Skywatch Friday - Dal lake in late afternoon

Dal lake is the Jewel of Srinagar. It is phenomenally picturesque. Especially in early summers when snow caped peaks provide a beautiful backdrop to the huge expanse of water. Dal is also the life line of Srinagar. Kashmiris life is entwined with it. Be it the houseboats or Shikaras or the morning floating markets......

The boulevard along the lake must rank as the most picturesque drive in the country. It was around 

3 PM when we landed in Srinagar on our way to Ladakh. The flight was delayed by half an hour. We asked our driver Mushtaq to take us to a tea shop to savour Kashmir chai - the salt tea of Kashmir. 

We did not want to miss out driving on the boulevard along the lake and asked Mushtaq to take us along. Though this was our second visit to Kashmir, we were awestruck at the enormity of the lake. When we drove to other end of the lake on our way to Sonamarg, we had to stop to clic this picture.

The late afternoon sun had list up the mountains. Its reflections in the water was disturbed by few ducks. Click on the pictures to see them in original size.

A Panoramic shot of the lake

Dal Lake in early Summer - Photo Courtesy Satty Dey

For more stories on Kashmir and Srinagar, you may click on the following posts

Spectacular Srinagar 1 - Floating Market on Dal lake

Spectacular Srinagar 2 - Lullaby on Dal Lake!

Spectacular Srinagar 3 - Magnificent Mughal Gardens!

Yusmarg - The hidden wonder of Kashmir

Road trip Vignettes - Saffron fields of Kashmir

Monday Medley - Kashmiri chai and Buttered buns

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Monday Medley - Kashmiri chai and Buttered buns!

Monday Medley - A potpourri of interesting experiences, articles, posts from fellow bloggers which we liked, books we loved, interesting images of fellow travellers or images from our own portfolio. We hope it will be a good start to the week ahead...... 

When we read about the devastation caused by floods in Kashmir, our hearts went out to those who had lost their lives and whose life has been badly affected. At the same time, it also brought back fond memories of interacting with these fine people known for their courtesy and hospitality.

It was a sunny day when we got down in Srinagar airport on our way to Ladakh last month. We were surprised and asked  Mushtaq our driver why Srinagar was hot and humid? Mushtaq replied that rains were delayed in Kashmir this year which has had resulted in hot and sultry Srinagar.

As we left airport, we started talking about how the tourism season had been and other sundry subjects. Invariably the food was the next topic in our discussion. We spoke about our drinking of "Kashmiri chai" in Lal Chowk on a hartal day in August, last year. Dipping crispy "puffs" in "Kashmiri salt tea" and eating them was a delicious experience.

"So, you like Kashmir salt tea?" Asked Mushtaq.

"Yes"

"Ok, i will take you to a good place where you can savour the chai."

He turned the car towards tourism reception centre. In front of that is the taxi stand. Inside the taxi stand, Mushtaq led us to the "Chai shop". It looked like a popular place for everyone who wished to savour tea and exchange words. Few men were sitting on the bench talking in Kashmiri and sipping the chai.

Courtesies exchanged, the chaiwallah asked whether we want normal chai or Kashmiri chai. Kashmiri we replied. He prepared three cups of tea. Pink in colour and salty in taste. As we took the glass of tea, we saw him giving out Kashmir bun smeared with butter.

Ready to sip! 

Preparing buttered bun

We also ordered three buns with butter. Dipping that in the chai and eating was just what was ordered for a hungry stomach which was starving since morning.

If you go to Srinagar, one of the "must experience" is to sip the "Kashmiri Chai" along with butter smeared buns.

We have not been able to speak to Mushtaq ever since the floods affected the city of Srinagar. We are sure that the "Chai shop" would have flooded too. We hope and pray Mushtaq and the "Chaiwallah" are safe and once the things settle down, chaiwallah will start his shop once again.

Till then, the taste of Kashmiri Chai will linger on.

For other Gourmet experiences on our travel, please check this link in this blog

Food Safari

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Skywatch Friday - Monsoon skies in Kashmir

This blog is celebrating Indian monsoon in the last few posts. 

