Kashmir, Day 1: Srinagar & Dal Lake

Kashmir. It was such a giant experience with so many great photos, that beginning the task has been daunting. But I'll begin it anyway. Thanks for the gentle reminder, Ange.

Why did we choose to go to Kashmir, you ask? Why go to a state where there are more military police than civilians? Many thought it was a bad idea. Many (my mother) didn't realize what a bad idea it was. My friend Renuka who used to live there as a child has not been back since the 80's because it is no longer safe and not the same as she remembers. The state is part of the never-ending border fight between India and Pakistan. Currently, India is in charge, but only because of the massive military presence there.

The reasons we went are many. We hadn't been "trekking" (hiking) in India yet, and we wanted to see some mountains and do some of that fancy "sahib-style" camping we had read about where you backpack to remote areas with guides and horses so you don't have to carry stuff and your kids on your back. When we contacted a friend of ours who owns a trekking company, Mr. Nazir Rah, he said the only place we could go at this time of year that wasn't too hot or rainy was Kashmir. "Is it safe to go there?" we asked. "Of course! Things are very safe these days. There are thousands of tourists there from all over the world there every day." We hoped he was right.

So after some deliberation, we eventually ended up booking the tickets and going. After packing up everything we own in Delhi and staying in a guest house for a few nights, we were ready for a vacation with some cooler weather and lots of relaxation. We flew to Srinagar in a tiny plane, and almost immediately ran into some friends from Delhi--some journalists with their daughter who was one of my Musikgarten students. That made us feel better about being there. The next thing we noticed didn't make us feel all that safe: all the military people with camouflage and machine guns guarding every doorway and street.

We were met outside the airport by Mr. Rah's cousin-brother who spoke excellent English and took us to Dal Lake where our houseboat was. At the dock on Dal Lake there were dozens of shikara boats that take tourists to one of hundreds of houseboats lining the lake.
Apparently the British fell in love with Srinagar and wanted to buy land and build; when they were denied property, they built houseboats instead.
The shikara boats are amazing. All decked out with reclining seats and lots of cushions so you can lay out luxuriously while you glide through the water. Gorgeous.
Enjoying the calmness of it all.
Our strong and kind shikara driver was kind enough to let our boys try their hand at rowing. As Rich and I discovered later, steering one of these boats is no small feat!
As if the quiet ride lounging on cushions isn't luxurious enough, vendors stop by your boat every once in a while and offer you beautiful jewelry, scarves, leather, and snacks you can peruse at will, and they weren't nearly as pushy as the hawkers we have encountered in other tourist traps.
Along the lake there are shops selling scarves and clothing. It's like a little city with waterways and sometimes lots of traffic on the lake.
And a few houseboats reminding us of our home that awaits us in America . . .

Ahhh . . . No wonder Kashmir is legendary!

Kashmir, Day 2: Dal Lake & Mughal Gardens

On this day we took a sunny tour of the Mughal Gardens in Srinagar with our guide Mr. Tazir Rah. We got sunburns and then spent the afternoon relaxing on our houseboat.






Isaac feeling totally comfortable strolling with our guide


Playing in the fountains in the Mughal Gardens


Posing for the standard photo with Indian tourists (I always wonder what they say to their families and friends when they show the photo . . . "Look! White people just like from the American TV show Friends!")
The spice market where we bought some saffron before our guide decided it wasn't safe to wander around this market anymore

The gorgeous misty mountains viewed from Dal Lake
Isaac lounging on the deck of the houseboat
Stocking up on snacks through the Dal Lake "home shopping network," starting to worry about what our kids are going to eat for four days in the mountains
Reading The Horse & His Boy with Isaac on the front porch of our houseboat

The boat traffic just below our houseboat

Kashmir, Day 3: First Small Trek

Today we started actually trekking. We took a shikara ride from our houseboat to the shore where we met our guide from yesterday.
Then he took us to the travel agency across the street where our guide/cook whom we came to call Uncle-jee was busily packing stuff to take along. He was not a man of many words and very serious.
Our guide from yesterday waved goodbye, and we were off with two strangers (guide/cook Uncle-jee + driver) headed to the hills. Halfway there we stopped in a small village where the guide/cook bought some processed cheese slices and a couple of live chickens, much to our delight and surprise. The chickens traveled with us for two days before met their doom and ended up in our stomachs! We are truly city folks to be delighted by this very obvious form of food storage.
When we reached the trailhead, after some traffic and windy roads for several hours, we were met by three other men and two small packhorses.
While they were packing our stuff together to sling on the horses, Russell had his first big injury for the trip--he fell off a rock and landed on a broken plate lying on the ground. Thankfully, I'd carried along a big first aid kit I'd barely used in the three years since I bought it. I ended up using the kit many times on this trip, from treating sunburns to patching skinned knees to giving pain meds for the aches and pains of our guides.Ah, the many uses of a dupatta. I was very glad to have brought several lightweight scarves to protect my face and neck from the beating sun.
Our hike today was short but steep.
When we reached the beautiful clearing that was our destination, Uncle-jee made us a delicious lunch. Here's the guide/cook in his cook-tent with Graham and another guide Salaam keeping him company.
At this point we realized they had not brought any purified drinking water, but instead gave us glasses of water filled with "spring water" from the nearby spring. It looked clean enough, but I felt rather dubious about the whole thing. So Rich went back down to Sonamarg after our lunch on a horse and bought some water and sunscreen (Fair and Lovely Cream for Men!) to help us survive.

Oh, the views! Absolutely gorgeous. See the Thajiwas Glacier in the snow-covered mountains?
Would love to know what Graham thought of all this.
And where's Isaac? Let's hope he shows up in the next few days' pictures!

Kashmir, Day 4: Trekking to Sindh River

In many ways I felt like I'd left Delhi and time warped back to my childhood of hiking in the Rocky Mountains with my family. Here's Isaac & Graham on a horse led by Mr. Salaam. It was a day of constant horse-changing (Graham: "I don't wanna ride the horse. I want you to carry me!").
But I should note here that hiking in the Himalayas is not exactly like hiking in the Rocky Mountains, though the mountains themselves look very similar. The first major difference is the green grass everywhere that looks like it's been freshly mowed that you can flop down in as if you were in your neighborhood park.

It HAS been freshly mowed--by the cows and sheep and goats that roam around everywhere. And fertilized by the presents they leave in that beautiful grass! The other major difference is that you are never alone.
No, all of those animals have gypsy owners who herd them through the mountains during the warmer months and live in crude stone and mud homes built into the mountains. They are quiet folk, but not shy. More than once I'd turn around and one of them (usually a child) would be a few feet away and I hadn't heard them approach. This can become quite uncomfortable when you are searching for a place to relieve yourself!
Isaac spent a good amount of time on this trip whittling a walking stick with a pocketknife. Serious work for a serious boy!
Who needs toys when you have sticks (a.k.a. light sabres) and rocks?
Graham spent a lot of time at this camp spot playing in the stream that ran a few feet in front of our tents. Our guide/cook took his cooking very seriously, which meant that we had a lot of downtime while he was cooking. Complete relaxation. Another major difference: we were backpacking with almost no work.
Enjoying a DELICIOUS meal in the cook tent with our guides Uncle-jee, Salaam & Ram.
Each meal started off with a yummy vegetable soup with plenty of oil/ghee in it, and then was followed by rice and a vegetable dish or two and a meat or chicken dish. Then something for dessert. At this meal it was green mangoes!
Even if you're not packing your own stuff and cooking for yourself, hiking in the Himalayas can be pretty exhausting!