[SS-Traveller]

The first week of January.

Schools remain closed, Delhi hides behind a veil of fog almost every day, and for us, wanderlust bites more than the biting cold outside. We look forward to winters, to seeing snow, to wrap up in multiple layers of clothing and venture outside when - and where - not many others do.

Yes - we decide to fly out to Srinagar. There's limited time on hand, and daughter's exams from the next week as soon as school reopens. The Jammu-Srinagar highway is unpredictable in this season, and can close at any time. Also, it works out cheaper than the car, since we have managed to get discounted fares when booking in July last year!

A dear friend in Srinagar has promised to make our travel & accommodation arrangements, and we are happy to leave the details to him.

We arrive to a city that is gradually recovering from the unprecedented floods of a few months ago. No snowfall this season yet, and the ground is covered in many places with the greyish-brown river mud. The trees have lost their green cover, and dust billows everywhere in the cold wind. A very stark appearance overall.

We arrive at our temporary accommodation for the next few days.

This building, located right beside the Jhelum river, has also had its ground floor submerged till about shoulder height, and renovation work is in evidence inside as well as outside.

But up on the second floor, the room is big, and a new inverter AC keeps the temperature very comfortable, day or night.

Outside the window, the reducing evening light makes for a rather gloomy picture. We pray for snow, but our prayers are not answered over the next 6 days.

Much as we want to laze around, I don't want to disappoint my friend. We check in, and move out again to a little restaurant run by Afzal, an accomplished wazwan chef whom my friend knows. This is the Peerzoo Island Restaurant, right next to the river again. We have been here on an earlier visit too (http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attach...r-nehru-13.jpg).

We enjoy hot pakoda and tea here as we catch up, followed by an excellent dinner rustled up by Afzal himself.

The plan is for us to go to Gulmarg tomorrow morning.

[SS-Traveller]

Tuesday morning. It is cold - very cold - but not foggy, unlike in Delhi. The bed tea tastes better than my usual cup of coffee, not the least because someone rang the bell and delivered it piping hot! A short while to catch up with the news...

...and as the sun becomes a little brighter, I set off for a short walk and a quick recce of the surroundings.

Breakfast is yet to be served, and our Innova taxi to take us to Gulmarg would not arrive for another hour yet.

Last night, there was this wall that we had noticed, along the embankment of the Jhelum river near Peerzoo Island, with the ground underneath it washed away. It was the handiwork of the floods in September 2014. But that was metaphorically just the tip of the iceberg.

The Jhelum river flows quietly as a security guard keeps watch and a boat passes by. Very misleading.

One can hardly imagine the destruction unleashed by the same river some 4 months ago. Evidence of damage due to the floods and subsequent reconstruction activity can be seen all over the city, especially along the banks of the river. This wall had been washed away completely earlier, and is now being rebuilt stronger, with concrete, in the hope that it will not collapse like nine-pins in case such a calamity happens again!

All over the city are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of cars - even brand new cars in dealers' stockyards - that have drowned in the floods, and are beyond economic repair - or there are just not enough skilled mechanics and spares in the city to get them back to running condition again.

This green fence bears mute testimony to the level to which the flood waters had risen on this road.

Entire two- and three-storey houses had been submerged under water for up to 3 weeks, causing them to collapse. Across the city, one finds construction and renovation activity in shops and houses progressing at a furious pace. Everyone is trying to be ready for the expected influx of tourists as soon as it snows.

Yet, as winter sets in, migrant labourers, masons and other craftsmen from the North Indian plains have returned home, and there are not enough people to be found, who can help with the construction activity. Cost of construction has spiralled up as a result, and some just decide to wait till summer returns to the valley again.

The floods and resultant losses have obviously left a lot of folks here very pissed!

[SS-Traveller]

The road to Baramullah is single carriageway. Road widening and the making of a dual carriageway has been in cold storage, one might say. Traffic is not very heavy though, and we make good progress. Our chauffeur for today is Pervez, and he drives quite well. In fact, most drivers on the roads of Kashmir are reasonably careful, except for their penchant for excessive honking. I ask Pervez about one such insistent honker. Woh toh Jammu se hain (He's from Jammu), he says. Couldn't help smiling...

A splash of colour in the generally grey background catches our attention, and is a welcome sight.

We pass the imposing Forensic Science Laboratory.

A Mine Protection Vehicle (MPV) parked casually by the roadside. We spot many of these during the journey. An interesting read about these vehicles at the following link: https://thoughtso.wordpress.com/2010/06/

At Narbal, we turn off the NH1A towards Gulmarg. The rest of the road is dual carriageway in most parts, and is an easy drive.

