Garhwal was, is, will remain beautiful!

A travel to Garhwal awakens the purity in you…

Dense green pine forests, blue cloud-patchy  sky, cool breeze, all add to the beauty of  Garhwal!   

Terrace farming in #Bungdhar, a village on the way 

to  #Bhagwati Taliya 

Note these: Dancing trees, fresh breeze, green stepped paddy fields, unsullied  water flowing through round and oval stones in the rivers, white temples crowned with red flags and their respective boundaries adorned with chimes & bells, snow covered Himalayan range, blue sky at times coupled with gossamer clouds and the beautiful people of #Garhwal!

The Chhoti #Deeba temple, built in 1650

Yes.. all these elements are more than enough to inject energy-by-nature into ones’ veins. Visiting #Garhwal for me is getting rid of the urban hustle- bustle, and what best could be the time than a long official holiday. This time, it was the Holi weekend.

A walk through #Deeba hills! 

On March 23, 2016, we left from our home in Indirapuram, Ghaziabad at 5 pm in our car and reached Ramnagar at 10 pm. The idea was to stay overnight and relax our muscles; also, as we had two kids and senior citizens (my parents) travelling with us. We re-started the journey towards our native place (#Bhararidhar, a village in Pauri Garhwal) at 4:30 am. 

My roots, my beautiful village #Bhararidhar!

We crossed #Corbett National Park, Mohan and Marchula, and moved up the hills touching places like Jadaukhand, Dhumakot, Deebakhaal, Deeba Dand, Baijro, Kanera, Chaukhal and finally, reached Bhagwati Taliya at 10:00 am to put the final breaks to the car and pull up the hand breaks.

The full-moon night made our travel all the more special, bright, cheerful and well-guarded. 

There were two best experiences, which not everyone is lucky always to encounter, while driving up the hills.

Moon is setting. It’s 5:30am

 How Moon goes to sleep and Sun wakes up?: The serpentine road travel offered us a chance to see the unfathomably hiding moon in the west and the eloquently rising sun in the east. This occurred between 6 am and 6:30 am.

Sunrise: frame-it moment! It’s 6:15am

It was an experience to comprehend; how darkness ultimately translates into brightness, how untainted breeze brushes through your soul and mind, to bless you with clarity & wisdom and resonate a human, a #Buddha, in us. The entire family was out of the car to capture the beauty and inhale the purity. Sumptuous indeed, it was!... to see how moon hid in the sky and sun rose far off behind from the mountains.

Wild goats grazing the green patches: The white and black wild mountain goats, numbering up to 150 plus, manned by just two, grazing amidst the pine jungle, was a sight seen once only, in a lifetime! Though, my husband was blessed enough to see it the second time. “Last time, about six months ago, these goats had blocked my road for almost 10-15 minutes”, he said.

A herder tending mountain goats counting more than 150. I loved the sight!

Ashok and I, holding a kid! 

First it showed restiveness, 

but later  it felt comfortable;

 it understood the warmth 

that we tried to extend.

But I bet, the exquisiteness of the latest display by the goats was unparalleled! And, the drive through the jungle with sun sprinkling its lustrous rays through dense sky rocketing pine trees, quenched our thirst for the nature!

Naisha clings to her Nanu to reach out

 to a bell in premises of 

The chhoti #Deeba Temple;

 the echo of the bells was soul-soothing

 ……We drove further.... for 3.5 more hours from #Deeba Temple to #Baijro, then #Chaukhal  and eventually reached #Bhagwati Taliya, a central place that serves about 25 villages around it, with shops for grocery and other necessary items, a higher secondary school, government hospital and beautiful ‘Maa Bhagwati’ temple. To reach my paternal village #Bhararidhar, we had to climb up small hills and pass through terrace fields, which demands 20 min to 30 min exercise on foot.

#Bhagwati Taliya, which hosts to a small market, a school, 

medical facilities and labour hub

I can’t express enough my contentment the moment I put my feet on the pious land. I hand reached my destination. How I wish I were to spend my rest of life here only…. I would have felt accomplished! It feels heavenly getting back to your roots. Everyone looks equal, though still living a pastoral style of life. Yes, people get up as soon as the first ray of sun touches them; they are done with their breakfast by 7:30 am; and could be seen on fields around 8 am. Besides, cattle rearing and livestock management go hand in hand.

Mom and I relishing the beautiful moments!

I loved being pampered by all my near and dear ones in my village. What I all did was- Eat, sleep and enjoy the beauty with long walks climbing up and racing down the hills, while capturing everything… every mood and sight I could. 

