Kashmir

For the summer vacations, we had decided to go to Kashmir. This was about five years ago (time slips so fast!) so pardon me for any mistakes or misinformation. We had taken a flight from Delhi to Srinagar.

View from my window seat.

Our driver took us to our guest house in Manasbal (which was about an hour and a half’s drive away from Srinagar.) Manasbal is known for the Manasbal Lake, which is so deep that nobody has been able to measure the true depth of the lake, as the locals said. I believe that the place was, although so beautiful, yet so forgotten that nobody had cared. Kashmir had the Dal lake to boast after all.

We enjoyed the scenic beauty, and ate lamb kebabs. I don’t know if I should mention this in my blog so explicitly, but being a North Indian myself, this is a warning to all fellow North Indians: Do not try non vegetarian food in Kashmir. Just do not. Not even the Wazwan, the Kashmiri delicacy, not even from the best restaurant. You have been warned! (I heartily apologize if any reader feels differently, or finds this write-up offensive.)

We also met a beautiful Kashmiri family there who were cutting grass for feeding their animals.

The Mother.

The daughter.

Isn’t our guest house amazing?

The next day, we headed with our driver, MD, to Hazratbal, where the locals say that a strand of hair of Hazrat Sallalahu Alliyi Wasallam, or Prophet Muhammad, and many other relics of his are kept. It was located near Dal Lake.

We also visited the Shalimar Bagh, which had flowers of literally every colour present on earth, and created by God Almighty. Trust me, everyone found their match, and got pictures clicked!

That is my mom, by the way.

We were very tired, so the next day, we visited the Chashme Shahi, where people were bringing and drinking fresh water from the natural spring. Some locals told us that it brought good health to the people. Some tourists told us it brought prosperity. I had it too; it tasted very normal to me and nothing ‘prosperous’ has happened to me yet. (Yet.)

We also went to the Dal Lake to sit in the beautiful boats, and decided against renting a houseboat or ‘Shikara’ because the huge lake was beautiful, very charming indeed, but boring. There are hills surrounding the lake, and the bustling town surrounds the beautiful lake. We ate food in a restaurant called “Delhi Da Dhaba,” apparently the only food outlet that helped me survive in Kashmir.

Early in the morning we headed to Sonamarg, which took us a very long time to reach since the roads were so picturesque I literally asked our driver to stop at every five minutes to click pictures. Initially he was very willing, but later he treated me as a nuisance, and grew very reluctant. Hence, I had to take pictures from my car window. And I did not own a DSLR back then. Sad story.

Sonamarg was very beautiful. It was June, so there were many tourists. We hired coats, and boots (you can also bring your own) and instead of hiring horses, decided to trek up ourselves. The track was common for horses and humans so it felt like a medieval path with horses trotting beside you. It had rained, and unfortunately, all the dirty snow had come down. Hence, when we reached we got to click pictures in the brown snow.

We were very tired, but still headed for Gulmarg the next day. The Gulmarg “gondola” as the locals call it, or the ‘ropeways’ as the world knows it, is the major tourist attraction there. Warning: Pre-book your two phase to and fro gondola tickets from Srinagar itself. You can also do it online now. The queues are staggering, and we had a very terrible experience in there. There is a time period for which you can use the ropeways, so, thanks to the long queues, by the time we had reached the first phase, the second was shut down. I still have a craving for going there one day.

The second phase is a great skiing spot, and you can also see the border from there; but I have not been there.

Heading to Pahalgam the next day, I was still upset about the Gulmarg episode. But Pahalgam was even more charming! We met my friends Shirin and Sanya, who too had, by chance been in Pahalgam, and staying in a beautiful guest house. They took me to a little zoo above their cottage, where I clicked pictures of animals!

Right picture, wrong focus.

In Pahalgam, you have to hire horses. They charge according to the number of spots they show you. We decided to visit all of the spots, as a result, they charged us pretty high. But it was a BLUFF. In reality, there was only ONE spot, Baisaran. The locals call it ‘the Switzerland of India.’ It was very, very, very, very and very beautiful. Worth all the ass-aching horse ride, and worth all the money. Baisaran is worth all the time in your world! It is a relief to the eyes!

Baisaran

During our return, we decided to sit beside the rocks. We met a few children there, who were locals, and told us that they shot in the movie ‘Rockstar’ starring Ranbir Kapoor for a song. I clicked them too!

My father also met his friend, a local, and we visited a Kashmiri home! (A true traveller experience!)

My brother, Danish, is on the extreme left.