As we approach Tangmarg, the white-capped mountains reveal themselves ahead. It's time to stop and revel in the sight. Will there be a lot of snow at Gulmarg?

[SS-Traveller]

Tangmarg is the point from which the road heads uphill for ~12 km to Gulmarg town.

If it snows, Innovas and smaller cars stop at Tangmarg. The mode of transport in that case is local Sumos and Taveras, with chains on the rear wheels - something like the pic below, taken on that road a couple of years ago by someone else. In fact, the locals monopolize transport in this section completely during times of snow, charging huge sums of money for the short drive.

Why Sumos and Taveras, I wonder. Why not Innovas or Scorpios? Pervez is forthcoming in his explanation. Sumos and Taveras are cheap to repair, whereas Innovas are comparatively more expensive. The chains often come undone and cause damage to the undercarriage. And Scorpios don't take as many passengers comfortably.

We are not so (un)lucky. Our Innova goes all the way to Gulmarg, along a dry road decorated on the sides with a mild dusting of snow. It hasn't snowed properly in this season at all.

The adventurous can always ride up from Tangmarg on horseback in any season, but that would never be transport of first choice for us!

[SS-Traveller]

There's hardly any snow at Gulmarg when we arrive.

Gulmarg is run by local tourist guides, operators, touts and miscellaneous vendors, with almost zero support from the tourism department of the state, except a few signboards that ask one to beware of touts!

It becomes almost a painful exercise to avoid them, they have complete monopoly over the place, and even the Kashmiri drivers from Srinagar refuse to tangle with them. One cannot take the car right up to the ropeway terminal, unless there is a hotel reservation inside that 'restricted ' area - but our driver manages to do just that, after a couple of phone calls. The other options are to either walk about 2 km, or go on horseback - for which one is liable to be misguided and overcharged, and taken for a ride in more senses than one.

Pervez actively encourages us to take a guide, which we finally do - a chap called Zahoor, a 26-year-old from Tangmarg. On his part, Zahoor promptly goes into professional mode - gets us our ropeway tickets first, all the way to Phase 2 (Apharwat / Affarwat peak), costing Rs.1400 each for the two-stage ride.

We end up agreeing to rent and wear gum boots at Rs.100 per pair - an extremely bad decision, since they don't fit too well, and are terribly uncomfortable to walk in. In hindsight, we realise there was hardly any slush and snow anywhere, and our own trekking shoes would have done perfectly well. Thankfully, we decide to draw the line on donning rented raincoats and gloves - whatever protection from the cold that we already carry is more than sufficient.

Zahoor waits for us to waddle up to the ropeway station in our boots. The place is under renovation. Incidentally, no one in all of Kashmir would recognize the term ropeway or cable car. The system is called the gondola, in a bid to utterly confuse Venetians who might visit the place occasionally.

There are the boots!

Off we go, the first phase taking us up to Kangdoor - where the snow continues to be scanty. Enjoy the views from the rather hazy perspex windscreen of the gondola.

Graffiti writing is not only an Indian trait. Apparently, Malaysians do it too!

[SS-Traveller]

We reach Kangdoor, and change over to the second phase ride up to Apherwat.

Gujjar herdsmen's huts - deserted for the winter

Exiting Phase 1 gondola to change over to Phase 2

Zahoor explaining something

Signage

A look at the cable car mechanism

Official government rates - Zahoor tries very hard for me not to read it at leisure. A close look shows that official boot rental charges are Rs.60. Sledge rental charges are Rs.300/hour, whereas Zahoor tries very hard to convince us to take a ride for Rs.2000 each! In the event, once we reached Apherwat, we politely decline the sledge ride. More about it later...

Views from Kangdoor - bereft of snow in large parts

Skiing enthusiasts' stickers

Phase 2 ride going up to Apherwat

Views of Kangdoor from the gondola

[Technocrat]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to Travelogues. Thanks for sharing!

[Jeroen]

Very nice, enjoyed reading it, thanks for sharing

Jeroen

[SS-Traveller]

Up we go to the next level, riding on the gondola. This time, yes, there is a decent amount of snow, and the snow line is noticeable.

Apharwat Peak is the topmost point of Phase 2 of the Gulmarg gondola, advertised to be at 14000 ft., though the altimeter on my watch reads 3936 m. once we reach there - that is the altitude of the ski slopes, just below the cable car station.

