Truly Heaven on Earth

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June 14th 2010

Published: June 30th 2010

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Shakirah

Front view

Floating on Dal Lake on a shikara

Really been neck-deep in work, but I will emerge alive, insyaAllah. Hard to believe that I was in India last December. And oh yes, friends, I will be in Vietnam end of July till end of August, so yes, fantastic entries are underway!

So, the previous entry saw us going through Agra, the place which held one of the greatest symbols of love, the Taj Mahal. It's been an eye-opening experience, just one that I know is simply so amazing that I don't think I can ever forget in this lifetime, or in the next, for that matter. I've also chronicled my journey through Jaipur the Pink City, and guess what friends? We are going through Kashmir today, yay to that!

Before I left for India, I was initially very skeptical of the various 'dangers' that we would face when we are in India, especially so for Kashmir. I've heard about the conflicts of interest which exists in this part of the world, of how much people are fearing for their lives in Kashmir. I've read news about suicide bombers, and really, if you are cautious traveler, you would tend to try to stay away from controversial places lest

Chinar Tree

Can be found easily in Kashmir

you are at the wrong place at the wrong time. But then again, you would not be able to experience places like Kashmir. It is definitely true when they say that Kashmir is truly heaven on earth. It is like the Switzerland of the East, what with the lakes and the mountains. But because I made a trip to Kashmir in winter, the flowers were not in full bloom, so I made a vow to myself that one day, I would go to Kashmir in Spring with my husband, insyaAllah. Perhaps for our honeymoon. =)

But, back to the topic of interest. See, it was a rather huge shock for us when we arrived from Delhi to Kashmir. First reason was because the temperature in Delhi was a mild 18 deg C, so we were still able to handle the temperature really well. It's like sitting in an air-conditioned room, that's all. So we were quite skeptical to hear that we have to wear extremely cold winter clothings in Kashmir because of the drastic drop in temperature. And lo and behold, when we touched down in Kashmir, the temperature was 5 deg C! That could surely have caught you

Notice outside Jamia Mosque

Read carefully on what's written. Not the law, yet is important

offguard, considering the fact that I thought Delhi and Kashmir are close. HAHA.

Saw a lot of soldiers (army people) in the airport. However, because of the strict rules, we were not allowed to have our cameras with us because the security is rather tight there. Understandably so because this is Kashmir we are dealing with. Of course the army would take extra precautions in order to prevent any mishaps from happening, right? So, as of now, and possibly never, I could only hold the image of the Kashmir airport in my mind, and not show in pictures. Unfortunately though, I am never patient with airport security. Maybe it's because I expect things to be done efficiently, but what I fail to understand is that sometimes, there are extra precautions which the airport staff have to take to ensure that their territory stays safe.

Finally got out of the airport after waiting for about three hours or so. And oh yes, we were very hungry. We can't wait to check into the hotel. My first unforgettable experience in Kashmir was when I realized that there are fighter planes flying above me, and they have smoke coming out of

Jamia Mosque

Check out the sharp roof!

their engines/bums/whatever you call the opening at the tail end of the plane. It made me scared, frankly, because I was hoping that nothing would happen. Thankfully though, we managed to spot our jeep drivers (we used a jeep as the main mode of transportation because the roads were bumpy and we were travelling on terrain areas), who loaded the luggage on top of their jeeps. I was afraid that the roof of the jeep would cave in, especially since there are heavy luggage sitting on top of it.

The wind was cool, and it was a welcome sight from the industrialization areas of Delhi. The locals were very friendly as well, and the sight of soldiers lining the roads were a welcome sight because I actually felt safer than anywhere else.

After travelling for about 30 minutes and absorbing the initial sights of Kashmir, we arrived at a lake. I think it is part of Dal Lake. Saw a lot of houseboats (and then thought to myself, we are living on a boat?) owned by different families. Decided to stay on Yaadgar Group of Houseboats. The owner (I assume his name is Mr Yaadgar) owns three houseboats

Jamia Mosque Prayer Hall

The mosque was made entirely of wood

and a kitchen. And his house is just located on the land behind the houseboats, and it is HUGE, I tell you. Bigger than my house. Oh this man is definitely rich!