We have written about monsoon magic in the western ghats. How does this magic transform the mountains in North India? In the Himalayas?

We had a first hand experience last year when we went to Kashmir to trek the great lakes. Landing in Srinagar, we had to travel to Sonmarg in a bus. We were a large group taking this trek. Rains had lashed the Kashmir valley in the previous weeks. We were keeping our fingers crossed even as we looked at the overcast sky.

Leaving the narrow roads of Srinagar behind, we headed towards Sonmarg, our camp for the night. A drive for an hour, we are in the middle of rural Kashmir. We parked the bus next to a Dhaba for a tea break. It was bang on the bank of Indus river which was flowing full. Around the river were green fields of paddy. Stretching for miles. Disturbed only by rows of poplar trees.

We walked around the area to feel the fresh air and savour lovely vistas. Here are some pictures. Click on them to see in original size.

Monsoon is a lovely season to visit Kashmir. No crowds. Streams and waterfalls rolling down the hills. Clouds kissing the mountains. Yes, you will not be able to see the snow capped peaks. That will be an excuse to come back again either in autumn or summer.

Because, you will never be tired of Kashmir!

Here is a list for celebrating Indian monsoon in all its glory. Click on the link below.

Celebrating Indian Monsoon - A List!

We invite you to check out the following posts on our Kashmir experience.

Spectacular Srinagar 1 - Floating market on Dal Lake

Spectacular Srinagar 2 - Lullaby on Dal and Nagin lakes!

Spectacular Srinagar 3 - Magnificent Mughal gardens

Yusmarg - the hidden wonder of Kashmir

You may also take a look at other posts under Skywatch series here

Skywatch Friday

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Road Trip Vignettes - Saffron Fields of Kashmir!

On the way back from Srinagar to Jammu, our driver Abdul stopped for a few minutes on the roadside and showed us these tilled fields. He asked us to guess what would be planted there. We blabbered some names of cereals or vegetables.

Abdul was not amused and said it would be SAFFRON. We were zapped as we had never seen Saffron fields. "Red Gold" as it is called, Kashmir is one of the largest producer of Saffron in the world. We were in Pampore town known as "Saffron Town" which produces 80% of Kashmir Saffron on Srinagar - Jammu highway. The Saffron of Kashmir is regarded as high quality and gets very good price. For people of Pampore and surrounding regions, it is a lifeline.

We could not see the flowers as they normally bloom in October in Autumn when these fields would be carpeted with lovely lavender flowers. Autumn is a excellent season to visit Kashmir and visiting these Saffron fields and seeing how they harvest it will be icing on the cake.

If you are driving on Srinagar - Jammu highway during the months of October - November, stopover at Pampore to enjoy these Saffron farms.

Postscript - The Pictures with flowers are downloaded from web.

If you want to read interesting vignettes captured on our Road trips, you may click here

Road Trip Vignettes

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Skywatch Friday - Dal lake from Sky!

Our journey in Kashmir continues in this blog. After our experience of boat ride on Dal lake, here was a chance to go up in the sky!

When we arrived at the jetty, we saw this huge Helium balloon opposite the lake in Zabarwan park. Muzaffar, our driver told us that one can enter the balloon and it will take you up in the sky for a panoramic view of Dal lake and surroundings. We thought that it will be like travelling in a hot air balloon which would give us an opportunity see the landscape of Srinagar.

It was only when we came to ticket counter that we realised that it was a stationary balloon which goes up and comes down after few minutes in the sky. It wasn't the movable type. Nevertheless, we wanted to give a try and bought tickets.

The balloon up in the sky

A white big balloon - known as "Kashmir eye" locally - tied with a thick central rope and a number of colourful ropes from its sides that holds a big basket. This balloon is tied to a base through a strong cable and is pulled back with the help of a powerful winch. Cables beneath the balloon suspend the “basket” or capsule with a carrying capacity of 4 to 5 people. We had to wear a belt on our abdomen which is tied with the hooks on the sides of this basket. A red flag in the basket can be waved in case the balloon needs to be pulled down and an extra rope (rescue rope) which can be thrown down in case of emergencies like high wind. The Balloon is cable controlled by vigilant and trained staff. It goes up 100 to 120 meters where the balloon moves around the park with wind for a panoramic view of Dal Lake, Shankaracharya hill and downtown area.

