Srinagar - Pahalgam & Dal Lake Boat Ride

Another rainy day in Srinagar, no signs of the sun is going to show up and obviously, another cold day for two Malaysians. Today we would be heading to Pahalgam, a place which is regarded as Switzerland of Asia (not sure how true this is) for its beautiful landscapes and serenity. Pahalgam is a long way drive to Srinagar. It took almost 4 hours to reach there but I thought Adil made it much earlier. At least the road was not winding and a little better the day before. 

There is nothing much to be written when it comes to a long road trip. However, every year in October, Saffrons will bloom into into beautiful purple flowers. It doesn't really have a distinct tree, like other flowers do, which I think makes this plant is unique. It is as if the flowers emerge from the ground. This only takes place in Pampore which most vehicles heading to Pahalgam will pass through this area. And while every traveller and tourist alike love not to be conned over and over again, there is a famous shop selling original saffron. Noor Mohd Bhat. This shop sells various dried fruits, nuts and of course, the saffron.Try to avoid buying saffron in Srinagar as I doubt the quality and originality. And on top of that, the price is much cheaper, which is Rps 200 per 10 gram.

Saffron is a type of spice taken from the saffron flower itself. The stamens taken from the flowers are properly dried, which can be used in various cooking and tea. And someone said it is good for the skin and brain too. 

I bought a packet of almond which was really crunchy and tasty. And my buddy bought a packet of raisin. Based on my experience buying nuts/dried fruit when travelling abroad, freshness is guaranteed only before returning to Malaysia. Freshness gone, tastes gone due to high humidity in Malaysia, unless they are kept in air-tight containers.

The trip was really a mind boggling one. I was sleepy but then I refused to sleep as I might miss interesting views. But due to the prolonged rain and it got heavier, nothing could be seen at all. But we were glad that the rain was subsiding as Adil drove  uphill. It was amazing to see the beautiful valleys below with yellow golder hue of the mustard plants.

After a moment, we reached Pahalgam, precisely to the horse-riding provider. It was still raining and both of us thought it would be foolish to go for a ride in a rainy day. I don't mind if it was just very light drizzle. But if you can easily get wet in a matter of few minutes, that is a disaster. And guess what, the promoter tried to convince us that it was OK and not that bad. He said that each of us would get a poncho but he forgot that our cameras would not work well in rain. And unlike horse-riding service in Sonamarg, it is really expensive in Pahalgam. After several declinations, the promoter finally gave-up and we headed to the town to get something to eat. I had another paneer and paratha which made my day better after series of disappointment.

Without the horse-riding, we did nothing in Pahalgam. But we just had quick photo stops near Pahalgam town. The views here were stunning and even much prettier with a touch of blue sky and sunlight.

When we reached the flat land, the views were superb. I was a little confused for a moment. The autumn foliage dominated the view when it should be spring by now. Or did it actually the natural colours of the plants all year round? But whatever it was, I was so in love with the views and wished we could have stayed in one of the houses here. Adil seemed to know what we wanted and without us having to request, he pulled over the car and let us have some fun with our cameras.

Adil, the Michael Schumacher junior.

We arrived Srinagar around 4.30 and returned to our houseboat. We rested and had our late lunch. Later, we were brought on a shikara to check-out around Dal Lake. The trip was nice though there were time where I felt like throwing up when the shikara passed through the backyards of the residential area. They shikara rider voiced his concern about the sustenance and maintenance of Dal Lake, and how long can Dal Lake last with current condition. Domestic wastes and sewage were dumped directly into the lake. I saw several billboards with "Save Dal Lake" but I could not see any efforts to work on it. I know I should not say that but the shikara rider himself told us nothing much was done to improve. My personal opinion is, the permanent residents of Dal Lake should be moved to the land side but I know, that would mean increment in cost (for the government) and more time consuming, which by then, Dal Lake has already 'dead'. I think the scenario is something like, take it, or leave it. Unless the Kashmiris unite and do the work rather than talking, things may change abruptly. Do question is, will they do it? I hope something will be done or else, Kashmir will lost its important piece of gem.

After the shikara ride, we returned to the houseboat, warmed up ourselves and did all the obligations. We could hardly believe that this was our last night in Kashmir. But the fun did not end here.

As the last night spent, we were served with Kashmiri pulov (it is actually Kashmiri brown rice), lentils and mixed vegetables. We ate a lot but we could not finish the meals-for-4 which was such a waste. But alhamdulillah, it felt a lot better after dinner. Before we went off to bed, we checked our email and copied the pictures into our external hard drive. We went to bed early as we have to wake up at 4.30 for another shikara ride to the morning market.