Stunned at New Delhi

The flight from Srinagar to New Delhi took around 2 hours 30 minutes with one stop at Jammu airport. I only remembered that we slept during the entire flight (except for snack time), as if we were back from a strenuous activity in Kashmir. And by the way, we took the Air India flight. The flight attendants were not like the other airlines flight attendants. They didn't have to put on heavy make-up, didn't have to be slim and slender, but they must know how to take control of the passengers. I heard someone has been saying that Air India flight attendants are strict. Well, I could see that pretty clearly.

Once we arrived New Delhi airport, we were picked up by our tour guide cum driver. While writing this, I cannot recall his name and still struggling to remember his name. Will probably mention his name when my travel buddy responded to my FB message. The only thing that I remember is he worked for Mr. Hari Mangal, who owns a travel agent somewhere in New Delhi. We booked a trip for 10 days, starting from New Delhi, around Rajasthan area, ending at Mathura Junction rail station near Agra.

Initially, we thought of staying at Paharganj because the hotels there are cheap. But our guide seemed to be worried as the place was not a good place, and not safe for female travellers. Later, my buddy's contact in New Delhi, who happened to be the ambassador (military DA), called her up and insisted that we put up a night (2 nights actually) at his house. It was such a great relieve as we didn't have to worry about safety at all. Uncle Zul and his wife were the nicest people I have ever met. Aunty was really a chatty and humble type. At least I didn't feel awkward staying at their house. After a long day, we finally unpacked and did the laundry and reorganizing our stuffs.

We have prepared for another exciting day tomorrow, tour around New Delhi.

At 8.30 pm, our tour guide came and picked us up from uncle Zul's house. Our first attraction was Qutb Minar, which has been declared as UNESCO World Heritage Site. Entrance fee is Rps 250. Mind that entrance fees are applied to most of the attractions in India. 

     Some description about Qutb Minar, worth reading.

It was really a hot day and the scorching heat was almost ruining my mood. Clearly I have persistent problem with surrounding temperature. To top up with it, I did not apply any sunblock to protect my skin from the violent sun ray. As not to spoil the day, I decided ti bear with it and take all of it. I've been wishing to visit the great heritage sites im India so I should not regret it in whatever means. Oh!! Do not ever wear black shirts,skirts,scarves etc. It only worsen the heaty day. Admission if Rps 250. Note that all of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India (covered in our trip) has an entrance fee of Rps 250. So you do the math.

A must have picture for every heritage site visited

The minaret with Islamic calligraphy carvings on it

Close up of the beautiful Arabic calligraphy carvings

Remnants of a building which is full of fine carvings of calligraphy

Fine carvings and I loved it so much.

This place all for these two

After admiring the beautiful Qutb Minar, we moved to other interesting place which impressed us a lot, the Baha'i Lotus Temple. It is an amazing place and I really love to see this building. We didn't get in to the temple because of the time limitation, and we were lazy enough to walk further from the point where we took pictures. Admission in free.

In less than 20 minutes, we return to our car and Mr. Gyan brought to Humaiyuin's Tomb, which is another UNESCO World Heritage Site in New Delhi. It is a huge building and built for Humaiyun, the Mughal Emperor in India. If Taj Mahal was built by the husband to reminisce his loved wife, then this tomb is vice versa. 

After checking out Humayun's Tomb in a really hot summer sun, it was time to replenish some energy. So we were brought to the Hot Chimney restaurant. We have no idea and have not heard about this so we've just given it a try. We ordered chappati and paneer, 2 different panners, and OMG!!!! The food was amazing. Since then, I keep on ordering panner (paneer is actually cubed cottage cheese cooked in various types gravies) whenever I have meals in India. The prices of the food in this restaurant are considered cheap too. 

The delicious chappati (a bit oily, but i don't care) and the paneer

After lunch, we went to Gandhi Smiriti, a museum that celebrates Mahatma Gandhi's life and a good place to get oneself filled with knowledge in history. Personally, I am admiring Mahatma Gandhi for the sacrifices he made and the modest life he went through while fighting the poor and needy. Reading the articles about Mahatma Gandhi did shed me into tears several times without my buddy knowing about it. Actully there is another place which I wanted so badly to go. It was the 'Salt March', represented by statues of Mohandan Karamchand Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi) with other Indians in the nonviolent protests against the British salt monopoly. The statues were somewhere at Connaught Place. I saw the statues from the car but it was too late to ask Mr. Gyan to stop for awhile.

The face that I will always admire

After an informative and emotional visit to Gandhi Smiriti, we went to another point of interest, Red Fort. This is another UNESCO World Heritage Site which is very much impressive. Interestingly, there were many Indians visiting this place, like other point of interests we have visited before, indicating that Indians do appreciate their heritages. Kind and adults, young and old, everyone seems to take the advantage for the 20 more times cheaper entrance fee for locals. And it was during weekday, not weekend. But it was a little disappointing to see the used tickets scattered all over the places. Perhaps, they could use the rubbish bin, or temporarily keep them in the pocket.

Red Fort has several entrances but the main and the only entrance opened is via the Lahore Gate. After passing the gate, we passed through a line of shops selling various souvenir items. Some of them are cheap, some are not. Of course we were eyeing on the fridge magnets but the good quality one seemed to be overpriced. We were not in mood to haggle and both of us grabbed one or two magnets. Other items which were eye-catching like the beaded bags, models of Taj Mahals and other prominent landmarks, bangles and others.

