It had been more than five years since my wife and I treated ourselves to a well-deserved holiday. We wanted an experience that blended adventure with a taste of local sights, sounds and culinary delights from the places we would be visiting. So our tour leader, Jason Wong and his wife, Nancy, planned a tour to northern India which included Kashmir, and the country’s Golden Triangle – Delhi, Jaipur and Agra.
We were joined by a sprightly group of three other couples whom we had not met before and, together with my sister-in-law, they were all in their mid-50s and early-60s. My wife, Suseela Thevi, would be turning 72 this year, while I would be 76. As often said, there are no strangers, only friends whom we have not met.
Upon meeting the other travellers for the first time at the airport, we discovered that we all wanted the same kind of experiences and adventure on our holiday. We spent a night in Delhi after our arrival, and then got on a morning flight the next day to Srinagar, the capital of Kashmir. Although we were forewarned of the low temperatures (5°C!), we were still thrilled about the winter experience.
The Mughals who ruled India for more than 300 years regarded Kashmir as an earthly paradise and visitors today can attest to this. Kashmir surpasses in beauty all that my imagination had anticipated. Meanwhile, Gulmarg is a renowned tourist destination located 2,650m above sea levels.
This is where the young and old can happily frolic in the snow. All of us in .