By Sanne
We were weighing up whether or not to go to Kashmir. Our government websites advised us not to but when we spoke to Indians they told us it was actually very safe. So with that in mind we headed off. The first thing we noticed was the huge military presence here which worried us a bit and made us think if it really was such a good idea to come here. In Aru Valley just outside Pahalgam we got the chance to air out our tent. Little did we know that this was the spot where 5 foreigners were kidnapped in 1995, 4 of them never seen again. Had we known this beforehand we might not have set up our tent in the middle of a field but as it turns out we had no problems at all. Our campspot was one of the most beautiful places we have camped, down to a river and views on three sides of the Himalayas. Some curious sheppherds stopped by in the afternoon to take a look at us and we shared some of our cookies with them but after that we were all alone in the wilderness apart from a flock of horses hanging around. It was so nice to be camping again, it got a little cold in the night even with all our clothes piled on but the next morning we woke up to a glorious sunny day.
We were weighing up whether or not to go to Kashmir. Our government websites advised us not to but when we spoke to Indians they told us it was actually very safe. So with that in mind we headed off. The first thing we noticed was the huge military presence here which worried us a bit and made us think if it really was such a good idea to come here. In Aru Valley just outside Pahalgam we got the chance to air out our tent. Little did we know that this was the spot where 5 foreigners were kidnapped in 1995, 4 of them never seen again. Had we known this beforehand we might not have set up our tent in the middle of a field but as it turns out we had no problems at all. Our campspot was one of the most beautiful places we have camped, down to a river and views on three sides of the Himalayas. Some curious sheppherds stopped by in the afternoon to take a look at us and we shared some of our cookies with them but after that we were all alone in the wilderness apart from a flock of horses hanging around. It was so nice to be camping again, it got a little cold in the night even with all our clothes piled on but the next morning we woke up to a glorious sunny day.
The ever-curious crowd of onlookers
Our great campspot in Aru Valley
Our wild neighbours
Enjoying a warm campfire in the cool night
And some warm porridge in the cold morning that followed
White-water rafting on the river
I get flat tyres and Mark gets to fix them!
Our great host Mehraj in the centre at the Beach Resort, Pahalgam
Reminds me of our travel..too good.. U know in Pahalgam we stayed at Riverfront resort...having just 4 rooms..in the midst of Aru Valley...no house or living being till far..by a riverside , in front of a beautiful waterfall and surrounded by lush green scenic mountains....We are in the process of writing our blog...U can view in that!!
ReplyDeleteHiii....We have completed our blog for Kashmir Diaries. Hope you'd like going through it once. We covered places like Srinagar, Pahalgam, Sonmarg, and Gulmarg... http://www.happygohopping.com/2012/10/mesmerizingly-beautiful-kashmir_15.html
ReplyDeleteYou may also wish to see the video that we have put for Aru Valley- the place where we stayed.
up there, in the last second and third photo (at the Beach Resort, Pahalgam), you can see me, a young kid standing on the step just looking up at the camera. i think i have grown quite a bit
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