Day 2.
Agar-firdaus-bar-roo-e-zameen-ast-hameen-ast-o-hameen-ast-o.
If there is paradise on earth, it is this, it is this, it is
this. A line, cliche for Kashmir, isn’t? Believe me, it is true!
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| So much to explore. So much to devour. |
I reached Srinagar to see an ordinary
village-like looking city, which had its own charm. But before I could make a
wholesome judgment about the place, I had to leave it. Leave it for better.
Pehelgham was our next destination. We left the very next day for Pahalgam.
A 90 km road-trip on the National Highway 1A, is worth an
experience. We got up at 4:00 in the morning and left Srinagar at around 7 ‘o’
clock. There’s a very peculiar trait to Kashmir, daytime seems to be longer
than normal. I woke up at 4:00 and by 5:00 it was sun shining to its brightest;
and the evenings are pleasantly illuminated until the hour hand hits 8:00.
Anyway, we packed our bags to head towards Pahalgam via NH1A.
NH1A has everything that Kashmir is famous
for. May it be, dry fruits, Saffron or willow bats, it has them all. Basically,
the highway has factories and shops located on either side, all along its
length. And yes, try to crack a good bargain or you’ll end up losing huge
margins. En route you’ll also come across many apple gardens and rice fields.
They’re enjoyable.
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| Lidder, river that flows along. |
As our car caught up speed, cool breeze
struck by my face, and led me to reverie, followed by a shallow sleep, which
was soon broken by the humming sound of flowing water. I opened my eyes to see
a thin stream of water gradually getting broader by every few meters. As we
moved by, along the slender stream of fresh water, I noticed the flora getting
intensified, roads getting narrower and steeper, and the air getting cooler,
minutes by minutes, seconds by seconds. All the small tributaries of water
adjoined gradually as we approached its origin, finally turning in to a
humongous stream of ferociously flowing river – Lidder.
Lidder had begun, it meant that we were
somewhere near Pahalgam, which was a township basically located on the banks of
the river Lidder. The chill in the air started giving me goose bumps. Quite
ironic it was, just 100 km away from the place, which was sweltering beneath
the sun, we could keenly feel the nip in air. Altitudes play a sublime game
with circumstances. As we progressed to higher altitudes, the scenic beauty got
more riveting by every second. Anything I could see outside the car window was
enchanting. A wide and meandering river, lush green jungles, and enormous–white
and green–mountains behind them, summed up for a perfect landscape.
