My trip account

trip account
I had been to kashmir in the last week june when the hartal was going on.
places to stay-
1)srinagar- we stayed at a place near dalgate recommended by a member of this site.rooms were spacious and it was a real homestay kind of thing- dinners were straight from their kitchen, authentic kashmiri home made food.
and the hosts were really friendly and helpful.
but the place was really basic- we had just one bathroom for two rooms.no is-9906409022.
i would advise everyone not to visit srinagar or just stay for a day or two during the yatra days. there aresome really bad traffic jams and city is totally chaotic.
the nehru botanical garden is a must visit. it's much more peaceful than the mughal gardens.
There is also a beautiful trail behind chashmeshahi which leads thru some newly planted orchards(mulberries were really good).
The food at mughal darbar was really good.Avoid the vaishno dhabas (krishna dhaba and the like). food was ok but the hygiene and service was really pathetic.The ones at boulevard are better.

2)Pahalgam- This was the best part of the trip.We stayed at the mantoo cottages but i think the ones which are exactly along the river would be better.
The visit to betaab valley was really rewarding- it is not much visited and river,streams and forests are a world away from the pahalgam town.(ask for the apple orchards also. go to ponnie wallah - not thru a taxi. the ponnie will take you right thru the woods)
If you have the time and energy ask for the horse ride upto tullian lake.

3)Sonamarg- This is one place where i would have liked to stay for many days. Bargain hard for the sledging rides and there is no need of a ponie for the moderately fit.

4) Gulmarg- The gondola ride was closed for the both the days we were there.Avoid the horse rides upto the glacier because the effort is not worth it.The glaciers are littered with plastic and there are hundreds of people there when you reach. but the views of the peaks at sunrise and sunset are one of the best that i've seen.
We also went for a gypsy ride thru the forests. There is only one gypsy which has the permission from the army. Ask for it at the tourist centre of jktdc.The route goes through a pine forest and some gujjar settlements.
Overall we did'nt have much problem due to the hartal but we missed our stay at the houseboats.

All in all the golden rule prevails that just get past the hordes of tourists(applicable everywhere in india).

Here's the link for some pics clicked by me and my bro.
http://picasaweb.google.com/tejasbahulkar/Kashmir

Great pics there

Like the Lidder ones the best.

ashwinnaagar great pics...

i like this one
http://picasaweb.google.com/tejasbah...25843876604962

Chashmeshahi...ooh, you were pretty close by my soon to be house if you were there. Yum, mulberries....

*goes back to counting off the days/hours*

^^^
hi
actually jktdc does have some cottages in that area.

really great shots...
thanks for sharing

Gud Account & Gr8 Pics

There is one Pic titled as frozen River, i think its should be somewhere around Thajwas Glacier. Correct me if Wrong

hey thanks everone..
ya he frozen river is at sonamarg.

Could you give an account of expenses(staying, meals etcc.) which you incurred at your stays at various places?
I am planning a trip to kashmir on 24, so if you could also give the contact details would be helpful

I think i have mentioned the number of the place where i stayed- they took 1500 per day for accom. of 4of us with dinner.Otherwise it's 500 per room without meals.
Normally you can get a veg meal at a dhaba within 60-90 rs. For wazwan stuff a dish would cost about 100-150 rs.
Call up jktdc for booking-their cottages are usually around 1600-1800 which can fit in 4-6 people. In gulmarg accom. is generally above 1800 per day, while in srinagar or pahalgam you can get in any range.

Hey Ashwinnaagar,

I had called on that number as my parents will go there on 20th Oct. I found they are really polite and friendly. But they havent told me rates. They said its negotiable, 1st u check rooms and then decide about rates. Actully as i said, my parents will visit so i quite worry about this. kindly tell me is it ok for them na? And also we can spend 500 to 600 rs a day for room.

Ya that's ok..they told us about the rates before we checked in..And there is small staircase(not much,about 15-20 steps), so see this place if your parents wouldn't have problem with it.
Plus my parents who are accustomed to gujarati food didn't quite like their food but i did.
Otherwise the place is fine.
Also tell them you want the place in the garden.

Hi Ashwininagar,

I called the above number which you gave for Srinagar home-stay and spoke to a person called Javed. He said that he has a hotel by the name 'Impress' and it 800 per room. When i tried to Google it, I wasn't able to find anything by that name. I just wanted to make sure with you if this is the same hotel you stayed when you went. I will be taking by parents along in August, so wanted to be sure of the place. Please let me know.

Right..the owner's name is Javed. They didn't have a name previously(because of some licensing issues),it's called Impress now I guess. Book a couple of days with them,and then you could decide what to do.