Srinagar

The last three days of our vacation were in Srinagar where we stayed on a houseboat. We found Dal lake to be beautiful (and clean) contrary to what we had expected. The visit to the Moghul gardens and the Shikara ride were great hits with the boys and very relaxing for all of us. We also climbed up to the Shankaracharya temple which offered beautiful views of the city (cameras were not allowed here). 

The only thing to complain about was the poor quality and availability of food on the houseboat. On our last day in the city both boys had an upset stomach and when it was time to leave, we felt ready to come back home.

Sunset on Dal lake

Chashmeshahi Bag

Nishat Bag (we spent quite a few hours here - had a little picnic, played in the garden and enjoyed the fountains)

Hazratbal dargah

carpet weaving

The leisurely Shikara ride on the Dal 

Saying goodbye to our houseboat

Sonamarg - Anurag's first trek

We stayed in Sonamarg for a day. The drive to Sonamarg from Pahalgam was about 6 hours long with a lunch break in Srinagar. The kids did well on the drive. We passed countless Army trucks/ convoys on our way and the kids found them to be fascinating. 

Sonamarg was beautiful and the weather was cold, but very comfortably so. We stayed at the glacier height hotel for the night. In the morning, once the rains stopped, we checked out from the hotel and started for the Thajiwas Glacier. We were hoping to trek to the glacier but since we were unsure about the conditions due to the rain (and also the boys' enthusiasm for it), we decide to take the mule-service instead. The trail was about 5km (easy but muddy and wet) and we let the mules go once we reached close to the glacier (not without an unpleasant argument with the mule-waalahs). Once at the top, Kabir and Saurabh played in the snow/ice for some time while I took some pictures. After a couple of hours we stared back. We were quite certain that Kabir would have no problem with the 5 km, but were pleasantly surprised that Anurag too walked more than 4km and that too very happily! After that he was so tired that he fell asleep the moment Saurabh started carrying him in his arms.

More Pahalgam pictures

Hello from Pahalgam

We arrived in Pahalgam this afternoon for our 8 day long vacation. The car ride from Srinagar to Pahalgam was breathtaking and we fell in love with our hotel (Hotel Heevan) the moment we saw it. It is right along the river Lidder which gushes down the lush green mountains here and is a beautiful crystal blue colour.

In the evening we took a walk around the hotel and took the boys to a nearby amusement park.

Complementary hot chocolate, coffee, tea and biscuits  by the hotel made for a very happy Lodha family

For dinner the hotel staff gladly entertained our request for making home like kadhi-khichdi for the boys, who devoured the meal. The dinner buffet that we had was pretty decent as well. The tired boys crashed right after the meal, giving me time to blog. Hopefully I can stay on top of it through the rest of the trip!