Living on a houseboat is far from shaky. In fact, it was so stable and I didn't even think in the least bit that it might move. I've had visions of sleeping on one end of the Dal Lake, and waking up at the other end. And of course, if the weather was a bit more forgiving, I would have slept at the sofa located at the balcony of the boat. However, once I dipped my finger into the lake, it could probably freeze. It was that cold.

Checked into the houseboat, and had a very hearty meal of dum aloo (baby potatoes with spices), rice (yay my fave!), some veggies and meat. Yummy! Of course, everything tastes nice when you are hungry, isn't it?

After the meal, took a little trip around the quaint town of Kashmir. It's in the evening, and people were just coming out of their homes after the evening prayers. I have to say, the intrigue that they were displaying

Jamia Mosque Mihrab

Where the Imam would stand to lead the prayers

when they saw us is quite interesting. Sure, there and then, we really felt that we were foreigners in a land which is not frequented by tourists.

Made a little visit to the mosque, which was originally a Buddhist temple. This is because the roof was triangular-shaped instead of the usual dome which is a prominent feature of mosques. And I have to say, even with the socks on, it still is very cold in the mosque! And the floor was carpeted at that! I think that's quite a bit of the down thing for us. We couldn't appreciate the full beauty of the mosque because most of us (except the photogs) were busy trying to keep ourselves warm. In my opinion, it definitely wasn't a good idea to visit Kashmir in winter if you are not used to extreme cold. Fortunately though, I managed to hop a little here and there to keep myself warm and tried my best to appreciate the mosque. God bless gloves! 😱

After the trip to the mosque, we made a trip to the other grand mosque in Kashmir. It is very colourful, I must say. Lots of intricate drawings, quite unlike

Jamia Mosque Grand Door

The big wooden door that creaks when you open it

your ordinary mosque, which would typically be rather monotonous, if you have ever visited Singapore. The entire mosque was made of wood, no cement whatsoever. Therefore, it is a great wonder as to how it was still able to stand as a structure for quite long periods of time.

After exposing ourselves to the bitter cold temperatures in Kashmir, it was time to call it a day because, well, the sun had set. "It's going to be really cold at night. I better put on my fluffy woolen socks,"I thought.

The next day, I went for a shikara ride! I had originally thought that we are going to be in the shikara for about 10 minutes or so, but when the shikara rider did not indicate that he was going to stop anytime soon, I began to worry. But the worries subside as soon as I found out that we are taking a shikara ride to Nigeen and Dal Lake. It's pretty awesome! Along the way, there were people selling their merchandises on their very own shikaras, and they can be rather insistent and persistent in getting you to purchase their merchandises. Because of the fact that there

Scene outside Jamia Mosque

A rather interesting sight

are no gates or coverings on the shikara whatsoever, it may come across as a bit of a culture shock. You see, you may feel that you are being attacked on all sides because firstly, once a shikara rider comes to you, the rest of the people selling their merchandises would come towards you as a potential buyer. Therefore, from your right and left, people will try to get you to buy your merchandises. Hence, just take them all in good faith. They are all there to earn a living. Just like the man who suddenly comes into your houseboat during breakfast and settles his merchandises down on the floor of the living room of the houseboat in the hopes of getting you to purchase them. They are all there to earn a decent living, so what's a little help, eh? I assure you, you will definitely feel great after helping them by purchasing their merchandises, insyaAllah. It was a beautiful ride around the lakes. People were at home, and they were kind enough to wave. I still remembered clearly how this three group of friends were playing with stones, and when they saw us passing by their home, they

A Colourful Mosque

Pardon me, but I can't quite recall the name of this mosque

ran to the edge of the land to wave to us and even gamely posed for a photo. Often times, I know that it is not the places but rather the people who have made my holidays simply wonderful.

Stopped by at the papier mache factory. Apparently, that is one of the main things that Kashmir is really known for. The man who owned the factory showed us how it's done. Although I can't remember the exact step, what I can remember most clearly that one gotta exercise a ton of patience in order to produce a single papier mache masterpiece! Needless to say, lots of papier mache pieces were bought at the shop just beside the little factory, among which, plate coasters.