Kids playing #holi! Hrishit, Naisha and my cousin Pappu (right)

My kids were all by their own, I didn’t even have to worry about them as they were in their secured native premises. Even the sight of snakes didn’t dampen their spirits. Yes, they collectively saw a cobra of 3.5 feet and then a very small one of about half a foot.

Nothing feels scary..... as the Gods and Goddesses of this holy land are meant to protect every one, visiting and residing here.

What I didn’t like? Not as many people are living in Garhwal as once used to be. Reason? People have migrated to cities for better livelihood.  And, without people, villages give a sad look.

Parched Terrace fields

Besides, I hated looking at various parched and barren fields; they give an awfully gloomy look. Schemes like #MGNREGA have caused more damage than benefiting the villagers. Roads are being built across villages for better connectivity but the quality is not at all satisfactory. People leave their fields to find employment at the road construction sites. Resultantly, neither the fields are flourishing, nor can the newly built road infrastructure boast of durability. …And gullible villagers are becoming more gullible in the process as they feel rewarded earning nuts while laying roads.

Also, I didn’t like the modified flat roofed cemented houses that most of the villagers have built now, losing on the aesthetics of traditional #slate roof structures.

A plain area - the first #helipad of Garhwal;

 the place is called #Dhumakot;

 the area behind encloses

 the Intermediate College 

List of Must Experience Places/Sights – On way to Bhagwati Taliya from #Corbett National Park- (Bhagwati Taliya is 145 kmts from Ramnagar)

Temples- Badi Deeba (Deeba Khaal/ahead of Dhumakot), Shivalaya and Maa Bhagwati Mandir (The latter two temples are near Bhagwati Taliya)

River- Any small tributary can give you the feel of a pristine river harbouring ice-aged water

#Sunrise and #Sunset Points- The best scenic point could be seen in Kaful Gair village and Jogi Mani Village

Snow covered Himayalan range- The sight looks best from the Jogi Mani Village

Visit to a villager’s Kutcha house – Any; check with your hotel person if he could help

Cowshed- Any

Helipad- Dhumakot, is the place that marks the first helipad of Garhwal

Sumptuous chole; we savoured them at a

 roadside stall in Jadaukhand village

What is must to eat/drink?

• Butter Milk laced with garlic and green chilly salt – Try anywhere
• Eat Black Bread (Kode ki roti) soaked in Ghee with green chutney – Try at a villager’s home, if possible
• Chullha cooked daal and rice  - Try at a villager’s home, if possible
• Cholle, topped up with chopped onion, are a must try – A small shop, on the road, in Jadaukhand village (On way to #Baijro from #Ramnagar) is famous for the cholle
• Egg Samosas- They are a speciality of a shop in Dhumakot market, forgot the name (Sorry)
• Tea- It tastes god at any roadside stall/shop.  

Accomodation

There are only a few small hotels/resorts on the #Marchula road, but that’s quite ahead of our final destination #Bhagwati Taliya. If one plans to stay at Marchula, then one won’t be able to explore the beauty of main Garhwal and understand people & their culture as Bhagwati taliya is about five hours journey   from  Marchula.

If you aren’t a native of the place then you need to be sweet-smart enough to find an unadvertised lodge/small room for your stay ..... on the way (passing through villages like Bironkhal, Dhumakot, Baijro, Syunsi, Chaukhal, Bhagwati Taliya etc).

Caution: If you aren’t a nature lover or a bag packer, please go somewhere else! For this part of the world, you need to believe in yourself/your God, be a risk taker and a charmer to charm a villager/shopkeeper who could organise your food and stay. This needs to be arranged during the day light; the moment it is dark, the villagers are enclosed within the four walls of their homes.

Route

Ghaziabad (NH24)-Moradabad-Kashipur (NH121)-Ramnagar-Corbett National Park- Garjiya- Mohan- Marchula-Salt Mahadev-Jadaukhand-Dhumakot-Bironkhal-Deebhakhal-Syusi-Kanera-Baijro-Chaukhal-Bhagwati Taliya

Time taken (Ghaziabad to Bhagwati Taliya)

8-10 hours by car; 12-14 hrs by bus

For any further info

Write to palash.india@gmail.com

Want to broaden your horizon? A visit to Bodhgaya, Rajgir and Nalanda can help you do that...

