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Are you planning to visit Ladakh and drive to its various attractions? Here is a guide based on my personal journeys in Ladakh over the last two seasons. Before you continue, you may want to read these posts:
* A suggested itinerary for Ladakh
* What to pack when driving in the mountains
* There are many other posts on Ladakh – click here to read
* Nature calling in Ladakh? Some handy tips
* You may want to purchase my book, Postcards from Ladakh [continue reading…]
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Blind woman rowing a Shikara in Dal Lake, Srinagar, Kashmir
Limited edition prints of this image are for sale. Ordering info is given at the end of the post. Click on the image for a larger view.
I had driven to Kashmir during April (a great time to be there) and could but help falling in love with the Dal Lake in Srinagar. I went on multiple Shikara (local boats as seen in this image) rides at all times of the day. In this case, I was out visiting the floating vegetable market at the crack of dawn and had stopped for tea at one of the floating shops in the lake. And then I saw this old woman rowing towards me – as she got closer I realised she was nearly blind. And then the shot happened as she crossed me: a perfect play of light with colourful reflections of house boats in the background. Few shots have given me as much professional satisfaction as this.
Continue reading if you want to order this print
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The Tata Nano just after the Rohtang Pass
Driving to Ladakh in any kind of a vehicle (especially when the roads still have snow / black ice on them) can be a tricky affair for the most experienced of drivers. But when someone decides to venture out in a Nano (the ‘baby’ car from the Tata Automobiles stable with a reputation for catching fire without the slightest of provocations) and comes back in the same car to tell the story, it is another thing altogether. Sanjay Madan and Pankaj Chanana did just that: they left their Landcruisers home and ventured out in a Nano. The following is a story of their journey, as narrated by them. (we have done minimal editing to it). (Sanjay will be coming to the Kunzum Travel Cafe in August to narrate his story in person. If you want to join the interactive talk, let us know and we will inform you when it is scheduled). Read on… [continue reading…]
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Need to touch and feel snow – not just see. After all I am in the Himalayas. So off to Gulmarg it was. An eventful day – here is why:
* Conned by shop renting gumboots for the snow – paid Rs. 75 against official rate of Rs. 45.
* At Tangmarg, 12 kms before Gulmarg, I was told to get off to register my name with the police – only to be told later Indians don’t need to. But it gave some guides an opportunity to insist I need their services. [continue reading…]
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The early morning vegetable market on the Dal Lake in Srinagar, Kashmir, India
Aaarrrrrghh! Its 4:30 am and the alarm is not giving up. If only I had not booked a Shikara for 5:00 am! But get up I had to – after all I am a travel writer out to cover the daily vegetable market in the Dal Lake. But once in the boat, was I glad for it. [continue reading…]
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Crusing in a Shikara in the Dal Lake in Srinagar, Kashmir
Click on any picture for a larger view
The best time to go boating in the Dal Lake is in the evening. Start about half an hour before the sun starts setting behind the peaks. This will give you enough light to look around and for any shopping. What shopping? Before you realize it, ‘shikara shops’ will float up close to you – selling silver jewelry, fine Pashmina shawls, paper mache gifts, dry fruits and more. Sceptical? Why not? Anything targeted solely at tourists is taken with a pinch of salt. Check out the floating market too – these are shops standing in the water selling everything from handicrafts to household supplies. Even hot tea and local breads. But don’t spend too much time here. Lest you miss the magic. [continue reading…]
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The Hazratbal Mosque in Srinagar, Kashmir
Click on any image for a larger view
The day turned out to be one marked for visiting some holy spots – and what a revelation they were.
Hazratbal
The first thing to strike me about Hazratbal: it has a dome and a single minaret – not a common architectural feature. It is the most sacred of Muslim shrines in Kashmir Valley – for it houses a single hair of the Prophet Mohammed brought a thousand years ago from Medina. It is publicly displayed only on special occasions. Could not help noticing hundreds just sitting around on its lawns – including two young veiled women whose eyes seemed to be following my camera and me all over. Still wondering how they would have reacted had I gone up to them to strike a conversation – would give anything to see what they looked like. Will never know. [continue reading…]
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The Pari Mahal in Srinagar, Kashmir
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The day was dedicated to exploring historical Srinagar – or at least as much as I could cover in a day. What will it take for the city to take a pause from impressing me? Show-off city! [continue reading…]
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The Tulip Garden in Srinagar, Kashmir
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Want to see tulips? Here are two possible options:
1. Keukenhof Flower Gardens near Amsterdam in Holland: Over 7 million bulbs planted, best viewed for two spring months starting end-May.
2. Tulip Garden in Srinagar: Smaller by comparison, best viewed for 2 weeks starting end-March. With a breathtaking view of Himalayan peaks around and the Dal Lake below. Surrounded by gardens developed by the Mughal emperors many centuries ago. [continue reading…]
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A sign on the Jammu - Srinagar highway in Kashmir
“If there is a heaven on Earth, it is here, it is here, it is here,” uttered Mughal Emperor Jahangir when he first set his eyes upon Kashmir in the 17th century A.D. There have been no dearth of expressions to describe the most prolific of all Himalayan regions since then. The state’s highways abound with signs reading Kashmir is the ‘Fruit Bowl of the Country,’ ‘A Flower Bed’ and ‘The Crown of India.’ Pity some vested interests have made this crown one of ‘bloody thorns’ – but that is another matter altogether. [continue reading…]
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Buddhist monks (lamas) are supposed to be in their robes all the time, even when they are allowed breaks for some leisure. The exception is when they are in Srinagar, the capital of the disputed Indian Himalayan state of Jammu and Kashmir; if they are identified as lamas, there is the fear of being shot by Muslims. As a rule, they have to be in regular clothes when visiting Srinagar.
This was told to me by Rigzen, a 20-year old lama posted at the Chamba Statue of the Maitreya Buddha in Mulbeck, a 75 minute drive from Kargil when going to Leh. If what he said is true, it just goes on to show how violent elements do not spare even practitioners of a peace loving religion like Buddhism. [continue reading…]
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