Day 1: Reached Katra by around 9 in the morning which is roughly 2 hours drive from Jammu. Every devotee has to register himself/herself the moment he reaches Katra. Register as in: name, place from where you have come. After that one can start their trek towards the holy shrine which is about 14 to 15 kms from the base camp. The road is very steep and takes 3 to 4 hours on an average to complete by walk. One can avail ponies if they want. Throughout the route you'll have to undergo mandatory frisking procedures which is quite irritating especially if you are carrying a baggage. You cannot carry any leather articles (belt, watches) inside the shrine, so better to not to carry one. Another helpful tip is that, avoid climbing stairs while going up. It is more tiring than walking on the normal flat road. Also after the Ardh-Kuwari shrine there are two routes to the main shrine. Take the new one, which is flatter and easier to tread. The old route is very demanding and not advised.
Day 2: Reached Srinagar by taking a taxi from Katra. It charges around Rs. 3800 for three in a Tata Sumo. We had our rooms booked in advance in a boat house. Booking in advance has several advantages and disadvantages. Advantages are that: you can simply land up in kashmir wihout any worries and occupy the rooms. Disadvantages: you'll have to pay more than the usual price. Yes it happened with us. We had to pay almost double the cost which the other familes paid who had hired the room after they landed in kashmir.
Typical interiors of a boat house on Dal lake
Dal lake
Boat house from the outside
On Shikara with a Kashmiri Old man who was our mobile guide.
We went for the Shikara ride on Dal lake in the morning. Many other shikaras would dash into yours to sell Saffron, jewelleries and what not. Don't entertain them if you want to actually enjoy the pleasant boat ride. The ride usually lasts for 2 to 3 hours. And in the second half of the day we could visit the Mughal gardens(five of them). Shalimar, Chashme Shahi, Pari mahal, Nishat Bagh and Harwan. We could also visit the shrine of Hazrat bal.
Shalimar Bagh: One of the Mughal gardens.
Day 3: Left for Pahalgam early in the morning. Reached by around 12 or so. You have 4 main places to visit nearby Pahalgam. One is the Aaru Valley which is beautiful and also its besides the Lidder river where you can go for White water rafting. Believe me, they charge Rs. 250/- for the rafting and it was a life time experience. With that cold water splashing on you all the time. Cold as in 4 or 5 deg C. And this was in summer.!!
Aru Valley
The lidder river. You can see the violently gushing water..!
Day 4: After Aru Valley it was time for the real Kashmir treat. We hired a pony to climb the hill and could see the Kashmir valley. It was superb..!! I am not getting any adjectives to actually express it. From there again we went to the Dabian valley and then one more spot (don't remember the name). Another tip on selecting the right pony. Try and avoid the young looking ponies. They are not stable during the climb and the older ones are very stable and you won't feel the jerks. In fact I had the bad luck of falling off from my pony as it was trying to overtake the other and doing all sort of mischieves.
Kashmir valley.
Day 5: Reached Srinagar airport and took a flight to Delhi.
Jammu & Kashmir is still very sensitive. I mean you'll find the military men at every 100 meters distance. It is supposedly for the safety of locals. They don't harrass outsiders either unless you are not able to prove your identity.
In all it was one wonderful break that I took from the hectic work schedule back in Mumbai. Need more such breaks for every two months :)
