“Bambayi ka fashion aur Kashmir ka mausam, dono ka koi bharosa nahi! Kabhi bhi badal sakte hain!”

This is the very first thing that I heard as I set foot in paradise – in Kashmir. Funnily enough, I heard the exact same words over and over again during the span of the blissful week that I spent there. How else would I have remembered the remark so precisely, had it not been for the reiteration by cab-drivers, Shikara-riders – basically every locale with whom I chatted in Kashmir?

But, let me confess something here.

My cousins and I had also left no stone unturned in repeatedly deserving that remark.

“Bhaiya, snowfall hoga kya snowfall?”

“Baraf hai na abhi bhi? Pighal toh nahi gayi?”

“*Wipes sweat away* Snow kitni door hai, bhaiya?”

Don’t blame us! We were 4 twentysomethings who had never seen snow… *Makes puppy eyes* …and who craved some lots of snow adventure. Which is why, like thousands of tourists across India, we got into the cab at the Srinagar airport and headed straight off to Gulmarg – some 50 odd km’s away from Srinagar.

GULMARG

Now, I know you might have coroneted us as idiots for travelling to Gulmarg in the summer month of June, but trust me, I am about to prove you wrong. In winters, you sure might witness Gulmarg drenched knee-deep in scoops and scoops of snow.

But in summers, you get plush greenery, snow-capped mountains, shepherds and their sheep grazing the meadows, all in one frame! And this frame only gets better and better as you drive up on the hills.

I, for one, connected my phone to the aux, set the song ‘Illahi’ on repeat, and flexed my head out of the car’s window letting the chilly pahadi wind blow all over my face and leave knots in my hair, all this while, pretending that my life was a movie. But, let’s face it, it was not a movie. It was real. And it was now. And it felt way better than any movie ever!

Psst! Here’s a handy tip about travelling to the mountains. NEVER EVER UNDERESTIMATE THE MOUNTAINS, like we did. Because if you do, the mountains will rain heavily on your parade and your plans, and will make you shiver in cold. Long story short, pack extra woolens/thermals/whatever keeps you warm, irrespective of summer or winter.

Speaking of packing, you might want to pack a person who uses a postpaid number, because prepaid numbers do not work in J&K. I was oblivious to this essential trivia, and as a result ended up getting in a brawl with the network operators. You’re welcome.

Our rooms in the hotel had the Himalayan Mountain View. So, the next morning we woke up to the breath-taking snow-capped mountains staring at us half-asleep groggy-eyed fellas. We were courteous enough to reply to the Himalayas:“We’re gonna be on top of you in a few hours!”.

1. Gondola – Phase 1 & Phase 2

Gondola is the name for the snow-capped mountain-top and is the biggest tourist attraction in Gulmarg. It is divided into two parts – Phase 1(10,000 ft.) and Phase 2 (14,500 ft.).

Here’s a fun fact: The first half of Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani was shot in Phase 1 and Phase 2 in Gondola, Gulmarg, NOT in Manali. My whole life was a lie till the point of this revelation which occurred while we were travelling to Phase 2 in the cable car. Btw, the view from above is spectacular! Those cars pass through the furry clouds giving a literal top-of-the-world experience.

Something strange happened to me when I first reached 14,500 ft. above the ground – I lost my ability to speak for a few initial moments. I couldn’t distinguish the snow from the clouds. I stood there gawking mindlessly at the view.

It was because I was utterly overwhelmed, or because the place possessed some magical powers, I still do not know. The only thing I knew back then was “Let’s dive in the snow and make snow-fairies!”

Much as I tried to do that, I couldn’t succeed. Having your bum wet is not a desirable thing at such an altitude, especially when you’re going to trek the snow-laden paths. That trekking got us breathless! If only I’d exercised a bit in my life and if only there were enough oxygen at that altitude. There is not. So, in case you have breathing problems, you better be careful and do not attempt trekking.

Also, do NOT make our mistake of not carrying sun-block/sun-screen, unless you want painful rashes and sunburns that’ll show up later on your face. Remember, the sun greets you at a direct right angle up there!

2. Bhoota Patri

The next place on our travel catalogue was a region named Bhoota Patri. This is an area encompassing nature’s divine and untouched beauty – boundless meadows, and streams coming from snow.

But, here is a ‘but’. This area falls under the army camp. So, you will require special permission to visit this place. Luckily for us, we had a brilliant guide who wanted us to experience the real beauty of Gulmarg. And so took us he to Bhoota Patri! Thank you, Mansoor Bhai.

We visited a secret nameless lake that stood serenely midst the mountains. The beauty of this lake is that no one knows about its origin. Many of the locales, including the army people, do not even know about its existence.

It only led me to wonder how many such resplendent things must be lying around in Gulmarg’s bower, waiting to be found.

3. Ningle Nallah

Somewhere, a few kilometers ahead in Bhoota Patri, came a river stream flowing right from the snow-capped mountains. There is no imagining, only feeling, how cold the water was! It was numbing! I couldn’t stand for more than ten seconds in it.

Remember the song Jiya Re from Jab Tak Hai Jaan? A part of it was shot on the bridge over this river.

Dear all, do make sure to visit this place if you travel to Gulmarg. I consider myself lucky to have been there, to have felt the water, to have sat on the rocks zoning out into serenity.

Tell you a secret? I stole some pebbles from this river. And I further stole them from the baggage-checker cop at the Srinagar airport. Don’t tell anyone, okay?

SRINAGAR

A wise man once told us: ‘When planning a trip to Kashmir, do not plan your stay at Srinagar.’ Because wherever you go in Kashmir, you will cross Srinagar – it is the focal point. You will always have time to visit it.

Sadly for us, this wise man spoke after we had planned a two-night stay there. Here are the places we visited:

1. Dal Lake

The 35-km long lake with lots and lots of underwater vegetation; don’t look inside the water if you’re not a fan of plants.

Try visiting the Dal Lake in the evening. The pleasant evening wind, the Royal Shikara ride, and the floating markets will give you the other world feels! I got a trinket or two from these floating markets. While the products are all cute and artist-y, displaying the best of your bargaining prowess is highly recommended!

2. Carpet Factory

To be honest, I wasn’t really sure if we should have visited this place, but looking back now, I’m glad we did. Watching the hand-made carpets being made by the artists and learning about the process are things that I proudly boast of today!

SONMARG

Sonmarg is a mountainous area situated about 50 kms away from Srinagar. Now, after seeing snow, and witnessing meadows and greenery, I was eagerly waiting to see what Sonmarg had to offer. And it offered Glaciers! 

We visited the Thajwas Glacier. Does the name sound complicated? No worries, let’s call it the Bajrangi Bhaijaan glacier. Why so, you ask? Well, the finale border scene was shot at the base of this glacier with the Sindh River adjacently flowing.

A piece of advice: Do not forget to wrap yourself well in layers for Sonmarg. And especially, take something for those ears of yours. This place is even colder than Gondola!

THIS place + Masala Bhutta + Garam Chai & Parle G + Maggi = I’m not going back home, EVER!

THAT pretty much brings me to the end of my Kashmir travelogue. But wait, I missed out a very, very significant part here -The Adventure sports!

Those are a story for some other day. Now, kindly excuse me, I am all sappy and teary-eyed in Kashmir’s reminiscence.

Someone take me back to that place, please?

I still haven’t unpacked my bags. I swear! Ask my mom if you don’t believe me.