On the last day of this trip in Kashmir, I chose Gulamarg between Gulmarg and Sonmarg as suggested by Monika didi. She said it is very difficult to choose one but when you are visiting Kashmir for the first time, you cannot miss Gulmarg. Gulmarg is a popular skiing destination in winters situated in Baramulla district. Another key activity in Gulmarg is Gondola rides. The phase 1 gondola lift takes the visitors to a height of ~8000 ft above sea level and Phase 2 gondola takes passengers to a height of ~14000 ft above sea level. Gulmarg is approx. 1.5 hours journey by car from Srinagar.
My driver told me that Marg in Kashmiri means slope or dhlaan wali hills. Before reaching Gulmarg, there was another town on the way named Tangmarg. Muzzafar told me that Tang in Kashmiri means pear or nashpati. As there are many pear orchards in this place it is called Tangmarg. He said going by the English word टंग (tongue), there are quite a few languages spoken here like pahadi, gojri, kashmiri etc. We didn’t stop anywhere on the way from Srinagar to Gulmarg though drivers stop mostly at their whims. Starting from Tangmarg, the way to Gulmarg is very picturesque. As this is Autumn time, the patches of yellow on green or green on the yellow or all-over print of yellow are like having your favorite drink when you are thirsty also. You want to drink it all in a go and also want to savor it sip by sip. But passing by those breathtaking beautiful trees also increases your thirst as they seem to be going away from you. After reaching Gulmarg, I walked ~800 m to the office to get a ticket for gondola ride. That patch between parking and the office is very beautiful. On the right-hand side were a few hut-like structures painted in the color green and small bridges which were added to the scenery. It was a sunny day, walking in the sun in winter is a soothing experience when one is in no hurry to reach somewhere. I walked at my leisure.
I took the ticket for gondola ride to Phase 1. The ticket costed me Rs. 750. I boarded the gondola and one of their mulazim (employee) sat with me. It took 5-7 mins to reach Phase 1. Some people go only until this point and from there they either walk around or take a pony ride to see 2-3 points like Khilan wadi etc. As I was not interested in pony rides and I was comfortable going to the second phase which is situated at approx. 14000 ft, I took the ticket for Rs. 950. Again, another mulazim sat with me in the gondola car as I was sitting alone.
The view from a higher altitude was amazing and the snow-clad mountains looked very near. It was worth going up that level and one can only feel what we experience beyond words. I have earlier trekked to the Valley of Flowers and Hemkund Sahib which is situated at a similar high altitude. But both experiences of trekking and gondola ride are rich in their measure. I mean it’s wonderful to reach the top of a snow-clad mountain in 10-15 minutes, enjoy the view and come back without pain. While trekking gives another kind of a high.
After reaching the second phase I sat there for a while. Very few people were going to the second phase. There was a group of 4 boys there and then it was me. It might be the costly ticket or the low oxygen warning at that point or simply a lesser number of tourists who chose to go up there. These guys were friends and came from different places Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, and Varanasi. The guy who clicked photographs for me told me that it was their second time in Kashmir, and they have taken a kind of resolution to visit Kashmir four times basically to enjoy it in all the seasons. Another bunch I met on my return ride from Phase 2 to Phase I was from Kolkata. They were a very lively group and were singing Ravindra Sangeet while waiting for the ride to start. When asked what was the meaning of teh song they were singing, they told me it meant “tumhare sur mein sur milaate mera waqt beet jata hai”.
They keep coffee and maggie in the tuck shop up there. I had a cup of coffee. I was alone in the gondola car on my return to Phase 1 and from Phase 1 to the ground level they clubbed me with a family of four who were locals of Srinagar. They were man and wife and their two kids. A daughter named Duha – the brightest light of the day as her father told the meaning of her name and a son who was younger named Qibaad which means shehanshah.
We started from Gulmarg in good time at hand as I wanted to take a shikara ride at the time of sunset. But by the time we reached back at Dal lake, there were clouds and the sun was almost set. Still took a shikara ride and missed the sunset shots.
Note: while documenting my travel days, I realized it’s not an easy job to write. It takes a lot of time to write only this much. I find the writer’s job must be difficult as the heart goes haywire, and writing becomes a mundane activity. I wrote only to revisit my travel later as it’s interesting to read one’s diary after a few months or years but now I am sharing with you all here. Hope you enjoy reading it.