Lahore Gate

Must have in my collection

One of the halls

Diwan-i Khas

Chipmunk. Lots of them

Last but not least, we visited Raj Ghat. This is the place where Mahatma Gandhi was buried and Indians regard this place as a sacred place. My respect for Mahatma Gandhi is the reason why I don't mind to be here. Just hope that no one will try to create any sort of issue when it comes to paying respect to the dead of the other religion. Sighhhhh.....

Raj Ghat

It was really a tiring day in Delhi. Seriously, we need at least 3 days to spend here as there are other places which I wanted to visit such as the Jama' Masjid, the colourful markets in Delhi and several other interesting religious sites. Well, there is always reasons to return to Delhi, only when time and financially permitting.

The next day is going to be the start of the trip to explore Rajasthan. Looking forward into it.

Last Day in Srinagar

It is already difficult for me to continue my writings in this blog after not writing anything for couple of months. I do realize I have more responsibilities than before so might as well I do what I have to do. Well, without having to write a superfluous introduction, I think it is prudent to just restart where I have left.

Our last day in Srinagar seemed to disturb our mind. I just could not believe we have to leave Srinagar today. We started the day very early, as early as 5 am where it was still dark and quiet. We were picked up by a shikara heading to Dal Lake morning market. I thought it would be something like floating market in Thailand but it was not. This morning market was more like an exchange of goods from one wholesaler to another wholesaler. Most of the goods were local products especially Kasmiri vegetables (radishes, cabbages, onions etc). Few shikaras were loaded with other groceries such as tea, saffron, sweet stuff and even flowers. 

The air was very interesting as more and more shikaras appeared out of nowhere and the haggling and bargaining are getting more intense and fun. While enjoying their way of making a living, we came a cross a shikara with chests full of chocolates and cookies. I thought it would be a good idea to buy some as we have not had our breakfast yet. The chocolates were reasonably tasty, considering that they are all home made and the cookies were my favourite.

The youngsters and the seniors.

Kashmiri radish. Nice to have it raw.

The 'sweets' seller.

 Before sunrise, we left the trading area back to our houseboat. We packed our staffs and did nothing much. We had breakfast and around 8.30 am, we left the houseboat to spend the remaining time around Srinagar city, before heading to the airport. We bid good bye to Mr. Firdous and her sweet daughter.

As usual, our young driver, Adil waited us at Gate 7. We were brought to Srinagar mosque and spent less than 30 minutes here. The internal was under construction but I guess it should have completed by now.

Next stop was Shah e-Hamdan shrine. This is a beautiful shrine which was constructed without a single nail being used. This shrine was built to commemorate one of the Sufis who have played important role in spreading Islam in Kashmir. The Sufi was Mir Syed Ali Hamdan. Although this is a Muslim shrine, the wooden architecture is based on Islamic, Buddhist and Hindu architecture.
Women are not allowed to enter the shrine, which I totally don't understand why. As a Muslim, I do not see why women are not allowed into the shrine as I can't think of any logical reason about it. I can sense gender discrimination exists but since this is not my country, I think it is best just to abide.  It was good enough that every visitor has the chance to appreciate the beautiful architecture from the outside..

Shah e-Hamdan shrine.

Lots of pigeons

Flying pigeons but I was worried with the bird-drops.

Lovely and colourful paintings.

 Next, we headed to Lal Chowk. Actually, we have insisted to visit Lol Chowk on our 2nd day in Srinagar. But we were not brought here as something fishy business happened. We were glad that we had time to spend in Lal Chowk because eventually we knew why the trip organizer was so reluctant to bring us here. He didn't want us to find out that everything sold in Lal Chowk was far much cheaper after he assured us the sellers came to our houseboat in the last 2 days sold much cheaper items. He claimed that manufacturer/producer sold much cheaper item and much better quality. That was not true.

For God sake, can't you just stop the whole scamming thing? You have oppressed us with an in-exorbitant trip package, and now you wanted to squeeze us by making money from our shopping?!! Seriously, if anyone plans to go to Srinagar, look no further than Lal Chowk if you want to get the best value for your money. I would have bought more papier mache and embroideries if I didn't spend it on the stuffs sold by his friends and relatives. Geezzz.....but lesson well learnt.

Lal Chowk is such a big shopping area but one needs to know where to head to. Normally, visitors would want to buy local Kashmiri product especially papier mache and embroideries so you can try asking around. Sometimes there would be someone who has already knew what you were up to and he would lead you to the right shop. But I was not so sure if he was given a commission when bringing in customers. All I knew was the goods sold were extremely cheap.

The shop owner in Lal Chowk. He has nice items sold in his shop but I bought on papier mache.

Finally, after the bargaining and purchasing, we went off to the airport for our flight to New Delhi.
Most people said that the security in Kashmir airport is really tough. It was really and I didn't like the experience. I had to dig out every single thing from my knapsack and I felt just like an idiot. Do I look like as if I'm a relative of Osama bin Laden? Or do I look like a cousin of a Pakistani terrorist? Screw you people!! But nevermind, other than being scammed and scrutinized, I just flooded my mind with the beautiful memories in Kashmir. I would come again, and perhaps the next time, no more shopping but merely enjoying the wonderful sceneries. Srinagar to Leh to Ladakh, that's where I will go.

Next stop, New Delhi. 

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.