In the Valley of Heaven...

As I landed in Srinagar, the first thing that hit me was the unbelievanly fresh smell in the air. It is sunny outside but the breeze is nice and cool. The last half an hour of the flight was breathtakingly beautiful. The   bird's eye view of the Himalayan snow capped mountain ranges was spectacular and I literally had my nose pressed against the window. Once the plane entered the valley and moutains were tinged all around there was another treat down below, patches of green fields in every possible shade. There was a bit of a delay before landing due to air traffic but I guess nobody minded circling around that scenery for a while.

The airport in Srinagar is a defence airport and is located in the middle of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) area. The first thing that strikes you about the city is the absolute lack of high rises, a very very refreshing change from usual and the next thing you notice is that the houses are so pretty! So we were on our way to the university where were to have a hiring exercise the next morning when it was decided that we first do some sightseeing. About turn and we found ourselves heading to Gulmarg. The entire two hour journey was beyond  description!

To be continued...