The experience was not bad. The panoramic view of Dal lake and the hills was really good though we could not see mountains due to cloudy weather. Unfortunately, the tall poplar trees mar the visibility to some extent. Alternatively the balloon has to rise higher and above the height of these trees for better view.

Lovely view of Dal lake from the sky!

The Mountains as backdrop of the park

It may not be like a London eye or Singapore Flyer. It is not bad either. At Rs 500 a ticket, the cost of the ticket may look little steep. But it is good fun, especially if there are kids around. 

Try it once when you go to Srinagar next.

If you want read more about our experiences in Kashmir, you may look at the following posts

Yusmarg - Hidden wonder of Kashmir!

Spectacular Srinagar 1 - A Floating market on Dal lake!

Spectacular Srinagar 2 - Lullaby on Dal Lake!

Spectacular Srinagar 3 - Magnificent Mughal Gardens!

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Srinagar 3 - Magnificent Mughal Gardens!

What is Srinagar without its majestic Mughal Gardens of Shalimar Bagh, Nishat bagh and 

Chashm-e-Shahi! If Dal lake is the life line of Srinagar, these gardens epitomises the grandeur of the city.  The great Moghuls have left for us a legacy of these gardens. Srinagar being their summer capital, they built these wonderful gardens modelled on great gardens of Persia.

After finishing lunch and resting for a while, we were at the mercy of Muzaffar. He is fond of Srinagar. Rightfully so and wanted us to see all that was on the offer in the city. This afternoon we were to be treated like royals in the Mughal gardens!

It continued to rain though not heavily. Keeping umbrellas handy, our first stop was at Chashm - e -Shahi garden. The setting of this garden fantastic. With a lovely backdrop of mountains, this is possibly the smallest of the three we were to see today. The natural spring in the garden gives the garden its name. Stepped garden modelled possibly on the lines of Hanging gardens of Babylonia, the design is typically Persian with focus clearly on the natural spring. The water from the spring flows down in terraces and creates waterfalls, aqueducts and fountains. The red brick structures provide a lovely contrast. The garden is tended immaculately. Thanks to rain, there weren't many tourists which was good for us.

The royal pavillion in Chasm - e - shahi garden with a backdrop of Himalayas

Well maintained garden. Notice the waterfall.

Lovely flowers!

Nishat Bagh, close to dal lake was our next stop. This is a large garden and typically Mughal in design. The large area provides for a well planned terraced garden. The garden is a broad cascade of terraces lined with avenues of Chinar and Cypress trees, which starts from the lakeshore and reaches up to an artificial façade at the hill end. There are 12 terraces. Nishat Bagh unlike Chashme Shahi is well spread out with a aqueduct in the middle. The aqueduct is built as per the topography which creates small water falls at many places. Rows of flowers flank on either side of the canal. The highlight of Nishat is the spectacular view of Dal lake from here. Normally all the gardens are crowded by locals as well as tourists. Thanks to rains, there were very few tourists today.

The terraced garden of Nishat bagh!

The pavillion which also acts a vantage point to view the lake

View of Dal Lake from the garden

We were now eager to see the largest of the Mughal gardens in India - Shalimar Bagh. Possibly the one in Lahore may be bigger than this. It is large. It is beautiful. It is a charming place. It possibly belongs to the league of beautiful gardens in the world. Big Chinar trees, beautiful flower beds, fountains, buildings with intricate art work all add to the beauty of this place. The Shalimar Bagh is well known for chini khanas, or arched niches, behind garden waterfalls. They are a unique feature in the Bagh. These niches were lighted at night with oil lamps, which gave a fairy tale appearance to the water falls. However, now the niches hold pots of flower pots that reflect their colours behind the cascading water. The walls and ceiling of pavilions in the garden has beautiful intricate work of Kashmiri motifs. Sadly they are not well maintained. Thankfully the weather had cleared a bit though cloudy. The garden was looking nice in the dispersed sunlight.

