It's a New Year! Adventures in Jammu & Kashmir

Sunrise in Srinagar

Happy New Year!  I suppose I should have at least one New Year's Resolution....to update my blog!  Here's the first update, with a few more to follow, including travel to Sri Lanka, Mumbai and Goa over Christmas.


In October I had the great privilege of traveling to India's northernmost state, Jammu & Kashmir (J&K).  It was an amazing trip, and I had over 800 pictures when I got home!  I visited Srinagar in the Kashmir valley, Jammu, and Leh - each place representing one of the three diverse regions of J&K.  I'll try to (briefly) summarize the visit.

Srinagar 

In Srinagar, I was part of a small contingent of international officers, and we were put up quite nicely at BB Cantonment.  Our visits to forward bases were via Mi-17 helicopters.  I love flying in helicopters, so that was extra fun for me.  While we flew around, we got great views of the Kashmir valley - lots of greenery, agriculture, and distinct architectural styles.

We headed towards the mountains and got our first glimpses of snow.  It was beautiful! The most memorable forward base we visited was at Uri, which has seen a lot of action over the years.  The base is in a small valley surrounded on three sides by big mountains which happen to cross the Line of Control into Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK).  They took us by historic NH-1A to a smaller base called Kaman Aman Setu, where cross-border visits and trade take place every week.  It was fascinating and very helpful to understand the Indian perspective.  We had a memorable time at a few other forward posts, shopping in the cantonment for Kashmiri goods, and visiting the post's museum.

Museum at Hari Niwas Palace

Sunset in Jammu

After a few short days, we headed off to Jammu city, where we stayed at the historic Hari Niwas Palace hotel - still maintained by the descendants of Maharaja Hari Niwas, the last king of Jammu & Kashmir.  It is a beautiful hotel overlooking the Tawi River and we enjoyed a brief stay there wandering the grounds, meeting up with the other officers on our trip, and touring the museum next door which had a pretty interesting art collection.

Ladakhi lady

The next morning, we flew to Leh, Ladakh for our final stop in the tour.  Because the city is located at high altitude, we had to spend a day getting acclimated.  The first thing that happened when we arrived at our hotel was that we were given a medical exam - blood pressure and pulse - to check if we were suffering from high altitude sickness.  The rest of the day, we were directed to stay at the hotel and rest.  I'll be honest, I may have pushed it a bit.  About five of us international officers decided to go for a little tour of the city instead.  Walking very slowly, we wandered around the various Tibetan markets and Ladakhi shops, which was a lot of fun!  Unfortunately, I don't think it was the wisest decision for me as I later experienced some minor symptoms of high altitude sickness...

Fortunately the next day, I was back to my (almost) normal self, and was able to fully participate in our travel agenda.  We spent that day at a couple of monasteries and a palace, and visited an Army unit headquarters.  Ladakh is beautiful, and very different from any place I've ever been.  It was difficult not to take a billion pictures - thank God for digital cameras!!

The next day, we went to Khardungla Pass, the highest motorable road in the world.  By the time we reached the top, it was snowing and windy, and VERY COLD!  I was thankful for the winter gear I'd brought with me!  One of the most memorable parts of that visit was hanging out in the cafeteria (world's highest) drinking tea with my friends, all of whom were desperate to get out of the cold!

A couple days later, some of us had the opportunity to do some river rafting in gorgeous green-blue water.

So far, it ranks number 1 trip in India I've had this year, and I would love to return to explore some more.

I hope this finds you well, and I wish you the best in the New Year.