Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Jannat-e-Kashmir:It's Safe!

Hey guys!
I am back from my trip to Kashmir & I feel that this has been one of the best destinations I've visited in my life!So here I am writing a guide to Kashmir!
It was a seven days tour & I covered 4 places:
  • Pahalgam
  • Gulmarg
  • Sonmarg
  • Srinagar
     
The people of Kashmir are as sweet as sugar & are very hospitable.When I was planning my trip to Kashmir,many people warned me not to visit the place as the situations can change anytime,but the people of Kashmir really changed my opinion.We all have very different impressions of Kashmir & I feel that the time has come when we need to change our views about it.Everybody welcomed us with beautiful smiles & tried to show us the real Kashmir.I feel that the common people of Kashmir have more beautiful hearts than the place.
Kashmir can really be as beautiful as heaven if you just keep the following things in mind:
  • Book a vehicle from a reputed travel agency because it's best to be with people who can be trusted.
    I hired a car from "Shangloo Travels" & the driver of the car was a very helpful person.
    He knew the place very well & he familiarized us with their culture.
  • Always obey your guide/driver & do not try to be adventurous.I came across a situation where a fight broke out about 50m in front of my vehicle.Within no time the people started gathering & a huge mob came out of no where.But our driver told us to just close our windows & stay inside the car.It took about 15 minutes for the local police to resolve the issue & clear the traffic.
  • The kashmiri's are very hospitable & WILL NEVER try to HARM tourists.Once during the time of the amarnath land dispute, the extremists tried to harm some tourists,but the local kashimiri's took them to their own homes & fed them & safely escorted them to the airport.In the past five years not even a single tourist has been harmed!
    Also,the Kashmir economy is primarily dependent on tourism sector..So the locals will never ever try to harm tourists as it hurts their pockets and their stomachs!
  • To be on the safer side read the local newspaper everyday.I really liked to read "The Greater Kashmir"It covers all the important news & keeps you updated about all the recent issues.
  • Please don't feel awkward when the kashmiri's say that "A lot of 'Indians' will visit Kashmir in this season".
    They do not look like Indians(exceptions r always there!),speak like Indians & so like to be called kashmiri's & not Indians!
    I've also seen people say certain things like"Hamara bharat kitna sundar hai!".But we need to understand that it is still a disputed land & many people like Kashmir to be known as "Their Kashmir" or "Azad Kashmir".
    We should all respect them for what they feel & what they are!




 

2 comments:

  1. Extremely pleased to hear that the situtation has improved a lot.

    Separatist bastards like Arundhati Roy should read this.

    Although I do think whatever bad that's happened in Kashmir is, to quite an extent, Pandit Nehru's fault. He announced his intention to conduct a referendum in Kashmir in his UN speech. Some juicy bits in his speech angered Islamabad, who retaliated by attacking Kashmir. Nehru used this attack to convince Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh of Kashmir to sign the IoA, and the referendum that Nehru promised never happened. And everyone knows what's happened after that.

    What's your opinion of the special rights given to Kashmir citizens by the Indian constitution, do you think they are needed?

    And wish you more travels!

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    Replies
    1. <>Correction: It's Maharaja Hari Singh.

      :-P

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