Covid has won the battle against our trip to Ladakh in 2020 and 2021 by surging the number of cases after we booked the flight tickets. In 2022, our confidence about the trip kept growing as our date of travel is coming closer. Though there were signs of increase in covid cases, the number was not high enough to impose restrictions. Relying on online research, we packed our bags with the list of things required to stay comfortable in Kashmir and Ladakh.
Finally, the day to board the flight to paradise on earth has come. Our flight is scheduled to take off at 7 AM from Hyderabad to Delhi, where we have a 2 hour layover. So we planned to reach the airport by 5.30 AM so that we can have breakfast and board the flight. But one of my friends’ wallet, which was kept behind a curtain, has ruined our plans of having breakfast at the airport. Not only that, it has made us board the flight on the final call. One of my friend’s forced us to book only Air Vistara, which helped us alleviate our hunger pains as the airlines offered breakfast as soon as it took off. The time for our first selfie of the trip came when we were 100% confident about the success of the trip. After 1.5 hrs layover at Delhi we boarded our Flight to Srinagar.
Srinagar
First shocker for the trip hit us even before landing in Srinagar, no pre-paid mobile network phone work in Kashmir and Ladakh. One of my friends knew it and got his mobile converted to postpaid two days before the journey. I am very relieved to know that my mobile won’t work for 7 days as I was desperately looking for a peaceful and memorable trip. From the airport, we proceeded to Sonamarg in a car arranged by the tour organizer. We were hoping to catch a glimpse of Srinagar but couldn’t as the ride was along the outskirts of the city. From the time we started from the airport till the point of halt, we found a soldier standing with a gun in his hand at every 250 meters. Not just them, we found soldiers hiding in old buildings and behind the trees and being vigilant of anything suspicious. En-route to Sonamarg, we took a break at a restaurant for lunch.
The second shocker, from the time of planning, I was worried about the difficulties I have to go through to find a restaurant which offers vegetarian food. I was surprised to find that the restaurant the driver chose is 100% vegetarian. When inquired, the driver mentioned that most of the restaurants there are 100% vegetarian. Though many in Kashmir are non-vegetarians, dependency on the tourists for income made the place cater to various segments of the country thereby establishing vegetarian outlets. We had phulka, paneer curry and Kashmiri pulao. Though the rice grains used are relatively bigger in size, the pulao tasted very good. The sight around the restaurant was very pleasant with mountains covering it from all directions. After pleasing our hunger bones, we proceeded to Sonamarg. Increasing beauty of the mountains around us never reminded us of sleep and it made our eyes wide open as we reached Sonamarg.
Sonamarg
We headed straight to Sonamarg valley instead of going to our place of stay. One has to travel 7 kilometers to the valley, riding on a horse is the most common way of transport. They charged us Rs. 3000 per person including boots and jacket. It was a bit more than they usually charge, tough bargaining can reduce it to Rs. 2500. Due to frequent rains, the route is completely covered with mud. Keep in mind, the route is through the mountains where one side is a hill and the other side is a deep valley. The horses are well trained to walk properly both on the middle of the pathway and on the edges. Seems like, most of the horses forgot the lessons on walking in the middle of the pathway so they walked only on edges, which were very slippery. Scariness has blinded us from enjoying the view for the first 15-20 minutes.
We reached the valley after around 45-50 minutes of ride. The valley is a wonderful place to be at, it seems like a narrow passage being protected by mountains all around. The view was enhanced by the snow on the mountains, reluctant to melt, and lines of clouds passing through them. Our eyes couldn’t fill their satiate even after hours of staring at the partially snow covered mountains. After enjoying the view and a cup of tea at the valley we rode back to the starting point and headed to our place of stay Sonamarg Inn. The place was very good, but the food and the reception were average.
Next morning offered us chilly weather and a spectacular view. After breakfast, we started to Kargil without realizing that a long day of travel was awaiting…!
Kargil
As we crossed Sonamarg and started climbing the first mountain, we found the view on one side amazing. Every time we ranked something as top in terms of the beauty it offers we encountered another one beating the previous one comprehensively. We requested the driver to stop so that we can enjoy the view and click a couple of pictures. He mentioned, this is nothing sir, give me 20 minutes of time, I will take you to another spot where the view boggles your mind.
In 20 minutes we reached the place where my interest in taking pictures plummeted. No camera in the world could capture the picturesque and the breathtaking view and no picture in the world can reproduce the experience of being there. That view and many following that made me realize why Kashmir is called “Paradise on Earth”. The rush we all have been going through in our daily lives has distanced the thought of being in a calm and peaceful location. That place offers all that is required to make your heartbeat slow down and brain nerves relax. It felt like I was in a different world.
After spending some time trying to engulf the view as much as possible, we headed towards Zojila pass, riding on which is considered to be an adventurous ride. The road is a narrow passage, with a hill on one side and a deep valley on the other. One car can go comfortably staying in the middle of the passage as the road was covered with stones and was slippery. But the skill the drivers possess helped two cars coming on opposite sides fit, with two tyres of one vehicle rolling over the edge. Not just that, overtaking other vehicles at high speeds seemed to be common. One of my friends sitting on the navigation seat shouted a couple of times out of fear when our car was going through the edge.
From Zozila pass one could see the village Baltal, the starting point of the last ascent during Amarnath Yatra. After an hour or so we reached the highest point, also known as Zero Point, on Zojila pass. An altitude of 11649 feet, cold weather combined with heavy winds make the place difficult for natural habitation. Fast paced work is in progress to build a tunnel at Zojila pass to enable commutation during heavy winters. The border between the newly formed union territories Kashmir and Ladakh lies on the Zojila pass. The beauty inviting us to engulf it made us take one more break after Zojila pass. We reached Kargil war memorial located at Dras after an hour, learned how infiltration happened and how far Pakistan soldiers trespassed.
We stopped at a very small hotel at Dras for lunch. Two of my friends tried Kashmiri Wazwan, as the name suggests it is famous in Kashmir. From what I understood, it is similar to our meals. The plate consists of rice with a choice of curry from the list provided. I ordered Kashmiri Khawa along with paratha and curry, as I was told that it is a type of tea. Kashmiri Khawa is a drink made with tea powder mixed in hot water with sugar and chopped almonds added to it. It would have been good if there was less sugar in it. While having lunch we learned that Dras is the second coldest inhabited place in the world.
We reached Kargil at around 4.30 PM, Kargil is a very small town and is one of the capitals of Ladakh. Leh is the other capital of Ladakh. Our stay was arranged at Royal Gasho, which seemed to be pretty ordinary. While looking out from the window of my hotel room, the architecture made me perceive that I am in some part of the Middle east. After freshening up we went to Parsas’s Kargil, which according to one of my friends, offers the best rolls. As per his suggestion and our anticipation, the rolls were very good. The time left is all for us to take much required rest.
Leh – Nubra – Pangong to Follow…..!
Good one. Keep it going.