Entrance- #Mahabodhi Temple, #Bodhgaya

Sunbathing on a secluded sandy beach while sipping a Blue Lagoon can only fulfil one’s materialistic desires but not the holistic ones. If your “Rendezvous with life’s reality” is still unmet, then a travel to #Gaya, known to be one the major tourist attractions of #Bihar, could help you realise that. This blog may read like a dry piece to most of you. But at some point in life, I am sure the blog piece, will be remembered.

The #Mahabodhi Temple- inside view

#Mahabodhi Tree

I always wanted to travel to Gaya, to visit #Bodhgaya and the temples & monasteries in the vicinity. #Gaya is located 100 kmts to the South of Patna and known to be the second largest city of Bihar. The place, situated on the banks of the Phalgu River, will appeal to all those who value peace, harmony and people.  

I visited #Bodhgaya with my mother and kids, in January 2016 (January 9-11). It was a different feeling altogether... as if we were destined to visit this World #Heritage Site. Situated in Gaya District in Bihar, Bodhgaya is the same place where #Gautam #Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment under the #Mahabodhi Tree (It’s Peepal Tree). It’s called to be the most important of the four main pilgrimage sites related to the life of Gautama Buddha, the other three being – Kushinagar, Lumbini and Sarnath.

The vibrant #Mahabodhi Temple, in #Bodhgaya

We visited #Mahabodhi temple twice, on January 9 and 11. Truly, it’s an abode for people seeking peace, wisdom and clarity.... an encounter with one’s real self! Sitting in the shade of the #Mahabodhi Tree, at the backside of the #Mahabodhi Temple, was my dream, which I could accomplish. I also chanted “Nam Myoho Renge Kyo” sitting at a corner, inside the temple and also outside, under the tree! To chant #Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is bringing forth the absolute fundamental energy of life while honoring the dignity and gravity of our ordinary lives.

We had reached Gaya from Delhi via Sealdah Rajdhani, before 5:00 am on January 9 and travelled to Gaya the same day. We headed to #Rajgir and #Nalanda University at 9:00 am on January 10, booking a taxi for whole day. It was a three-hour journey by road. Rajgir resonated history with ruins of #Bimbisara’s Jail, #Swarna Bhandra, #Maniar Math and #Ajatshatru’s Fort. Rajgir was the capital of the Magadh when Patliputra was not formed. The place cosies up with Buddhism as well as Jainism. Besides being a famous pilgrimage for #Buddhists, Rajgir also has some very beautiful Hindu and Jain temples. We loved the harmonious monasteries built by the Japanese Devotees in Rajgir.

#Maniar Math in the back drop

Another attraction of Rajgir, which I had heard about, was the ‘ropeway’, which takes one uphill to the #Shanti Stupa. We could not experience the same as small kids were not allowed on the trolley cars and also, the ropeway appeared very shaky and unsafe. Besides, other deterrents included the long queue to access the ropeway and single traveler ride at a time. 

We reached Old #Nalanda University, around 3:00 pm, which is known to be one of the earliest Universities in the world founded in the fifth century. The remnants of the splendid university still resonate the history with 10,000 students and 2,000 teachers in the premises, once upon a time. The entire University campus was said to be spread over 15,000,000 square meters of land, however, only 10% of it has been excavated so far, and the rest of the ruins are yet to be unearthed. Also, it’s said that it was blessed by the presence of the Buddha too; in fact one of the major subjects taught at this international residential university was Buddhism.

We walking through the sprawling old #Nalanda University! 

Ahhhh!.... a walk in the ruins of the university, took us to an era that saw India imparting knowledge to the world - the era when India was a coveted place for studies. The University is said to have flourished during the 5th and 12th century. 

I bet, anyone can fall in love with the sprawling campus that showcases conscientiously maintained ruins with beautiful lawns. In fact, this was the only area, during my visit to in Bihar, which spoke of mesmeric greenery and blue sky adorned with gossamer clouds.

Beautiful moments – My mom, son and daughter seemed to be on cloud nine!

Kids appeared on cloud nine! Left no chance to leave a single monastery for posing, jumping around and capturing all the captivating ruins in their cameras. 

A group of #Buddhist monks – Chanting!  ... while sitting in the middle of the  sprawling  #Nalanda University

The moment the sun started setting, the ambience looked all the more beautiful in this centre of #Buddhism. I saw a few Buddhist groups who looked as if waited only for the dawn..... to chant vigorously. The echo of the chants was as soothing as resounding bells of a temple ... as calming as the singing birds...!   Well, I also didn’t lose on the chance... sat on square shaped platform- built of red bricks, possibly a remnant of a dormitory.... and started chanting #NamMyohoRengeKyo!

