Kashmir

Hello everyone!! Well I have made it back home to beautiful Crested Butte, after six weeks of amazing adventures, the last being one of the most incredible. In addition to this blog, I will be uploading a few video clips from my travels, hopefully in the next couple of days. I hope that the videos will allow you to get a more vivid understanding of India, as the sounds of India have been one of the most amazing and defining aspects of my experience there.

So.....as the story continues...my dad and I left Shimla back down into the hot, desert plains (ughh) and around to Jammu where we would take a jeep up again through the foothills of the Himalayas to reach the majestic mountains of Kashmir. The journey was long and hot, but unknown to us at the time.... really, really, really worth it.

Indian Goods Carriers

All of the goods carriers are brightly decorated and have

instructions like"Blow horn" and painted on the back of them.

First a little about Kashmir. Once part of Pakistan, and once an independent country, Kashmir is now part of India, and until recently was not accessible to visitors due to the tremendous civil unrest that is still very apparent. There is still heavy military and police presence all over the state- we did not go five minutes without passing military caravans, posts, or checkpoints. Presently Kashmir is trying very hard to get the Indian army to move out of their state, as they are causing many problems with locals and tourists, therefore it appears that there is still a battle for control between the Kashmiri police and the Indian military.

Kashmiri Police

Indian Army

Notice all of the arms and ammunition dealers

Finally made it back into the mountains!

Our trip to Kashmir started with an amazing stay in a rural village located in a beautiful, green, and fertile valley in the Himalayas. We stayed in the home of a local Kashmiri man, Nazir and his family- and felt very privileged to stay there as we had to gain the approval of the local police chief to even travel to this village. The police chief tried to persuade us not to stay as it is unsafe and there are terrorists living there (not enough to change our minds I guess). After explaining our purpose for going, he allowed us to pass and only then did we arrive in a paradise in the Himalayas.

It was a small friendly village surrounded by terraced mountains, filled with gardens, rice paddies, and apple orchards. Here the people are completely self-sufficient, living a very happy and simple life. Kashmir is predominantly Muslim and many places I went I had to cover my head with a scarf to be respectful of their culture - though this did not hide the fact that I was blond haired and light skinned. We could tell that they were not accustom to visitors as everyone was completely fascinated and mesmerized by our presence.

Drinking tea with Nazir's mother at their home

While in the village, I tried to learn about and participate in their way of living, doing everything from cutting hay with a machete like blade in the orchards to doing laundry in the river (carrying the laundry down on my head). Nazir's daughter took me down to the river where she does laundry which is also apparently a favorite summer spot for women and children. As soon as we arrived, it seemed that everyone stopped what they were doing to watch my every move. I had about fifty kids circled around me while I was washing clothes until my dad loured them away with my camera.

Cutting fresh clover for hay

Nazir's youngest daughter in the apple orchard

This is the only way to carry something in India

Can you find me?

Some of the many curious faces

The next day, we said our farewells to Nazir's family and the village and headed higher into the mountains to the small town of Aru where we would prepare for our three day camping/ trekking trip in the Himalayas. We stayed in a quaint little guest house where their were a few other travellers, including a French couple who we ended up camping and hiking with. The guest house was run by a few really nice Kashmiri guys, one of which would join us on our trip and always had chai on the stove and good food cooking.

Me, Garam, Nazir, and Ashok wearing wool ferrons

(what everyone wears in the mountains of Kashmir)

We started out on the trail the next day, used heavily by the gypsies and shepherd's who live high in these mountains through the summer. The mountains are similar to the Rockies only bigger and older. Much more top soil has accumulated in the Himalayas allowing for very fertile slopes and valleys. In addition the people and life existing in the Himalayas is amazing! Gypsy families living at 15,000 feet- both old and young following the same trails we hiked -only as a part of their daily lives. I was so inspired by how these people live and thrive in the mountains and tried to pick up tips and ideas for living at our cabin at Irwin at 11,ooo feet.

After only a short day hike we arrived at our "base camp", where we set up our tents and chilled out for the rest of the day. It was so beautiful! I almost felt at home, though being there made me miss my mountains a little bit. We were constantly visited by children and the many gypsies and shepherds passing by- it was quite an experience.

A nearby gypsy camp

Some of the our neighbors

Mmmmm.... Chai

We had a fire by the river each night

The next morning we headed out from camp for a day hike. We were accompanied by the French couple I mentioned before- they were great company and good walkers. We made our way up higher and higher until we were above tree line. We stopped at a gypsy family's home and had a very welcomed cup of chai and a short rest. We continued higher until we reached a lake that sits at about 15,500 ft. We had lunch and headed back down just as some bad weather was moving in. The clouds made the mountains quite mystical- it was really beautiful. The entire day made a great Himalayan experience.

A shepherd leading a sheep across the river

Our destination at a mere 15,500 ft

Emily, Nazir, Me, and Batist

Gypsy children playing at 15,500 ft.

The next day we packed up and headed back to the mountain guest house in Aru where we relaxed for our last day in the mountains. Then we were off to our last destination, Srinagar- a fairly large city sitting in a large valley in the Himalayas. Srinagar is home to a large lake that has many canals and waterways extending throughout the city. There are a large number of houseboats throughout these waterways- some occupied by locals, and others rented out to tourists like the one we stayed in. We mostly relaxed and took in the beautiful views of the lake and the distant mountains. Occasionally boat merchants would come by selling everything from toothpaste to food to Kashmir shawls. It was a great way to shop- they come right to you- and can buy anything you want right on the water.

After a relaxing stay in the houseboat after our great experience in the Himalaya's we caught a plane back to Delhi. The view of the mountains from the plane was stunning. My dad and I did some last minute shopping in Paharganj (which felt like home to me at this point), and I of course had to get one more mango lassi from my street vendor friends.

I could hardly believe this was the end of my trip- I truly had an unforgettable experience. Although I must say this long of a trip really reconfirmed that I love where I live and am truly fortunate to have everything that I do.....and I was soooo excited to be home with Tom again (Rumble too). I really enjoyed sharing my experience- I hope you all did too. I'll be uploading some short videos soon.

View of the Himalayas

A few last laughs

Last day in Delhi (reading the Crested Butte News)