La Revista: When I was in Srinagar, 11th may 09, 11.00pm

What a way to begin our journey! Last night we boarded the Jammu Mail to find little spoilt brats (with of course, their parents accompanying them) as our co-passengers. I particularly enjoyed being the chief source of discomfort to one “Little Lucifer” by stifling him for space as I sat next to him. Palzer and I soon climbed up to our upper bunks and spent half the night chatting. My dear friend was his usual self with his wisecracks and a carefree attitude.

This morning at around 11 o’ clock, we set our first steps on the exciting land of J&K as we got down in Jammu. The landscape reminded me of Dehra Dun – a unique mixture of hills and plain flat land, or should I say a fusion of two different landscapes. The clear and fresh air was a sharp contrast to the stifling and polluted one of Delhi. After a quick lunch, and a long wait in the car (as passengers slowly filled up the seats), we finally set off for Srinagar. As we ventured further up the hills, the scenery around kept getting better. Unfortunately, sleep seemed more irresistible than the beautiful scenery as I dozed off quite often in the car. All the while, an enthusiastic and excited young man called Palzer kept clicking photos of the priceless natural beauty around us. He has certainly done a commendable job, and has a promising career ahead of him in this field if not anything else….

Along the way, our driver was a good source of entertainment as he kept sharing his interesting experiences with us. Even though I have spent a very long time in the hills, its beauty seemed so much more as I returned to hilly regions after spending an awfully long time in Delhi. The view of the snowy Himalayan range spreading across the valley at twilight is something I would like to remember for a long time to come. Unfortunately Palzer had dozed off by the window seat and we did not have any photos clicked of this magical scenery. Our unending car ride finally ended when we reached Srinagar at 9.30 pm. The hotel we are staying in is quite an impressive one for the five hundred bucks we are paying (with TV, geyser, etc.). The view at night of the Dal Lake with all its houseboats lit up is a majestic sight for any traveller from any land. Also, I bought some “kesar” or saffron for my mom. I think she will be pleased to receive it.

I have begun to like the attitude of the people here. They are warm and friendly and seem to have a no-nonsense air about them- just as I like. This has been a smooth beginning for us as far as our trip is concerned (thought the travel expenses are sky high). I am beginning to see why Kashmir was known as the “Paradise on Earth.”