Travel to Kashmir
➤ Sonmarg
We had a minus 2 degree temperature this morning. After breakfast and hot tea I left Srinagar for Sonmarg. 42 km away from Srinagar, beautiful valleys and springs can be seen at Sonmarg. Here is the Tajian Glacier. There are also opportunities for sledging, snow biking and horse riding along the Indus River. But there are some places in Kashmir which are a little far from the city, maybe unknown to many, but worth a visit. Sonmarg is one such place.
On the way from Srinagar to Sonmarg, small hill towns like Ganderbal, Kangan, Gund etc. will be encountered. And Damal Indus river will be with the whole way. You will be mesmerized by the pines, firs, birches and distant mountains. Surrounded by mountains and golden grass covered Sonmarg, there is a legend that somewhere in this valley there is a well whose water takes on a golden color in the valley. This is why the name Sonmarg means golden valley.
From Sonmarg one can reach the lap of the Khajiar glacier by foot or by horse. Horse riding here must be paid for. Union and government package prices will charge anywhere from Rs 1,600 to Rs 2,500 per horse to explore all the points. But it is possible to visit all the points by bargaining for 12/1300 rupees. We found this pony ride of one and a half to two hours to and fro to be amazing. We enjoyed it very much. Everyone enjoys ice here during winter. From June to October, tea stalls sit near the glacier. Magi of various positions will be found here. When the bone-chilling cold air of the Himalayas mingles with the smoke of the hot Maggi, you will be enveloped in a strange magic. Take pictures to your heart’s content and sip tea as often as you want.
➤ Sinthan Top
Coming to Kashmir I was looking for some off-beat places from the beginning. It is the first week of January. During this time, the road towards Anantnag and Kishtwar is usually closed due to excessive snow. But luck helped us. The road is still open as it has not started snowing this year. I was totally shocked when I got this news. Having decided by then, Sinthan Top, one of the most hauntingly beautiful places in the Kashmir Valley, was our destination for the day.
The height of Sinthan Top Zero Point is more than 12 thousand feet, so we had to rent an extra four thousand rupees that day. In other words, our total car rental cost is 6 thousand rupees to go to Sinthan Top. Crossing the winding road along the deep mountain gorge, when we almost reached the Sinthan top, we did not realize what strange beauty was waiting for us. Sometimes I feel like I’m going to fall into the abyss of a huge mountain! Sometimes it seems that in the blink of an eye, these incredibly beautiful scenes will disappear before the eyes. Here you will actually regret that if you could stop the time!
Sinthan reached the top, got out of the car and stepped on the snow, his feet up to his knees. At the beginning, I realized how crazy the rest of our time would be. We have been waiting for such snow these few days. Now it’s time to rise from the base. 1000 rupees per person to reach the top by snowbike. The experience of riding a snowbike here cannot be described. From a distance it looks like the top can be climbed on foot, but after riding up to the top on a snowbike, I realized that it would not be a wise thing to do. After getting up to the top, I wandered around for a while, took pictures and made my way back. But today we will not return to Srinagar. I will stay tonight in Pahelgam.
➤ Pehelgam
It was around 9 PM to reach Pehelgam from Sinthan Top. On the way we stopped at a local hotel and had kebabs, roti, mum and tea. When I reached the hotel in Gehelgam, the temperature was minus 6 degrees. However, heating system is good in most of the hotels but you can check their heating system before booking the hotel. When the morning sun came to the window, I got up and looked outside and saw a beautiful place like a picture, a wonderful combination of mountains, trees, rivers and snow. Each mountain has a different charm. At every bend in the hilly road, you can see a line of mountains and their peaks covered with snow. It seems as if the creator has arranged the ice cream vendor in his world.
If you want to travel to Pehelgam, you have to hire a separate car from the union here. Looking at various packages from the hotel reception, we bought a car package for three locations for Rs.1200. We will visit three beautiful valleys of Pehelgam. Our destination today is Aru Valley, Betab Valley and Chandanwari. These three places are called ABC of Pehelgam. there are some more other valleys outside of it. If you are visiting Kashmir in spring then you should plan atleast two days for Pehelgame.
➤ Chandanwari
16 km from Pehelgam, our first destination is Chandanwari, 2,895 meters above sea level, in a word ‘dangerous beauty’. The reason for using this adjective is that white snow will attract you. But the ice surface is so slippery that you are bound to stumble. At Chandanwari you will find a parallel association of semi-snow-covered mountains and pine trees, with the ‘Sheshnag’ lake running along its side. So enthralled by the sound of water splashing on the rocks here, it will seem as if an invisible composer is constantly playing tunes on his invisible tanpura.
➤ Aru Valley
From Chandanwari the next destination is Aru Valley. It is located about 12 km from Pehelgam. Aru Valley is green and beautiful even in mid-December. Surrounded by hills, in the middle is a flat valley. The entire valley can be explored on horseback. There is also a facility to take photos in local clothes.
