Slow traveling is what I truly experienced when I visited Kashmir . I had plans to cover three regions but ended up only visiting Pahalgam due to a project. However, I spent one week just in Pahalgam . The first day I reached Pahalgam , I checked in at the Hotel Himalayan House, Laripora which was on the banks of the Lidder river. A room with a riverview was a great start .
The next day I walked through the lanes of Laripora village and came across some old yet beautiful wooden houses , horses grazing by the river side, corn fields and the golf course. Later I visited the deer park . I was mesmerized with the view of the tall pine trees . Clicked pictures with some locals who had come from Ananthnag . And ended by eating maggi by the lidder river.
The next day I visited the usuals suspects of Pahalgam like Betab valley , Baisaran also known as mini Switzerland of Kashmir and Aru valley. However what makes these visits unusual is what happens in between these landscapes and that’s what makes the journey memorable. The stories, drinking fresh cold water from sheeshnag river, smiling kids , all add to the experience which makes the journey unusual , unexpected and unique.
The best part of the trip was being invited for Eid by a local family . It was a pleasant coincidence to have visited during Eid. Not only did I eat home made local food like Mutton Yakni, chicken curry, paneer curry , but we got some mehendi done, and danced to some bollywood numbers and learnt some local songs. Couldn’t ask for a more special day!
All’s well that ends well. The last day of my trip I stayed at a boathouse on Dal lake and sand the Kashimiri local song that one of the locals had taught me – KATYU CHUKH NUND BANE…
