First Impressions Of My First Trip to Srinagar.

I remember being extremely nervous about mom and aunty’s plans to travel to Kashmir.

"Travel to Kashmir" a phrase enough to give most of the mainland Indians anxiety. And here they were- deciding to do a trip all by themselves and not with any travel and tour groups.

I mean why wouldn’t I be nervous! After all I am a 90s teen who has grown up watching and appreciating Indian cinema. And by default my understanding of love , romance, life and KASHMIR are highly biased by the Indian film fraternity’s understanding on these subjects.

Hence all I could think of when my mom told me about Kashmir is Roza: abduction of the most chocolatey hero ever who visited Kashmir and how his wife then struggled the entire length of the movie to get him back. Then there was Mission Kashmir which showcased the terror striken life in the valley.

So like any 30 plus daughter of a 60 plus mom, I was definitely SCARED when my mom told me about her plans to travel to Kashmir. But knowing mum I was almost certain there is no looking back on the plan.

So I just called a dear friend who was posted in Jammu. Asked him to arrange for a local sim, to get the rooms done in his official guest house and depute a well known taxi driver with a new SUV for my mom and aunty to travel in.

Of Course considering I am still struggling to earn any money, the trip was funded by the ladies themselves who were both earning being government doctors.

If you are wondering why this blog seems to be about a trip my mom took rather than my own then let me tell you that all I am trying is for you to understand what (even) people like me:

-a non Islamophobic but some one who enjoys Eid as much as Diwali. An independent traveler who rather makes a choppy plan to travel than buy a pre-designed plan from any travel agency. A secular educated in politics of the country -

feel about traveling to Kashmir: APPREHENSIVE!

So if you also have family members who are nervous about your travel to the valley, it is only normal for this country’s mainland mindset.

But when you do overcome these apprehensions & travel across the valley you will realize how hyped this entire narrative about Kashmir being unsafe is.

So here I am sharing my fun, surprising observations & first impressions of capital city Srinagar.

1. The presence of the Army in Srinagar. For a place which is made to be unsafe and prone to violence there are rather very few army personnel you will spot in Srinagar. I had expected much more. Though not taking away from the fact that seeing military vehicles which are almost like battle vehicles in a city is a bit strange. But for the majority it was like a regular bright sunny day in the city. Shops were open, people were doing the usual chores, there was nothing distressing about anything landing into the capital city of Jannat.

2. Spic&Span Srinagar : Oh My God! I don't even know where to begin with my surprise of seeing such a clean city in India. No paan-spit is no plastic dumped, no food wrappers thrown around. The city of Srinagar be it the older quarters like downtown or the touristy one like the Dal jheel, Srinagar manages to stay spic&span.

3. The architecture. Right from the window seat of my Indigo flight while it descended. I noticed the glittering rooftops of the houses below, grouped together and spread all across the lush green land. The Sun hitting the tin roof tops and making them sparkle like diamonds. And the glorious architecture from above was just a tease. As you head to the old city you will be left gaping at the gables of the beautiful homes and the mis of brick & wood in construction of the vernacular homes. An absolute treat to the eye.

4. The men! They are just so good looking. Yes I notice that too as it is hard to miss! Add to the looks is their pleasantries, which may go a bit overboard if they are sitting in a shop & trying to sell you something. Though most of the shopkeepers are extremely warm people and understandably so. Kashmir was part of the historic trade routes. Selling comes very naturally to them and so do the good looks.

5. Harassment. Though this is a common phenomenon in a lot of Indian cities, the harassment caused by Kashmiri vendors at tourist locations is top notch! The vendors will call on you and follow you and it will not be just one but multiple men who would be hard to budge in hopes to make a sale. I faced it specially in a shop on the highway and saw the porters in Betab valley irk some tourists too. And if you are someone who does not shop much, it can be a harrowing experience.

6. Beggar in the Burkha- This really surprised me. Perhaps the lady/girl was herself very uncomfortable asking for money with her palm stretched open while her hand was still folded close to her body, completely covered in burkha. Her face was hidden behind the veil too. Even though this was a solo incident in a week-long trip, it still comes to me very vividly. Seeing someone so neatly dressed asking for money. I wonder if she was really a beggar.

7. The Heat: Srinagar was HOT in April. And not the mountain hot with pleasant nip in the air, but Delhi hot which will give you a migraine kind of hot. I could not believe that we were in Kashmir, in fact we refused to get out of our car to visit the baagh that day.

On this trip besides Srinagar, we also visited Gurez. And what a contrast it was to Srinagar. But that's for my later blog. Hope you enjoyed reading my honest observation on Srinagar. Leaving you with some more pictures from the trip below.

Also the vlogs from my trip are now live, incase you want to watch then click here.