Everybody deserves a break from their normal routine life in order to rejuvenate and be free from the hustle-bustle of daily life. My trip to Kashmir, which was no less than heaven on Earth, was one of the most memorable trips of my life. It made me disconnect from worldly ties for a few days and helped me admire the unending beauty of nature.
Our journey started in Srinagar where we did some local sightseeing. The food in Srinagar was extremely delicious and the people we met were extremely warm and comforting. We saw the Manasbal garden, the Dal Lake, and a few temples. The most beautiful place in Srinagar was the Dal Lake. I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to stay in a houseboat with my family for a night. Even though it was extremely cold, the beauty of the lake and the view that we saw from our houseboat had actually over-compensated the chills we were getting due to the low temperature. The houseboat had all the possible facilities we could think of. The owner was extremely kind and he made sure everything was available to you right on time. We also saw the floating markets in Dal Lake while we were enjoying our Shikara ride (A famous ride on the boat in Dal Lake). Those floating markets had items ranging from shawls to shoes and perhaps each and everything that had the potential of easily grabbing our interest.
After exploring Srinagar, we went to Sonamarg the next day. Sonamarg is considered to be one of the most beautiful places in Kashmir. We visited various points there, but the most significant among those was the ‘zero-point’. It was extremely exciting for us to be able to see mountains covered up in snow and the people sitting on stools drinking the popular Kashmiri drink, also known as the Kahwa, and eating Maggi and delicious pakoras along with it. The experience was nothing short of a dream. We took numerous photographs of ourselves and of the beautiful view that we could see from there, but honestly, I don’t think any number of photographs could have ever done justice to the beauty of those snow–covered mountains. We stayed in this mesmerizing and freezing cold place for a while and made many snowmen until it was time for us to finally say goodbye to this mesmeric place.
The next place we visited was Gulmarg. The ‘Gondola ride’ of Gulmarg which made us completely engrossed in the beauty of the place, was definitely the highlight of our day. The first phase of the Gondola ride allowed us to see the beauty of Kashmir from a great height. We were also lucky enough to see the snow-covered mountains again. We also visited the five-star property, The Khyber Hotel there. We had a meal and stayed on the property for the rest of the day. This property of Gulmarg is definitely worth visiting and no one should miss visiting this place! It consisted of extremely comfortable rooms and delicious food amount countless other things that made us feel extremely happy as well as satisfied.
My trip to Kashmir which is definitely Heaven on Earth was one of the most unforgettable trips ever. The fact that I had to leave this place, which already felt like home to me was extremely saddening. It was as if I didn’t want to come back to normalcy, and just be immersed in the beauty of nature, always!
I am truly and immensely grateful to have gotten the opportunity to visit this place. I made unending memories on this trip, which shall always be with me.