Can’t express how deeply satiated I felt! Truly, the twilight that evening was majestic! None of us wanted to leave.. how we wish we were there for ever,.... far away from the insanely busy cosmopolitan life! We moved around 5:30 pm after requesting a gentleman for clicking a final group picture of ‘we four’, in the ruins of the #Nalanda University.

Our final pic in the ruins of #Nalanda University!

On our way back, we had delightful dinner in the food court of the only mall in #Gaya, called as #APR City Mall. The next evening we had to catch our train but before boarding it, I desired to revisit the #Mahabodhi temple. 

And, we spent our entire afternoon in the premises, on January 11. Good that we went there as we were meant to witness the World Peace Prayer 2016 happening in the premises of the temple. The temple looked superb with the floral decor and people (monks) robed in saffron colour. Small kids in monastic robes looked edibly gorgeous.

Our last-day in the temple went awesomely well. My mother was busy looking after kids; kids were busy playing around the wish pole with their temporary monk friends; and I was busy rejuvenating myself sitting under the #Mahabodhi tree, yet again!   

Kind of a wish pole... kids kept themselves busy throwing coins over the pole... And celebrated with incessant claps when a coin could make its way up to the top and rested there.

Last but not the least, we loved the people of Bihar, their innocence, their helping nature! ..,and, of course, the appetizing and delectable food of the city. I liked the small budget hotel where we stayed @ INR 1300 per day plus food charges – Hotel Durbar International, near Gaya Railway Station. The food, though simple, speaks love as well as quality, in this hotel.  People who want to go to on a day-trip to Rajgir and Nalanda from Gaya, must hire a taxi. It comes at a cost of INR 1800-2000 for the entire day, and the driver knows what/where his visitor wants to visit. 

When a Garhwali weds a Kashmiri.....

Thanks to India for its rich cultural diversity. I recently experienced a different culture, attending a Kashmiri Wedding in Jammu.

All thanks to my co sister for pushing me to attend this wedding, this November 2015. Her brother tied knot with a gorgeous Kashmiri girl. Being a witness to such a rich cultured wedding, I realised there is so much, which many of us haven’t experienced.

The Paharis (Garhwalis) were sweet enough to let the wedding take place with all Kashmiri rituals. I believe, we too wanted to gain familiarity with their tradition and customs, besides extending comfort to the bride and her family.

Best Part of rituals:

When we entered the venue: As a part of welcome, the groom was overloaded with the garlands by all from the bride’s side. Poor he couldn’t do anything except passing broad smiles to all.

The amazingly sweetest part of this module of wedding course was... when we saw the arrival of the bride during the same time, yes, at the entrance itself. The couple were blessed by all their relatives, especially the groom as he had to accept the shower of garlands againJ. And, I believe, at one point of time, his neck also refused to accommodate any more garlanding.

The blessing ceremony during feras: It covered the couple with a shawl and all the elders showered flowers on them, literally making mountains of yellow ‘genda’ flower petals over their heads.

The soaked Kashmiri walnuts as Prasad: I never knew walnuts could hold so much of relevance for a wedding. And, they were delectable.

As in any other Hindu wedding, this wedding too consisted of pheras in front of the sacred fire, amidst mantras. After this, the couple had to feed each other with rice and finally, the Vidai had taken place. So the ‘Kashmir ki Kali’ is an integral part of the Garhwali family now.

But one question still hovers over my head and knocks my brain, ... how would the groom ever get an idea of what his Kashmiri in laws or respective relatives are talking about? Are they passing some loving complements or comments?.... As the language sounds little unadorned & strict.... I really found it difficult to understand.   So, good luck groom J! 

Yet, the bottom line of any successful wedding is 'understanding'.. when the hearts meet, nothing else matters. So, the awesome newsome couple.... I wish you a nice travel through your beautiful married life! 

Travel to #Chopta... you will be satiated for lifetime!

I belong to #Uttarakhand and hence, my love for hills can never take a back seat. But at times I don’t like travelling through the serpentine route, especially when rocky mountain tries to pounce on me from one side and there is a gravitational pull from the river flowing down the hilly route one the other side. Well, it’s a delightful experience when you have naive green trees on both the sides, with sun rays filtering through gaps between their branches and leaves.

Our first view of  #Chopta!