We spot just this couple of skiing enthusiasts there - the tourist crowd is pretty sparse, not just here, but almost anywhere we would go on this trip.

Avalanche advisory signage inside the gondola station - though the day-to-day ratings are not updated on the board.

[paragsachania]

Lovely snaps there Doc. Good first "New Thread" read it was for me today!

While we had passed Srinagar last September through the bypass and then to Jammu via Mughal road, the sight was similar for those thousands of cars at each dealership waiting for attention after the floods. Was certainly a sad sight to see along with the fact that Army was still hunting for bodies using sniffer dogs in many areas.

At few sections that we passed around Srinagar, we wondered why each individual standing/walking outside was covering their noses till we rolled down and smelt the stink.

I hope It recovers sooner and things get back to normal and Sringar gets its beauty back.

Also, you are right about Taveras and Sumos. While doing the Srinagar - Peer Ki Galli - Jammu stretch via Mughal road, we witnessed thousands of Taveras and very few Innovas and literally ruled the roads then.

[predatorwheelz]

Interesting, though I suspect you've barely covered the tip of the ice (or no ice?) berg! Srinagar looks like a town ravaged by war. Admittedly it is, and the flood took a heavier toll than a war could probably have.

Why do the pics appear low-res? Did you not carry your SLR for the trip?

[Ketan T]

Nice writeup and nice pics too. We had been to Gulmarg in March last year. Everything was snowed out.

We had to leave our hired Tavera at Tanmarg and hire a Sumo. The ghat road upto Gulmarg was all under snow. Our Sumo driver put on chains and started the journey. After a short drive, he stopped and removed the chains! The ride after that was the most terrifying experience of my life. The Sumo was just slipping and sliding all the way to the top. I asked him after reaching Gulmarg why he removed the chains? The response: "I have been driving on these snow covered roads for past 15 years. I don't need any chains."

While coming back I forced him to put on the chains on the wheels. It is actually crazy to drive in that ghat without chains when the road is covered with snow.

Gulmarg and the gondola ride is an amazing experience. Specially when everything is covered in snow.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

I hope It recovers sooner and things get back to normal and Sringar gets its beauty back.

Originally Posted by predatorwheelz

Srinagar looks like a town ravaged by war. Admittedly it is, and the flood took a heavier toll than a war could probably have.

It is a sad state of affairs in Srinagar. The residents have been battered by the floods, and are now facing a severe tourist crunch because there is no snow. Commerce is at an all time low, huge discounts are available when shopping or when looking for a hotel, and food has become unusually expensive for the locals.

Originally Posted by predatorwheelz

Why do the pics appear low-res? Did you not carry your SLR for the trip?

A majority of the pics are from the dSLR, though some are from the phone and the old P&S. All pics have had the resolution reduced for easy viewing. If you want any pic in full res, let me know.

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We enjoy the snow-covered vista at Apharwat for a while. It's cold all right, but the sun is bright, and everything feels good...

...until this idiot turns up, brought in by our guide Zahoor.

He's one of the fellows operating the sledges, and Zahoor wants us to hire him for Rs.2000 each, for a trip to the LoC (the actual stipulated charges are Rs.300).

Zahoor demonstrates how to sit properly on the sledge, but we are not interested - not for the amount of money being demanded.

Both this fellow and the guide are getting in the way of our enjoyment, and I think the irritation starts to show. Add to it the fact that my daughter thinks my wrapped-up look is freaking her out a bit (indeed, I don't remember the last time I wore something on my head), and this is what gets captured on camera!

I pay up Rs.100 to get rid of the sledge fellow, who is now literally begging us to ride to the LoC - his family of six would die of starvation if we don't visit the LoC and pay him a king's ransom to do so, he would have us believe!!

Time for a few more pictures of the surroundings (and the ladies), and we are on our way down to Gulmarg.

[laluks]

Thanks for the log.

My PPGs were asking me about Srinagar, and we had made some plans. Then unfortunately the floods occurred and we have shelved the plans for a while.

Thanks to you I can show them your log

[vnabhi]

Amazing TL and pictures, Dr. Sengupta! I did not know the extent of damage till I saw your pictures. I really pity those folks!

It is sad that you had to go all the way up to get a whiff of snow. Similar to my one week in Simla and Manali in Jan, 2002, when we had to leave disappointed.

It sure beats me why they call a ropeway a 'gondola' ! This apart, I wonder how the people who own those junked up cars travel nowadays. Perhaps the member who started a new thread on engine trouble with his Fabia can hunt for a replacement over there!