were headed to the most famous Betaab Valley. The picture of The River I uploaded is from was there.They had created a beautiful garden for the tourist to stroll which even hosted games like zorbing ,horse riding, archery etc. Moving ahead finally I went to the snowy land I enjoyed the sport skiing first time in my life.

Day 5, heading back to Srinagar city but yeah not checking in the houseboat again instead we checked in the Jamal house Hotel, famous for the carpets and shawls and also have a branch of the business in the Taj Hotel Mumbai. That days travel destinations were Srinagar’s famous Mughal Gardens Shalimar Bagh and Nishat Bagh .These Mughal Gardens were built by the Mughals  in the Persian style of architecture (significant use of rectilinear layouts are made with the walled enclosures). Some of the typical features include pools ,fountains and canals inside the Gardens.

Day 6, last day of wunderlust in Kashmir, driving through the values of Kashmiri were heading to the hill station Sonamarg which is also called as the Meadow of Gold which lies near the India- Pakistan border. In the valleys of Sonamarg we got to catch sight of the handsome domestic yak(Bos grunniens).

Though I didn’t get to see the famous Tulip gardens in Kashmir as they are open only in the month of April and also the gandola but this has given me one more reason to visit Kashmir again in life and I’ll surely do it. The experience of travelling to Kashmir was so good that I am not able to Express it in words. Emperor Jahangir has rightly said “Agar Firdaus bar ru-e-zamin ast, Hami ast o-hami ast o-hami ast”.