Dewan -e-khas or royal Pavillion

Fountains 

Intricate art work on the walls and ceilings

It was an afternoon well spent. It started drizzling even as we got out of Shalimar bagh. Driving along Dal lake was a pleasant experience. The sun was setting behind the hills even as we could see a lone boatman on the lake........possibly returning home.                                                                                   

  

Travel Tips

a) You need at least half a day to explore these gardens. There is a nominal entry fees for the gardens.
b) During season, the gardens get crowded with tourists. On weekends, by locals as well.
c) Explore the gardens leisurely. Appreciate the way they have been planned some five hundred years ago!
d) You don't need any guide to explore these gardens.  

You may click on the links below to read more on Kashmir in this blog.

Yusmarg - Hidden wonder of Kashmir!

Spectacular Srinagar 1 - A Floating market on Dal Lake!

Spectacular Srinagar 2 - Lullaby on Dal lake!

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Srinagar 2 - Lullaby on Dal and Nagin Lakes!

Dal lake epitomises Srinagar and it is it's lifeline. The life in Srinagar revolves around Dal. Whenever we think of Kashmir and Srinagar the first thing that comes to mind are its lovely lakes and gardens.To say Dal is a beautiful lake is an understatement. It is spectacular and massive water body. You will not be able to see the opposite bank unless you are using a binocular. Next to Dal is Nagin. While Dal gets crowded by tourists during the season, Nagin is a quiet paradise. 

After coming back from our early morning visit to floating market we were ready to make a visit to two lakes. Being the lean season and the fact it was raining in the previous week, we didn't see many tourists at the jetty. It was cloudy which meant that we would not get to savour the view of mighty Himalayas. That didn't deter us in hiring a Shikara for a ride. Muzaffar spoke to the boatman in Kashmiri and we fixed a price for one hour ride on the lake.

The Jetty

The boat ride on dal lake is a very relaxing experience. The Shikaras are essentially small row boats. They are colourfully painted and very comfortable for two persons. A ride in a Shikara is like a lullaby. Slow and soothing. When you lie down on the soft cushions, you get a feeling of floating on the water. No one is in a hurry here. Put your feet up and unwind!

The boat man - Ali - started slowly. We moved through lovely stretches of lilies and lotuses which we could touch and feel. The floating gardens on the lake known as "Rad" in Kashmiri blossom with lotus flowers during July and August. Drops of rain from light drizzle were floating on the leaves like pearls. As we rowed away from the shore, peaks behind Nishat bagh gardens became visible whenever clouds cleared. With Clouds playing hide and seek, we had to keep our eyes open to grab the view of any vistas.

Let us now take you through the vistas of the lake.....

A shikara moored in the lake

Houseboats moored on the other bank of the lake

We found this big houseboat moored in quiet corner of the lake.

A broken fortified wall in the middle of the lake.

We saw this small boat moored in the lake. The blue colour of the boat was a nice contrast to the green all around.

The enormity of the lake ......

The lake is full of lovely lilies, lotuses

A panoramic view of the lake 

We were now far away from the banks. The enormity of the lake could be experienced now. Fortunately, ours was the only shikara in the lake as Ali rowed quietly. Ali started talking about how the booming tourism always gets derailed by some minor incidents in the city which gets blown up on mainland India. We could realise ourselves later during our stay. The ride in Dal lake is different because of the surroundings. The Lake gets water from surrounding hills which also acts as lovely backdrop. We were not fortunate to see the snow covered peaks which are visible in summers. Nevertheless, this is one ride you should enjoy relaxedly. 

Ali started rowing us back. We found another boat coming closer to us. It was a floating store! The guy in the boat was selling Kashmiri jewellery. Brinda was interested to take a closer look at it. The silver jewellery looked interesting. Brinda liked few, bargained hard and bought them. Being lean season, we were able to get good price. The seller was also happy that he got some business in this season. Another twenty minutes of ride on the lake, we were back. 

