16-May-2012 – DAY 2

The entire tour group comprised a total of 80 people. To ensure that the group stuck to the timings and to make the overall process efficient half the group was put up in a different hotel. Cooks from Sachin Travels were available at all the locations we visited and dished out delicacies throughout the trip. At times, this was a pity as we missed out on the local cuisine.

We commenced our tour with a visit to the Sri Sankaracharaya temple. It is situated at a height 1100 feet above sea level. One has to climb 270 steps to reach the temple. The view is spectacular from here. Unfortunately, the security is very strict about cameras, cell phones etc. We just clicked the view in our memory and moved on. The temple was built in the 1600s but still stands tall and overlooks Srinagar. The small cave within its precinct houses a Shivling.

The morning was spent following the footsteps of the ancient Moghuls who had the foresight to design beautiful gardens like Chasmeshahi, Shalimar and Nishat Baug. It has been truly an era of creativity. The sheer range of their creativity from small intricate carvings on wood to magnificent mega gardens is mind boggling.

There is magic in the air! These formal gardens of the Moghuls are definitely a treat for sour eyes. I have never seen roses and other flowers of such different colors and sizes before! I am not in to floriculture but it definitely left me mesmerized looking at the wave of hues gently swaying in the breeze. I am positive that the beauty of the region is largely due to mineral rich water flowing from the Himalayan ranges. Our guide insisted that all of us taste the cold water from the flowing water in the garden. Let me assure you that it is nothing like the water we drink in our cities. The richness is hard to describe.

I was pleasantly surprised to see so many Indian tourists in Kashmir. This also reflects the changing perception about the security situation in this region and it would make any Indian proud. We were not fortunate to see the Tulips in full bloom as it was not the season.
The epicenter of this lovely place is the Dal Lake. With the House boats lining the banks of the lake and the Shikara’s idling on the lake, it’s a picture perfect setting. The evening sun played cat and mouse with the clouds creating a magical effect over Dal lake. As the odd boatman winding his business for the day slowly rowed past, one could hear the sound of oars gently pushing the water as if not to hurt them! The sun rays glided on ensuing ripples creating an image of crimson Kashmiri carpet urging the onlookers to take out their cameras to capture the ethereal beauty.

We ended the day with a stopover for shopping. Kashmir is famous for dry fruits, saffron and handicrafts. The carpets of Kashmir are famous but surprisingly there is no formal industry. The carpets are made at home with the secrets passed from generation to generation. We tasted our first “Kawa”, equivalent of Kashmiri tea. It’s made of herbs and Saffron and is served hot with no milk added. It was energizing and refreshing after the exhausting day. The shoppers in the group satisfied their initial appetite with some frantic shopping of dry fruits, saffron and Kashmiri handicrafts.

The next day had some exciting events in store. We will be visiting Sonamarg to catch the retreating snow. In the evening we would be shifting our base to houseboat. A great day to look forward to!