The access to #Chopta right after #Ukhimath (which is a small village and a pilgrimage site in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand) offers the most amazing driving pleasure with a zip and zap move after every 2-5 seconds. Enchanting beauty of the pine, deodar and rhododendron forests and mountains covered with sparkling goldenish silver snow gives a captivating pictorial appeal altogether.

I had only thought of visiting the place sometime in the offing, but it will happen so soon I never knew....Well, we were to go to Nainital in the first week of October for vacation, though there wasn’t any booking but some kind of juggaadd was there, certainly.... The bags were almost packed to leave by 5:00 am in the morning.

Around 12 midnight, my husband impulsively said, “let’s go to Chopta”. We were off the cuff. “Let’s Pack up for Chopta and leave in an hour’s time”, Ashok said. I had my jaw almost dropped, but I was thrilled too. And we two along with two kids began our journey at 1:35 am.

From Ghaziabad it’s about 380-400 kilometres journey, which of course isn’t possible at one go. Driving via Meerut, Rishikesh, we reached Byasi around 6 am. We had light snacks there and then moved to halt at our (Ashok’s) maternal uncle’s place in Shrinagar. As Ashok was feeling sleepy I took over the steering wheel and drove up and down the scary hills till a few kilometres before Shrinagar where we reached at 10:00 am. After taking the much needed rest to drive ahead safely, we left for Chopta at 4:00pm.

Moving towards Srinagar from Byasi

We passed by the Srinagar dam at the Alaknanda River, which has a capacity of generating electricity up to 330 MW

Kids had real fun in shopping what not..., I should say, from the road side shops- toffees, chocolates, sweets, chips and drinks. They were enjoying equally while listening to Pahari and Bollywood songs. And when tired, they were sleeping cuddling over each other.

Kids too tired....

Place ahead of Agastyamuni, on our way to Chopta

Passing through Rudraprayag, around 6:30 pm the darkness fell and it felt scary driving on the hilly roads. We had complete faith in God and were equally brimming with our passion to reach Chopta by 7:30 pm or 8:00 pm max. There was no hotel/camp booking but we were only moving ahead.

Darkness fell; we continued driving to reach Chopta. The snow covered mountains excited us more to continue....

Around 7:15 pm, we received a call from a well-wisher who was trying to arrange accommodation for us. “Madam please don’t go beyond Ukhimath. Find a lodge and stay there tonight, as I am unable to get in touch with my people in Chopta due to bad network”, said Mr Bhandari. Though, we had already driven 15 minutes forward. But we listened to him and took a U-turn.We spent the night (October 2) at Anushree Lodge, which was quiet descent and too economical with home-like food.

Beautiful morning captured from Anushree Lodge's rooftop, sun is yet to rise though...

The morning looked incredible at Unkimath. The silver peaks of Himalaya mountain range, clear sky and the sun showering its untouched rays on us... was breathtaking. “Oh it’s nothing. Reach Chopta and then realise what’s nature’s beauty about”, said another traveller who was staying at the same lodge.

It's morning October 3, 2015; we set to move towards Chopta from Unkhimath. On right is the Anushree Lodge we stayed at

We started ... and in another 40-45 minutes we reached Chopta. “Woooooooo... awwwwww !!!!! I am sure nothing can be as marvellous as this place”, I said to Ashok. Kids were overjoyed too! It’s a natural treat to eyes, with views of snow adorned #Himalayan range, 8790 ft above sea level. Also called as #MiniSwitzerland, it's a must for all wanderlusts; thankfully, it’s still not a commercial travel spot!

Kids were overjoyed too to visit the mini Switzerland of Uttarakhand

A base for tracking to Tungnath, which is the third temple of Panch Kedar, which lies 3.5 kilometres away, Chopta looks even more beautiful on way to this temple. During the hiking to the temple, the scenic beauty of silver-lined peaks of Panchchuli, Nanda Devi, Nilkanth and Kedarnath, just hypnotise you.

Entrance to begin tracking to Tunganath Temple

As we had no strength to track with two kids, we hired mules that helped us reach the temple, though I would recommend people to walk up the hills to enjoy the track and capture the serenity and splendour of this place. I missed on capturing various beautiful sites during our journey from Chopta to Tungnath and then, way back.

I loved clicking this pic!

Incredible #Chopta!

Half way to Tunganath, we took a break for 10 minutes at this point

Hey... we had the most delicious food while the mules took a break half way to Tunganath. MAGGI!!!! Though it was still to be relaunched after an extensive ban all across the countryover concerns of excess lead levels, but we were lucky enough to slurp the Maggie noodles in the cold weather.