It was a de-stressing and nice ride. Muzaffar was ready and we drove to Nagin lake which is closeby. Nagin is smaller in size and in fact is a part of Dal. The two lakes are separated by a small causeway which help locals to move around for their day-to-day activities. The first impression you get when you reach Nagin is its quietude. Not many tourists come here and being lean season there was none in the morning except us.

It started drizzling and we opened our umbrellas even as we negotiated and got into a shikara. This was to be a short ride. But nevertheless it was pleasant. We could go closer to the houseboats moored on the banks. The activities by locals was more on this lake than Dal which is generally filled with tourists. You don't see many houseboats on Dal but on Nagin, you can see them berthed on the banks. Mohammed, our boat man was an elderly person and hospitable. He made sure we were taken around the lake and enjoyed the ride.

Houseboats moored on the banks of the lake 

Lilies and water drops on the leaves 

A lone boatman on the lake

It started pouring as we got down from the boat. We rushed to the car and Muzaffar brought us back to our home stay for a lovely lunch of Kashmiri Alu Dum!

Travel Tips

a) Boat ride early in the morning is soothing and relaxed. For this, make sure you book Shikara on the previous day. During season, it is good to go for the ride in the morning when it is quiet.

b) A sunrise ride on the lake is a welcome experience if you can get up early. One can witness spectacular sunrise on the lakes.

c) While on the boat, you may be approached by hawkers on the boat selling various items.

d) You may talk to your boatman who is generally friendly. Ask him to sing a Kashmiri folk song and he will oblige.

e) During the peak season, the rates for shikara will increase. Make sure you bargain and get good rates.

f) There are small shikaras which accommodate two people and bigger ones which can accommodate 8-10 people. If you are a couple choose the smaller one.

g) Nobody wears life jacket on the boat. Please do not move around without asking the boatman lest the boat may topple over.

h) Carry a binocular with you. If you are going for an early morning ride, then you will be able to spot many birds - Kingfisher, Barn Swallows, Common starling, night herons......

For other posts on Kashmir in this blog, please click on the links below

Yusmarg - Hidden wonder of Kashmir!

Spectacular Srinagar 1 - Floating market on Dal lake!

Skywatch Friday - Srinagar from Taj!

Monday Images - Great lakes of Kashmir

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Monday Images - Great lakes of Kashmir

Monday Images. Every weekend, we share some brilliant Images from fellow travellers from different parts of the world. We have liked them. Hope you will too.

As this is the Kashmir season on the blog, we thought of sharing the images of "Trek to Great lakes of Kashmir" which we had planned to do last year in August but could not due to heavy rain in the hills. These lakes and the landscape on the way to them are mesmerisingly beautiful. 

These beautiful pictures are courtesy of P Naldurg. You may look at the complete set of his pictures on Kashmir lakes here.

Trek to Great Lakes of Kashmir

The trek to these lakes are still in our list of places to go. What about you?

For other posts on Kashmir please click here

Yusmarg - Hidden wonder of Kashmir!

Srinagar Sojourns 1 - Floating market on Dal lake!

India Hikes a Bangalore based company by enthusiastic trekkers has a trekking tour to these lakes. For details click here.

Great Lakes trek in Kashmir

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Srinagar 1 - Floating Market on Dal Lake!

As scorching summer beckons us to cooler places, we thought of focusing next few posts on that lovely paradise called Kashmir. Here we go with the first one on Srinagar.

For Indians who are brought up on the staple diet of Bollywood movies, Srinagar and Kashmir is not new to us. Whether it is Shammi gyrating to Rafi's song in Kashmir Ki Kali or Rajesh Khanna courting Sharmila in Aradhana, we always knew that this is a lovely place.

It was in August last year that we planned to visit Kashmir. The visit was more for the "Great lakes trek" in Kashmir. Our initial plan was to go for the trek and then spend few days in Srinagar to explore nearby places. As luck would have it, we could not go for trekking due to heavy rain in the hills which gave us full four days to explore Kashmir.

To say, Kashmir is beautiful is an understatement. As Kashmiris say, it is "Zannat" or "Paradise". We could realise it even as the plane was making circles over Srinagar before landing. The mist filled valley with houses made of colourful roof looked like as if we were landing in an European country. The first impression as we left Srinagar airport and moved towards our home stay in Raj Bagh was that everything seemed to be calm and peaceful. The roads were clean and was lined up with Poplar trees. There was a nip in the air and the previous day's rains had ensured that the city was cleansed of dust.