Here are some other pictures that I clicked, and I think are worth uploading:

Kashmiri dog, lazing around in the morning.

I should have blurred the background, but I am lazy.

Kerala Part 3- Alleppy and Kochi

My Kerala trip was pretty long.. I am realising this fact while I am typing this blog. This will be the third, and last (hopefully) in the Kerala blog series.

So we went on a long road trip to Alleppuzha, and let me tell you guys a travel secret: Always travel via road. Ride in an SUV, because that's comfortable, and don't use any social networking sites to show off where you are right now. Put on your earphones and turn on your favourite playlist. Observe the scenes, the people outside- that teaches you a lot about their culture. Often, I try to understand the hoardings in their languages, learning the basic symbols. (Not everyone can do that, I know. People say I am good at learning new languages, probably that's how I taught myself Russian and Turkish! Although I am not very confident about either, I can at least strike up a basic conversation. I am also fluent in four languages, so yeah. And English is my third language, so yeah. Just showing off)

When we reached Alleppuzha or Alleppy in short, the backwaters fascinated me. I remember telling our driver, Praveen, that he was very lucky he got to visit these places so often. And he's replied that you do not really explore the place you love in. Very true indeed- I live in Delhi and I have never visited the Jantar Mantar!

So we had hired a houseboat and had spent a night on it. Money saving tip- They are going to charge a lot initially, especially if you are foreigners. So pre-book houseboats through locals. Luckily, my dad had a Keralite friend who had done all the bookings for us. Thank you, Uncle George!

They served fresh fish and rice on the boat and it was yum! (That is, if you are tolerant to Indian spices) I was very excited because I had heard a lot about the backwaters, and the Vembanad lake! I mean, even the Kerala tourism logo boasts the backwaters. It truly is "God's Own Country." Then our boat was anchored to the sailor's home for the night (he lived on one of the small islands in the backwaters) and we saw a picturesque evening sunset. (I would have posted pictures but somehow all the pictures have been deleted. I will post them as soon as I can recover them.)

Reminder- Do not forget to take your mosquito repellent creams with you. You will be unable to spend the night without them. And if you hate bugs like grasshoppers, crickets and their croaking sounds, then the night can be a nightmare for you. You have been warned!

After the mesmerising houseboat trip we headed to Kochi- the capital of Kerala. Now. if you don't really like adventure, then you will love Kochi! It is a shopping destination where you can buy the famous Kanjivaram sarees that the south is known for. The LuLu Mall is a perfect destination, waiting for you! Other than that, it is just a very regular Indian metropolitan city, with Audi and Mercedes-Benz showrooms, and long hours of traffic jams. We were stuck in one and it took us four hours to return back to our hotel. From where?

The Marine Drive in Kochi is really famous, for what I do not know. After the Kovalam, Varkala beaches, and the beautiful backwaters, it was really a huge disappointment.

The next day, we headed to the Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica in Kochi. It was built by the Portuguese. I won't give any Wikipedia sort of information on the basilica, just that its architecture and designs were absolutely breath-taking. For a moment, I forgot that I was in India.

We also headed to the Paradesi synagogue in Kochi, which is one of the oldest in India. I don't know whether Jewish community still thrives there, but it is still active. God, I want to post pictures so badly, but I have to retrieve those. (Actually I recently changed to a new laptop, and during transferring my data, I lost a lot of memories.)

The evening was a bit more like Back-To-Kerala sort, because we attended a dance performance. The dance style is called Kathakali. The men wear heavy headgears, and put on heavy make-up. Their steps were very graceful, and we met a family from Iran besides us, who were very sweet and amiable. They too enjoyed the show.

Luckily (phew) I have the pictures of the dance!

And that's a wrap!

Kodaikanal- Kerala Part 2 (TN)

Actually I had to catch my train to Kolkata today, though unfortunately my train is three hours late and I am stranded at New Delhi Railway Station with my laptop. Stranded in the middle of crowds of people with a hot cup of chai and seated comfortably, I am writing, hoping to upload it as soon as possible.

With this I would like to continue my blog from where I had previously ended it. 

Kodaikanal
So from the beautiful sea, I set off towards the Western Ghats, the hills. I know Kodaikanal is in Tamil Nadu and not really in Kerala, but my trip was majorly based in Kerala hence the name.

 The temperature was cool when I had been there in March, about twenty degrees. The weather was mild, and there were a lot of viewpoints good for photography. But there was not much to see except hills and forests, like in all hills.

