The Beautiful Vibes Of Srinagar

I was sitting anxiously at the boarding gate awaiting my turn to board my Go Air flight from Mumbai to Srinagar. At the same time I was keeping an eye out for solo women travellers. I was part of a group of thirteen women, seven boarding from Mumbai and six from Delhi. Our meeting point was Srinagar Airport exit gate at 3:30 pm.

I was instantly able to spot the solo women travellers as my eyes scanned the crowd at the point of meet and greet. This was my first trip with WOW Club, a travelling company for Women. I could sense the excitement and anticipation in the air.

Strangers at first, it took us no time to get to know each other. We were soon pouring our heart out as if there was no tomorrow. That is what women want!

We landed in Srinagar and met our group that was joining from Delhi. Soon we were a group of thirteen happy solo women travellers waiting to let our hair loose and soak in the beautiful vibes of Srinagar.

Why I chose the WOW Club

All my earlier travels have mainly been with my family. I was eager to explore my options to travel solo or join a group of women who have a keen interest in travel. A few of my friends recommended some companies that specialised in this area. After some extensive research I decided to go with WOW club as they came quite close to what I was looking for. I found their itinerary to be flexible. It was a blend of relaxation and sightseeing. The best part for me was, the smaller the group, the better you bond with each other. That was exactly what happened on this trip.

Day 1 : The Experience Of Living In A Houseboat In Srinagar

Houseboats are very native to the Kashmiris that have lived for decades on the majestic Dal Lake of Srinagar. They take you back in time and give you a sense of royalty, and yet an economic way of living. The houseboats are made of walnut bark with intricate carvings that depict magnificence and pomp. Kashmiris have always been very skilled artists which shows in the number of artefacts they produce.

Our houseboat had a total of four rooms with a common living room, balcony and a deck. The houseboat was adorned with Kashmiri carpets, wooden furniture that was intricately carved and various artefacts that are native to Kashmir. The rooms were quite spacious and comfortable. The bathroom had a modern tub which was a welcome surprise. The staff was very warm and friendly. First on the menu was a hot delicious cup of Kashmiri Kahwa. It was freshly prepared with saffron, almonds and walnuts.

The house boat felt very safe which made me feel relieved.

The Shikara Ride And The Floating Market Of Srinagar

After a hot cuppa we ventured out on a shikara to explore the Dal Lake and the floating markets of Srinagar. There were four of us on each Shikara. It was early evening with beautiful views of the setting sun. The sky was painted with different hues of colour. The experience was magical.

There were vendors selling fruits, jewellery, artefacts, flowers and various other food items on Dal lake. It was quite interesting at first but they kept following us and were quite persistent which was a little annoying. We felt our experience was being compromised. But after a few polite responses of ‘NO’ they left us alone to soak in the peace and tranquility of Dal lake.

Soon we reached the floating market. This part felt like the ‘Venice Of India’. On both sides of our shikara were beautiful boutiques that displayed and sold Pashmina shawls, furniture made of Walnut wood, jewellery boxes, and artefacts made of paper mâché. We got off at a boutique store that sold Pashmina shawls of various kinds with stunning prints and embroidery. We shopped to our hearts content and with our wonderful goodies we returned back to our houseboat.

The dinner on the houseboat was cooked in traditional Kashmiri style which was lip smacking. Post dinner we sat on the deck until midnight absorbing the calmness of Dal Lake.

Day 2 : Exploring Srinagar and Its Wonderful Cafes

Shankaracharya Temple

We hired a couple of Rickshaws from Ghat 17 to take us to the Shankaracharya Temple. The temple is situated on a hill around 1000 feet above the valley. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva. After the Rickshaw dropped us to a point we climbed around 250 steps to get to the temple. The climb is easy. Once you reach the top, the views of Srinagar are mind-blowing. The temple has a nice courtyard where we meditated for a short while before heading our way back down.

Nishat Gardens

Nishat gardens are terraced gardens that face the Dal Lake. It is popularly known as the garden of bliss and is the second largest garden in the Kashmir Valley. The garden was quite crowded with school kids as it was a weekend. We took a short stroll beating the Srinagar heat which was quite surprising as told to us by the locals. The gardens comprise of twelve terraces. The second terrace is the most impressive. The garden has an abundance of Persian Lilacs and pansies coupled with sparkling cascading water.

Zero Bridge

The Zero bridge is quite fascinating. It is a wooden bridge built over the Jhelum river. The bridge is a great place to hangout. There are tons of restaurants and cafes near the bridge. It is very unique with carved structures that look like cabins. It was built in 1551 and is one of the seven old bridges that still exist in Srinagar.

Ahdoos Restaurant and Cafe

Recommended as one of the top restaurants in Srinagar we headed to Ahdoos for a late lunch. We were a mixed group of vegetarians and non-vegetarians. We tried the local food like the Dum Aloo, lotus stem with some Kashmiri Pulao. We were not disappointed at all. The food was delicious and the service was prompt. They have a very hip cafe that sells some desserts and cream rolls.

Our hunger pangs did not allow us to take any photographs. Of course we were not thinking clearly. 🙂

Chai Jaai Cafe

We loved this cute little cafe. It transported us to the pretty towns of England. They have an ornate set of teapots and cups. They do have some teapots on sale if crockery interests you. We opted for a red velvet cake, a Nutella crepe and Kahwa. The red velvet cake was not up to the mark but the crepe was good.

Cafe Liberty

Cafe Liberty has been voted as the number one cafe in Srinagar. The cafe is simply breathtaking. Owned by the renowned Bollywood Director Imtiaz Ali, it has the finest collection of antiques and artefacts I have ever seen. The collection of old radios and gramophones is outstanding. We were craving some continental food for a change and it totally did not disappoint us. The Penne Arrabbiata was fabulous. We ordered a couple of healthy smoothies which were also very nice. Don’t miss this one when in Srinagar.

It was around 9:30 pm when we wound up. The streets of Srinagar were deserted and lonely. Yet we always felt safe. Six of us jammed into one auto rickshaw that dropped us at Ghat 17. Our designated shikara guy was waiting for us eagerly to take us to our houseboat.

I loved Srinagar. The presence of the Indian army made us feel very safe. Most importantly, the people of Kashmir are very warm, well spoken and courteous. We even got invited to experience a Kashmiri wedding! How cool is that! It truly speaks of how Incredible Kashmir is. Cheers to WOW and my WOW buddies who will remain friends forever.