Guest Blog – Bryan in Kashmir

Guest Blogger Bio: Bryan Bailey is the brother of Adam Bailey. He is easily identifiable in India as the Canadian who’s either in others’ way snapping a photo, or seeking Internet for Tiger baseball updates.

The first half of my India Adventure consisted of stops in Delhi, Kashmir, and now Mumbai.  I’ve just arrived, and am patiently awaiting Nicole’s arrival after a long, half-traverse of the globe.  While I found Delhi to overwhelm the senses (particularly hearing), it appears that Mumbai will be equal to the task (I’ve heard from multiple people that Mumbai’s chaos is actually worse).  Needless to say, for a guy used to Canada’s order and population density, a buffer was needed.  Enter Kashmir (cue Zeppelin…)

My four days in Kashmir provided the calm and relaxation that I needed. Yes, I’m referring to the Kashmir… that land in dispute since 1947, that is the focal point of tensions between two nuclear states.  The fact that this setting could provide a respite really speaks volumes as to the action in Delhi and Mumbai 🙂  Well, Kashmir has been calm for a few years now as the natural ebb-and-flow of tensions hasn’t boiled over to cause any major incidents. Warning: I’m not a security expert, just a conscientious tourist who follows travel advisories.  Every Kashmiri I met was very friendly (an observation also made by Adam & Amanda while they were in Delhi), indicating that the source of the unrest is likely from external influences.

The idea was to spend two days taking in the glorious Himalayan mountain scenery near Sonamarg, then enjoy two days in Srinagar, the summer capital of the Jammu & Kashmir state.  Unfortunately, my mountain time was impacted by two straight days of continuous downpours.  However, I had some decent accommodations, so I was content to take in the scenery from my balcony.  There was no Internet and no distractions, which allowed for some quality “me time”.  The rain had mostly subsided by day three, so I delayed my travel by a few hours to provide more mountain time.  That’s when most of the following pics were taken.

Srinagar, which can be as much a bustling city as others in India, is also known as the “Venice of Asia” for its canals.  Contributing to Srinagar’s water culture are hundreds of houseboats, originally an innovative solution by the British to a Kashmiri law against foreign land ownership, but now a unique place for tourists to stay.  While some of these houseboats are near the action of the city centre, others are in the quieter outskirts of town, and this is where I chose to lay my head.  Few things are more relaxing than bobbing up and down on a quiet lake, so I do not regret that choice.

Traveling solo may seem like a lonely endeavour, but I actually find it has the opposite effect.  Whether in transit, or back at the hotel, or houseboat in this case, it provides more of an opportunity to engage with the new people around you.  Indeed I made many new friends on this leg of the journey, ranging from Torontian to Filipino, and of course, Kashmiri, whom I look forward to meeting again some day.

Anyways, I’ll leave it at that, and let the pictures do the rest of the talking 🙂  All in all, I had a fantastic four days in Kashmir!

Adam and Amanda, thanks for letting me butt in.  To those followers who don’t know me, and could care less, I apologize for the intrusion 🙂

Fields of Kashmiri tea in the Himalayan foothills.

Rushing waters about to overtake the road due to 2 days of rain (and this was as I was driving in).

My perch for the next couple of days.

The view to the west (notice the village in the corn).

A better view of the village in the corn.

The southeast view.

The view east from the hotel.

The trucks are painted brightly here. Practically, it helps visibility on the treacherous mountain roads, but I also think the truckers enjoy the opportunity for self-expression 🙂

The end of day 2. The sun is finally coming out.

As if the roads weren’t already difficult enough to drive.

The village of Sonamarg.

Some real Himalayan scenery.

The route to the Thajiwas Glacier.

A taste of the ride back down to Srinagar.

In Srinagar now. The Hari Parbat Fort, built in the 18th century.

What is supposed to be a relaxing shikara ride across the lake to my houseboat. I obviously don’t know how to properly enjoy it.

Approaching my houseboat.

My room on the boat.

Enjoying another shikara ride. This time through the canals.

The view from the back deck of the houseboat.

A little groggy, but enjoying breakfast.

More views from the back deck.

A boring video of raindrops falling on the lake greatly enhanced by a surprise drop-in by a hungry Kingfisher.