Shalimar Gardens was up next. One word: Beautiful. I can imagine how it would look like in spring. It would be an inspiration to a poet, it would be a beautiful piece of drawing to an artist, and it would be the rhymes of love for lovers. The name befits the atmosphere which the garden gives you. Shalimar in itself means love. Love Gardens. How apt. Saw a couple of people who were trying on

Man in Mosque

The basket is warm. They would tuck the basket under their robes and hug them underneath to keep themselves warm.

the Kashmiri traditional dress. It is very elaborate, I assure you. However, because it was close to sunset, we could only afford to snap away at our cameras without trying on that dress. I think it would probably have taken us more than 15 minutes to dress ourselves. As it is, the temperature was freezing cold and it's safe to say that we are all seeking hot refuge.

After which, made our way to the nearby Nishat Gardens. I realized that Kashmir does have a number of outstanding gardens that would just make your mouth go 'WHOA!' in spring. In winter, needless to say, there were no flowers, but 'it's a different type of beauty', as my mum would phrase it. Beauty does not necessarily equate to flowers per se. Even seeing snow on mountains can make you go, "SubhanAllah." Seeing military installations on the way to Gulmarg would make you go, "MasyaAllah." And the list is endless. Nishat Gardens is just splendid in its own right. =) I enjoyed it so.

We thought that it would be the end of the day because it was already sunset and we can hear and see people making their way

View of Interior of colourful mosque

Intricate and colourful details. Quite unlike your ordinary mosque.

to the mosques for Maghrib. I honestly thought that we were going to call it a day. Little did I know that the ladies in my family had something else in mind: Carpets. As usual. It's like, when we were in Iran, we bought carpets. Now we're in Kashmir, and we're still buying carpets. Oh well. I tried telling myself that when I grow up, I would love carpets. Now that I think about it, carpets do make wonderful home accessories.

But I digress. We went to a carpet warehouse, where they have one piece available per carpet, so, really, those are truly limited edition pieces. The owner of the carpet warehouse as well as his four assistants rolled out carpet after carpet after carpet. It just gets better and better and better! Of course, with no purchasing power, I was left to gawk at carpets and just walk on them and feel the texture of the carpet on my feet. It felt like I was walking on clouds. That's how smooth they can feel on your feet, trust me! None of the sharp fibers whatsoever. And I survived the Carpet Warehouse! Three hours later, with many carpets in

Yaadgar Houseboat

One of the few houseboats owned by Mr Yaadgar

tow, we are finally out of the warehouse. Apparently, our jeep drivers were in the other room, watching soccer. HAHAH. I was afraid that they might freeze out in the cold. As it is, the jeeps took a long time to start up. We were worried that the engine has jammed or something, haha!

The next day, we went to Gulmarg! It's a modest ski resort, but the view of Gulmarg (and there onwards) is just MasyaAllah beautiful! It was quite a fair bit of distance to Gulmarg from Dal Lake (where we stayed at), and we saw plenty of military installations. All in all, I was quite excited because frankly speaking, this was the day that I've been waiting for!

At Gulmarg, we stayed at Heevan Retreat (I'm not sure if they wanted to call it Heaven Retreat). Which is this Gingerbread-looking hotel, kind of like a cottage. The best thing was that they had electric blankets which would definitely keep you warm. However, upon checking in, I realized that my body temperature had shot up a fair bit. Uh-oh, fever's coming. And hence, I couldn't fully enjoy my first day at Gulmarg. Alhamdulillah, I got better

View of Dal Lake

Early in the morning at 7am

and was able to partially-enjoy skiing at the mountain resort (my first time skiing!!), playing with the snow, and walking round the resort where I ran into many risks of 'skidding' on the ground. It was THAT slippery. Note to self: bring snow boots the next time.

All in all, it was a pleasant experience to Kashmir, and I would most definitely want to go there again. Most probably in spring, insyaAllah.

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