And of course, the pictures. Hills are heaven for photographers- we just never stop clicking.

 So this is one of the viewpoints that I had been to. And seriously, it was a scene that we often get to see in hills, I won't deny. But still, this picture was worth it. Don't you think?

 

Do not expect it to be like the Himalayan hills with little streams here and there, and whistling gullies flowing down. You will not certainly find them, since the rivers and streams in the South are seasonal and greatly depend on the rains. Luckily, I found one.

Then I went to this Pine Forest which was a tourist spot. Words cannot define it.

Then I went to see a park, and well, here are some pictures I took from there.

Nursery Of The Park

The Guna caves was the most fascinating. We had to walk a bit on a trail. It made you feel like a knight from the medieval ages, fighting dragons, and looking for gold. One can literally hear all sorts of birds coo, and I momentarily checked around for wild animals and beasts.

Well, then what? Some mediocre trekking for beginners.

Then we visited the Silent Valley, also called the Suicide Point. These names are so common around hills, eh?

Silent Valley

Then I discovered a beautiful walkway while strolling out of my hotel.

P.S. - I think I have to type a Kerala Part 3 as well.

Trivandrum and Kannyakumari- Kerala Part 1

I made this trip back in 2015, and honestly, everything was just worth it. And although one should begin their trip from Kochi, and end it at Trivandrum, with Kovalam and Varkala beaches, I started the whole way round. (I am not sure about the spellings though.)


Kovalam Beach

My resort was on the very beach itself, and faced the seaside. I suggest you to stay at that resort itself- Jeevan Resort. Kovalam beach actually consists of three crescent beaches. It is hence unique, and of course, peaceful and breath-taking. You can get all suntanned, and wet in sea water. There is a great selfie-spot up the rocks that you can climb- a mini-trek! Or you can watch the red and pink of the spectacular sunset. It is romantic, and worth a stay! 

Varkala Beach

This is a beach where the tour guides won't probably take you, and I heard it from some of my colleagues. If you do not visit this beach, well, your trip to Kerala is incomplete. The water is so blue that just by looking at it you will start jumping on your feet, desperate to go in for a swim! On a serious note, it is a good place to get suntanned. It takes about a 45-minute drive from Kovalam to Varkala, and then you have to climb down a flight of old stone stairs as well.

There are also many shops and stalls, and even hotels behind the beach. You can buy souvenirs, eat some great cuisine, and learn more about the culture of Kerala!

Vivekananda Rock

So I drove a long way to Kannyakumari after that, which is the southern-most point of India. It is a sangam  i.e. unity, in Hindi, of the Indian ocean, Bay of Bengal, and the Arabian sea. The sunset from this point is particularly famous. Unfortunately, the day I had been there, a cloud had overshadowed the sun, but still I managed to take a picture.

I had to take a streamer from the shore to the Vivekananda Rock, which is in the middle of the ocean. It is actually the place where Swami Vivekananda had meditated and talked to God before heading to Chicago. Well, that is the belief and the significance of the place.

A warning by the way- do not think of making any beautiful hairdos, because the sea winds are so overpowering yet fresh, that they turn your hair into a mess, and you have to take care of your clothes so that they do not make you lose your decency in public!

Meenakshi Temple

I had also paid visit to the Meenakshi temple. I had to leave Kerala for Tamil Nadu, in Madurai, but even Kannyakumari is in Tamil Nadu. The temple is known for the gold idol of a traditional Hindu Goddess. The temple is huge and beautiful. There are many carvings on the slopes, and the remarkable South-Indian architecture can be well-differentiated from the North-Indian and Mughal styles.

Taking a camera inside is not allowed, and you have to pay a good amount of money to take it in, along with your entry fee. Though, of course if you are a rule breaker, you will find it easy! The gold idol can be seen only from 4 in the evening. So be careful while planning your travel agenda.

I saw many women selling gajras in their straw baskets, so I decided to try them as well! The champa flowers, with their floral aroma. mesmerized my soul completely. It is not very expensive, so one should try such local amenities, and enjoy the little Indian things.

Padmanabhapuram Palace

This palace is on the way from Trivandrum to Kannyakumari. This palace has a very old history. Inside the palace, there were many narrow corridors. There were also many antique utility rooms, like washrooms, kitchens. One can get the essence of being a royal Southern aristocrat here. The entire palace was made of wood and natural produce. I had to walk barefoot, since wearing shoes was not permitted. The ground was so hot, I was walking on my toes. The feet-boiling part was painful, but the rest of the experience was fascinating.