Sonmarg
- October 21st, 2021
The last day in Kashmir and a visit to the Land of Gold – Sonamarg was on the cards. Breakfast was done by around 7.00 in the morning and we checked out of our hotel.
A beautiful drive through the countryside for around 80 kms took us to
Sonmarg by around 9.30 AM.
Apart from being a base station for some  major treks that passes through lot of Mountain Lakes like Vishansar, Kishansar, Gadsar, Satsar and Gangabal and also being a base for undertaking the holy Amarnath Yatra, the town of Sonmarg holds historical significance in being a gateway to the ancient Silk Road connecting Tibet to J & K. Â
Since we had planned a day’s trip, choice was to either go to Zozila Pass (meaning Blizzards and being one of the most dangerous passes in the world) or the Baltal Valley or the Thajiwas Glacier.
Considering the recent rains and change in climate, we were advised by our driver to avoid going to Zozila Pass coz roads could be slippery and hence we finally decided to hire ponies and visit the Thajiwas Glacier.
The ladies decided against the horse ride after what they had endured during the climb up in Gulmarg and wisely so.Â
They chose to go for a drive into the town  and see some of the scenic locales around while me and my son got astride Badal and Bahadur to start the roughly 3 km ride towards the glacier. The pony rides across Kashmir are pretty expensive and one remains dependent on the car driver to strike a hard bargain against the indicative rates put up by the Tourism Board. Against the initial rates quoted for Rs.2,000/- per horse, we finally got these horses to take us at Rs.1,400/- apiece. While the ride to the base of the glacier took us around an hour and a half, the entire route was a visual treat to our eyes.
Breath taking views of snow capped mountains, lush green table tops, often the choice for most Bollywood movies and meadows, crystal clear streams flowing by greeted us enroute.
A favorite shooting locale across lots of movies made in Bollywood
The Thajiwas Glacier
From the base of the glacier where the ponies dropped us, we had to navigate an arduous climb of 15-20 minutes to reach the point where there were activities abound for sledging etc. The climb down was treacherous with lot of loose rocks which tended to slip away because of the overnight rains. Once we reached the base of the glacier, helped ourselves to some piping hot tea and noodles before hitting the saddle for our return way back.
Some breathtaking views enroute Thajiwas Glacier
It was around 2.30 in the afternoon when we reached our start point for our drive back to Srinagar Airport. An uneventful drive brought us to the Airport by around 5 in the evening for our onward flight to Delhi. Lovely memories to cherish and the great companionship and warmth of Yaseen bhai who shared his tidbits of wisdom on do’s and dont’s and went out of the way to make our experience memorable and worth remembering.
The flip side to what people say that Kashmir is not a safe place to travel is absolutely wrong. It’s just that one needs to exercise restraint in terms of not venturing out during late hours but that again is a precaution. With so much of security personnel lined up in all parts of Kashmir, one does tend to feel pretty safe.
