The views expressed are entirely the reader’s own.
BACK in May, a group of 11 senior citizens made a trip to India. We started with the city of Leh in India’s Ladakh State. From there, we went to Nubra Valley Circuit, which is a popular tourist destination in Ladakh.
The drive took us up to 5,602m above sea level, the highest motorised pass in the world. The roads there are only open to tourists in the summer as the drive is quite challenging.
The majestic mountains with snow-covered peaks around the pass are stupendous, though.
The next day we went to Pangong Lake, which is an endorheic lake in the Himalayan ranges (elevation: 4,349m) that is 134km long. It extends all the way to the Tibetan Autonomous Region of China from India. In winter, the lake freezes completely, despite it being saline water. It is not part of the Indus river basin area.
The lake has been featured in many popular Hindi films, among them 3 Idiots.
After that, we took a seven-hour drive to Kargil, again through some rough mountain terrains. Along the way, we visited the beautiful Gurudwara Pathhar Sahib temple which was constructed in the memory of Guru Nanak. The temple was built in 1517 to commemorate the visit to the Ladakh region of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of the Sikh faith.
We stayed the night in Kargil before departing for Srinagar in the morning. The road from Kargil to Srinagar is very scenic, although it is one of the most dangerous roads we had ever had to go through! Many of the cliff sides of the road had been caved in but our driver managed to drive us to safety.
We then arrived at the Zorilla pass and the view there was just breathtaking. It was as if we had been rewarded for driving through such horrible roads.
At Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir State, is known for its natural environment, gardens, waterfronts and houseboats. We were welcomed at Nageen Lake (regarded as the jewel of Srinagar) and were transported in three shikara boats to the boathouse.
Spread over 26sq km, the Nageen Lake is a beautiful place to stay. There are shikara rides you can take to go between the boathouse and mainland. We visited the Mughal garden which is a combination of the Nishat Bagh, Shalimar Gardens and Chashm-eshahi.
The most prominent feature of the gardens is its long stretches of cascading fountains.
We also made a trip to Gulmarg which is surrounded by snow-covered
mountains, lush green meadows, deep ravines, hills and valleys. Gulmarg is a popular destination for Bollywood film producers as many films have been shot here; it is also a well-known honeymoon location.
The cable car here is said to be the second highest cable car service in the world.
Later, we went on a tour of the Dal Lake in a shikara, passing by floating markets that sold local
crafts and souvenirs.
Our stay at the boathouse was memorable and we had delectable Kashmiri food to boot. Kashmiri cuisin is rich in flavour thanks to the spices used.
Our 10-day trip in northern India was an enjoyable one with many good memories and experiences.