What do we do in Srinagar? We asked Yasmin, our host. We knew and read about Srinagar - Dal lake, its houseboats, the gardens, the lakes and then of course the cuisine. We wanted to explore beyond that. On her advice, we started with something exciting - Floating Market on Dal lake.You must have read about floating markets in some of the south east asian countries. But this is unique. Let us tell you why.

Thus, our first day in Kashmir started with a an early morning visit to the floating markets on Dal lake. We are not sure why this market start so early, almost at dawn. Yasmin had warned us to reach there in time lest we would see nothing. We woke up early and were ready to hop into the Innova. Muzaffar drove us down in the misty morning to the jetty in darkness. The flickering lights of the buildings on the banks were the bright spots in a dark surrounding. We had negotiated a shikara on the previous day who would take us around the market and bring back.

We started cruising on the lake early in the morning in darkness as dawn was breaking out. The stillness of water, the tranquility of surroundings broken only by the calls for prayers from distant mosques in the city provided for a thrilling experience. Fortunately it wasn't raining though the sky was overcast. The cruise on Dal lake is slow and manual. Thank heavens for that. The manual rowing of the boat ensure that tranquility of the lake is not disturbed.

After 45 minutes, we reached the floating market. It was already buzzing with Kashmiris with their wares. Having noticed that we are outsiders and tourists, few hawkers came closer to us asking us to buy the flowers. The flowers were fresh and lovely. Yusuf, our boatman was very enterprising and we had told him to take us to all corners of the market. At the same time he was also giving us a running commentary of how important this market is to Kashmiris. This market is a more of a vegetable and flower market. The fresh produce by farmers living on the banks of the lake is loaded onto the boat and brought here every morning. Yusuf manouvered well through the boats selling fresh vegetables and flowers.

Here are few vistas of the floating market......

The buyers had come in their own boats and we could see them bargaining with the wholesalers for the best price. Soon after an hour, we could see all the vegetables/flowers transferred from wholesalers to retailers and boats moving away slowly. The market is active only for an hour. This is the uniqueness of the floating market of Srinagar. It is not a permanent market like you find in some of the South East Asian countries. This is also a man's market. We did not see a single woman in the market!

As boats melted away into the horizon, Yusuf asked us whether we liked the experience. We said yes, we loved every minute of it.

Getting there

Air - Srinagar is well connected by flights to all major cities in India.

Train - The train services are available only upto Udhampur which is connected to rest of the country. From here, either you have to catch a bus or hire a taxi to Srinagar.

Road - Srinagar is well connected to mainland India through one of picturesque roads. Regular buses operate from Jammu and other places.

Best time to visit

Srinagar is good to go in any season. Winters will be extremely cold. If you are looking for best season to be there it is May -June and September - October. The summer months of May - June will be crowded with tourists and prices will be higher.

Stay Options

There are plenty of options to stay in Srinagar including houseboats. We somehow did not like houseboats which are stationary in the lake unlike the ones you find in Kerala which move in backwaters. For a superb view of Dal lake and Srinagar city, go to Taj Vivanta.

We stayed in a lovely home stay in Raj Bagh area. We highly recommend it.

Yasmin & Zulfi's Home stay in Srinagar

Travel Tips

Let us restrict these tips only for exploring the floating markets.

a) Make sure you are there at sun rise. The market closes very quickly after sunrise. Transactions are quick here!

b) Make sure you book a shikara on previous day. Else, you may not find one when you arrive at jetty early in the morning.

c) You may be surrounded by hawkers selling flowers. Buy a bunch. That way you will be helping these folks. Of Course, the flowers are lovely.

d) Take drinking water and small eats along. 

e) enjoy the atmosphere. talk to people. Kashmiris are very friendly.

For other posts on Kashmir on this blog, please click here

Yusmarg - Hidden wonder of Kashmir

http://journeys2remember.blogspot.in/search?q=kashmir

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