A Song of Paradise: Priyank's Family Holiday to Kashmir with With Thrillophilia
When my ten-year-old son first heard about our plans to travel to Kashmir for our next vacation, he was incredibly curious. It led him to do hours of research about Jammu and Kashmir, and he told us everything he read.
It was from him that my wife and I learned that it was Amir Khusrau who first named Kashmir as ‘Paradise on Earth’.
Oh, how correct he was!
Our trip to Kashmir had been a long time coming, but the most excited among us was definitely our son. He couldn’t sit still throughout the journey from Pune to Srinagar and kept asking about the different things we would do once we reached there.
As there was a lot to explore in Kashmir and we had limited time, I booked our tour with Thrillophilia. Their team then created a package that covered all our interests and managed all travel arrangements which let me relax and enjoy family time.
Our first stop in Kashmir was Srinagar, where we landed after a long journey. It was our son’s first time in the mountains, and he was completely spellbound by the sight of the towing peaks in the backdrop of Dal Lake. Although we slept early to feel refreshed the next day, he was upset that he did not get to see Shalimar Bagh on the very first day. Only when our friendly guide assured him that he would have a complete day in Srinagar did he finally sleep.
Me and my wife did not know why he was so excited to visit Shalimar Bagh, but there must be something in his mind, I was sure of that.
Centre of Heaven, and Beyond
Our first day of the tour started with the gondola ride in Gulmarg.
That place houses a kind of beauty that leaves you speechless. As we went from Gulmarg to Kongdoori and then ahead to Mary Shoulder, the snowy mountains simply took our breath away. We also saw the world’s second-highest golf course, and of course, tried skiing there. It was a lot of fun to learn this new sport, but the best part was throwing snowballs at each other! We enjoyed it so much that we didn’t even realise when the day ended.
The next destination was Sonmarg, where a few of my family went to play in the snow near Thajiwas Glacier. My son, however, was interested in fishing at the Sindh River. It was surprising for me because he loved playing in the snow in Gulmarg.
We also headed to the river and I managed to teach him the basics of fishing. It was our amazing guide who taught both of us the subtle tricks of fishing in the mountains and rivers, which is generally more tricky. We even caught a few fish, and our guide lit up a small fire to cook our catch.
Pahalgam was next in line, and if Gulmarg and Sonmarg had snow-covered patches, this one was all about gorges and valleys. We even went to Chandanwari, the snow bridge from where the Amarnath Yatra starts.
Three days, three destinations, and we were completely enchanted.
The pictures do no justice to the beauty of Kashmir, as much as witnessing it right in front of our eyes does. We definitely filled our phone galleries with hundreds of photographs, simply because it felt like our eyes and minds weren’t enough to capture and remember it all.
As my wife and I agreed, we had taken too long to visit Kashmir, it should have happened years ago. But seeing our son so excited, maybe this had indeed been the right time.
Our final stop, as our guide had promised, was Srinagar. We didn’t understand his fascination with Shalimar Bagh until we went there and saw Amir Khusrau’s famous couplet carved there. The Urdu couplet translated into “If there is a paradise on earth, it is this, it is this, it is this”.
Apparently, our son’s Google research had told him about this fact, and he was so inspired he couldn’t leave Kashmir without seeing it. Seeing his interest and joy made our trip a thousand times more beautiful. Even though it took us an extra hour to wrap up our Srinagar sightseeing tour, it was absolutely worth it. The contentment of watching a place so surreal come to life was magical.
Answering the Call of Heart
As much as we loved Kashmir, our experience was surely enhanced by Thrillophilia’s consistent efforts to make our journey perfect. Not worrying about the details, I could enjoy the entire time with my family.
In most cases, their services far exceeded our expectations and we were incredibly glad that we chose them as the operators for this tour. Special thanks to the guides and drivers who accompanied us and made us feel so welcome and warm here. The way they answered our son’s endless questions and taught him so many local things, including a bit of Urdu, was quite heartwarming.
Kashmir deserves all the praise it gets and more, and if you are planning to visit, just go for it. Our experience was pure gold, and as a family, we are so happy we planned our vacation here. I am sure, the hundreds of pictures will help us survive our busy lives until the mountains call us again!
Read More: Thrillophilia Kashmir Reviews