Enjoying Maggi!

Don’t miss out on the access to heaven like spotI must tell avid travellers not to miss a point, where you feel that you are about to enter heaven... it looks as if the track pathway ends there, and the gossamer sky is there to embrace you.In fact the entire track to the temple gives you that heaven like feel.. you tend to believe you are in cloud nine.

Looks as if the temple is placed somewhere in the sky, amidst gossamer clouds

#Tunganath is known to be the highest #Shiva #shrine in the world. Its literal meaning: Lord of the peaks, speaks for it. The most amazing part is its positioning in the mountains, which forms the #Mandakini river valley one side and #Alaknanda river valley on the other side.

We almost reach the temple; stairs to Tunganath

The temple!

Returning from the temple, on our wayback...

I wish to camp in Chopta for at least 3-4 days, when I go there again!

Kashmir Memoir-I: Kashmir went beyond my imaginations; it’s a God-designed valley

"Agar firdaus bar roo-e zameen ast, Hameen ast-o hameen ast-o hameen ast"
This is a famous verse by a sufi mystic, poet and musician Amir Khusro, in Persian language, which means......

"If there is paradise on earth, it is here, it is here, it is here (Kashmir)"

#Kashmir is the most beautiful place on earth... this is an unquestionable fact!

Till last year August (2014), I had only heard about it, watched the beautiful valley in television, movies and saw those enchanting flower beds in images, while surfing on Google. The God has carved out this valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range.

My good luck that my sister invited my family and our parents for a three-four day visit to Kashmir as her brother in law was posted there that time and accommodation was no problem. Though more than accommodation, I would say, we had the best of person to guide us about the place, for he is another wanderlust types.

My sister booked our tickets. She flew a day earlier, along with our parents, my kids and her own family and I followed, the next day. It was August 14 and the security was criminally tight at the airport, both in Delhi and Kashmir. Why? We all know the reasons.

Finally, I arrived in Kashmir; all the kids and my brother in law, were there to welcome me and pick me from airport. The distance to the Airport Authority Colony was hardly five minutes as we all had to camp at bhaiyya’s place J.

Majestic Dal Lake at sun set

It was August 14^th evening and we started with #Dal Jheel, the sprawling and enchanting lake. The captivating houseboats, anchored at the banks of the lake, were worth experiencing.  

             

We hired three ‘#Shikaras’. Appeared as if that song from “Kashmir ki Kali” came alive... tareef karun kya uski, kisne tumhe banaya. The “Shikaras” are no less that a “doli” (for a newly-wed bride).

  

My sister and her husband... singing .. tareef karun kya uski... in Shikara

             

Lake hawkers started travelling with us too to sell their trinkets and some were there to showcase their photographic skills, though we all know that it isn’t about the photography, but it’s ‘the’ picturesque place on earth.        

Shopping.. no no it's window shopping actually.. while travelling in a Shikara...

Next day, started with drizzles. Taxi was waiting for us and we too were on toes for the sightseeing and capturing ourselves with images from a DSLR and Smart phone cameras, in various valleys that were awaiting us too.

We both sisters posing to eat the sumptuous green apples in an apple orchid

My father in the lap of Aru Valley

Kids and I.. my ady is missing in this pic, though ... in Aru Valley

We passed via saffron fields, apple orchids...halted at Aru Valley, Pahalgam, for Lunch and then headed towards Betab Valley, same valley where the movie “Betab was shot”.

The shade which came to our rescue in Betab Valley.. saved us from heavy rain, which continued for almost an hour

It started pouring; temperature dipped to about 10-12 degree and we started freezing, in a while....but the spirits weren’t dampened.

Thankfully, we carried warm jackets for kids as we had perceived the change in weather, when we started in the morning.  So kids were safe... and we were having our own joy drenching in the rain, shivering.. having pop corns and pakodas in that serene and unruffled valley.... the only moving part was the majestically flowing water in river #Lidder. The green painted bridge over the river gives the site a heavenly touch; as if someone would have painted it on canvas.

My sister and I...  in Betab Valley.. rain couldn't dampen our spirits!!!

The green bridge over river Lidder in Betab Valley.. Honey giving a pose..!

Over the next two days, we were blessed to realise the beauty of #Sonamarg and visited #Shankaracharya temple and fragrant gardens, in Kashmir too. And of course, did some shopping too.

I am putting an end to this piece now, but I need to delve more into my Kashmir journey... shall be back soon with another one, Kashmir Memoir-II !