➤ Betab Valley
Our last destination in Pehalgam was Betab Valley. It was named ‘Betaab Valley’ after the popular movie ‘Betaab’ released in 1983 in Bollywood. Bigger than Aru Valley in size, it looks like a huge green carpet. The pine forest has settled in the plains between the huge mountains. Pilgrims travel to the Amarnath temple on this route from Chandanwari. From the upper peaks where some snow still remains, the stream flows through the still melting Betab Valley towards the Lider River. Mountains, rivers, valleys and immense silence – this is heaven for nature lovers.
Thailand is the land of smiles
Thailand is the country of all. Land of Smiles. The missing address is Thailand. When you come to this country, at least for a few days, you can put aside your daily thoughts. There are several islands in the ocean, which form the Phi Phi Archipelago.
The ship Sea Angel with a group of people passed to the island. It takes a couple of hours to reach Phi Phi from Phuket. Going through the port hole, it is seen that the mainland has moved back a lot. After a while we were allowed to go on deck. The blue sky and the blue sea together are solid, with only a thin horizon line in between. Two or four speedboats are passing by the ship. The sun is quite high on the head. Strong salty winds are blowing away the heat of the sun. The deck is getting crowded. Cushioned sofas throughout the deck. A girl brought beer in a thermocol box, playing music on the music system. People from all over the world gather to buy ice cold beer. Foreigners are swaying to the rhythm of the music.
As the ship moved forward, mountains emerged from the water. The color of the hills seems to be blue from far away. As it approached, the blue color changed to black fort-like mountains covered with green vegetation. Narayan Sheela has woken up from the middle of the water.
Phi Phi has two islands, Phi Phi-Leh and Phi Phi-Don. Phi Phi-Leh is uninhabitable. Phi Phi-Don attracts a lot of tourists for its beauty. Surrounded by mountains, this island is surrounded by white sand and emerald water. The total distance between Phi Phi-Le and Phi Phi-Don is one and a half kilometers. The ship passed the lake and proceeded towards Don. Colorful boats move between the meandering waterways that wind through the mountains of Leh. The speedboat makes a halo over the water and goes out over the side. The speedboat in front looks like a small pearl with the black mountains behind. The ship arrived at Tonsai Bay on Phi Phi Island.
Two or three other ships are standing, two or four boats are coming, and one is leaving the island. The boat station is crowded with people. I proceeded along the bridge of JT Ghat. The sun is overhead. Long tail boats tied on the water on either side of the bridge. The jet is very crowded. But people are in no rush, moving at a leisurely pace. Some are entering, some are leaving to visit nearby islands by boat. The boats are called tailboats because one end of them is raised like a lag. On the head of the bright sun, colorful hats are on everyone’s head. There are only people from the western world around. All the men and women are walking around in very little clothes. Almost all of them come from countries where they are covered in several feet of snow during the winter, such as Russia, America or Europe. It is not possible to take the heat of the sun with it, so it is as if it wants to burn away all the cold by bathing in the sunlight.
Despite the crowd, the island is sparkling! This place is so far from the mainland, time seems to stand still when you set foot here. There is no rush. There are no motorized vehicles, so there are no roads, only footpaths. Walking path only. A wide concrete path leads straight ahead. Rows of shops on both sides of the road. There are wheelbarrows for carrying heavy goods. They are tilted to one side of the road. There is no fear of theft in this country. If you leave something, you can find it again.
The shops on both sides are selling various things, clothes, souvenirs, bags, swimwear, food items. Nature arranges itself according to place. Various juicy fruits are available here in this summer. The mango here is about half a hand long. Dab, coconut and how many kinds of food with coconut. Cakes made from coconut shells are also available. Shops are selling ice cold canned water, with thick shells inside. Many shops are located here. The front is surrounded by a bamboo fence. Free WiFi is written on the small board.
A shop is selling pineapples, other fruits are also available. The shopkeeper is sitting on the balcony of the house with a basket. A few rattan sofas and table leaves. Underneath it on the table, like a little water lily, there are shaluk flowers. What a cool, calm and gentle environment in this summer! The old gentleman-mem stands smiling and says to take the coconut ice-cream. It takes some time for the shopkeeper because the shells are cut into bowls and put into them.
This place in Phi Phi is called Tonsai Village. We are moving forward along the concrete road. A tree with orchids hanging from it. At the end of the shadowy path, the mountains and the sky blue sea surrounded by white sand came in front. A colorful long narrow boat is lying upside down on the beach. The whole thing is like a glossy picture post card. Very long beach, clean sand, where there is not so much dirt. The water is as clear as glass. How many boats are moving on the water. Where the beach ends, the vegetation begins. Houses, most of them hotels, peek out from among these trees. There are many luxury hotels here. From Tonsai Bay, one road leads to Tonsai Village, another to the south and another to the west.
Phi Phi Island has many beaches. Among them, the weather in Long Beach is always good. But the place looks better in winter. At a slow pace called Sandhya. A large number of tourists return to Phuket before evening. The beach is no longer crowded. The busyness of JT Ghat is also very calm. Leaving nature, people indulge in other addictions. Nightlife begins. Nightclubs that close in the morning come to life. Even when it gets dark, the island does not sleep. Lasyamayi wakes up. Emerald colored water then turns grey.
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