Kashmir

We were planning on leaving for Kashmir last Monday, but Sunday afternoon Jhon called and said that his dad was ready to go right then. Of course, I had stuff all over my room and wet clothes hanging up to dry. I had to scramble around and pack while they were all waiting for me to leave!

We went down the mountain in a little van with 6 people packed in. The driver was flying down the road and we almost hit a cow and a bus! We made it the car dealership where Majeed, Jhon's dad, got his new car. We hit the road at about 10 pm and drove all night long with Bollywood music blaring on the stereo. It was a much more comfortable ride with only 4 of us in the car. I said goodbye to Jhon at the car dealership. He had to stay behind to watch the shop. When we entered into Kashmir we had to stop at several checkpoints, and there was a huge military presence. When the sun came up it was an amazingly beautiful drive through the mountains. Even in the rural areas it seems like there are still people everywhere by the sides of the road. I've even seen several people squatting by the side of the road! There's never a dull moment looking out the window while travelling in India!

We reached Srinagar at about 10 am the next day. I stayed in the house with Majeed, his wife Gudie, Jhon's twin brother Rafiq, their sister Sabine, and their grandma. They were so sweet and insisted that I have the only room with a bed. They don't use much furniture. They eat, sleep, and watch TV on the carpet covered floor with pillows. Everyone has to take off their shoes before coming into the house.

It was so great to a glimpse into the day to day life of another culture. I didn't eat out once in the entire 4 days I was there. Gudie prepared every meal and Kashmiri food is delicious! When we went on outings during the day she packed us a picnic lunch. I love how close and family oriented they are in India. The aunt, uncle, and cousins live a few houses down the street and they spend a lot of time together coming and going from each others houses. The whole family ate dinner together every night. They eat with their hands and wash their hands in a big bowl of water before and after eating. Eating rice with you fingers is definitely a challenge. I think it takes a lot of practice!

Kashmir is a Muslim state and very conservative. All of the women wear hijab to cover their hair. They wear salwar kameez with long sleeves and pants. About 1/3 of the women wear full burqas It's a long black headpiece that covers their entire face. It's fascinating to see these women walking around. It makes me so curious. You can't tell if there young or old. There's absolutely nothing that distinguishes them as an individual. I wonder what their lives are like. It makes me extremely grateful to have the freedoms that I do as a woman. Many of the men where long white tunics and little white hats. Every day, 5 times a day, a song/prayer plays loudly over speakers that you can hear everywhere in the city. The first one is at about 5 am and the last one is around 9 pm. This is a reminder that it's time to pray. There is military in full uniform, with guns, everywhere in Srinagar. They're literally on every street corner. It was definitely a drastically different vibe!

I just happened to be in the city while a strike was going on and political tensions were very high. You could feel it in the air. Apparently the army is corrupt. Some army members raped and murdered 3 women. The army refused to cooperate with the government to punish the culprits. The government responded by enforcing a citywide strike. The entire city was shut down, shops were closed. There were riots every day. Groups of people gathered and threw huge rocks at cars in protest. It definitely was not a good time to be a tourist in that city. Several times, I saw huge stones in the road as evidence of the riots. I wasn't able to find a place that was open to access the internet. I tried to get money out of the ATM one day and tried 5 different machines and still couldn't get money out! I was so glad to have local hosts.

Srinagar is still a beautiful city. It's surrounded by mountains. Dal Lake, the largest lake in India, is in the center of the city. The white mosque sits on top of a hill by the lake. There are rice and saffron fields on the outskirts of town. It's a shame that there are so many political tensions there. The family went out of their way to entertain me and make me feel at home. Rafiq helped me to find a working ATM. Sabine and I did henna on each others hands. Gudie and the grandma served me food and tea all day long. They were so amazing and I am so grateful to have had a home stay experience!

Majeed acted as a tour guide for me. The first day we drove to the mountain town of Pahargang. It was a beautiful drive up the mountain to a little village in a valley surrounded by snow capped peaks. There are herds of goats and sheep everywhere in the mountains here, being herded down the middle of the road by men with sticks. Real life shepherds! We ate our picnic under a tree by the river. We took an hour long pony ride on a trail that went along a river and through meadows and forests. It was so beautiful!

The next day we drove to the ski resort town of Gulmarg. It has the highest gondola in Asia! We rode the gondola to the top of a mountain. Majeed waited for me while I hiked up the steep and rocky incline in flip flops. I climbed to where there was still snow, and fields of purple and yellow flowers. Along the way an 11 year old Indian girl latched onto me. She wanted a picture with me and then insisted that I hike with her and her dad and little brother. She was so cute! She was jabbering away at me in Hindi like I could understand, and then she asked me for me phone number. When I got back down Majeed and I ate out picnic on a blanket, basking in the sun, and enjoying the spectacular views!

The next day Majeed was scared to drive his new car because of the riots. He arranged for a shikara, a long boat, to pick us up in a canal just down the street from his house. We road the boat through canals in the old part of the city with beautiful old stone houses and bridges. The canals were lined with water lilies. There were exotic birds and huge dragonflies everywhere. The mountains were surrounding us and the sky was blue. It was so peaceful and I dangled my feet off the side of the boat in the water. We went through a marketplace where stores open out into the water and you can drive the boat right up to the door of the store. We went around Dal Lake which was filled with amazing house boats. They are huge flat boats that are made with intricately carved walnut wood. They are floating palaces that are beautiful works of art!

I couldn't really do anymore sightseeing because of the strikes so I said goodbye to the family and left the next morning. They were more than generous, and I'll always be grateful to them for opening their home to me and providing me with such an amazing experience. Kashmir was an intense and amazing experience!