It was our second day in the beautiful Pahalgam, and we’d spent a peaceful though rainy evening in the market (Kashmir-May 2023-Pahalgam I) and then slept through a thunderstorm to wake up, really stunned to see bright sunlight pouring in through the closed curtains.

As always, awake early, I spent my morning sitting comfortable by the windows and staring at the lovely view, instead of heading out for a walk, putting off the walk for the next day (big mistake as I didn’t go the next day either).

The plan for the day was to drive to Aru and Lolaab valleys, two of the best known and visited areas of Pahalgam, easy to reach by car. Our driver advised us to leave early morning to avoid the crowds, but there’s no beating the crowds in the tourist areas of Kashmir.

The drive to Aru valley was sensational, and actually better than the destination. All along the narrow edge of the mountain, sometimes at the level of the river, sometimes higher, sometimes so high that the river looked like a little strip of silver in the depth, we drove on an uneven road to this small valley.

At places, we crossed small streams draining into the river, and came upon Aru village, a tiny hamlet on lush green land surrounded by snow-capped mountains. I could easily picture myself staying at this place, away from the madding crowds.

The destination, Aru valley viewpoint, seemed very average to me. A small clearing amidst pine trees with snow-capped mountains around, the sheer numbers of vendors trying to make some money was overwhelming and irritating.

It was very sunny and cold. This has never been a combination that I enjoy and so I was bugged pretty soon. The kid was bored, sleepy and whiny. It wasn’t looking like a great start to the day when a miracle happened. A man holding pigeons came up to us, and the kid came to life. She happily grabbed them and posed for a gazillion pics with them.

The teen got tired of being photographed and started trying to smuggle the pigeons into her jacket. The owner quickly grabbed his birds back, when I had the next brainwave. I asked him if anyone had a rabbit. The enterprising man promptly got a rabbit guy within 3 minutes, and a cute rabbit was placed in my daughter’s thrilled hands. Aru valley was her new favorite place.

There was little else to do here. There were people with horses, offering to take us to viewpoints on horseback, but we were tired of everything horse, and so we refused and simply walked about, trying to take pictures without people in the frame.

Bored of this place, we headed back to the car, only to see a pet sheep. It was quite small and really dirty, but the kid went crazy. She picked him up and hugged and kissed him and fed him the grass.

Reluctantly, she left her beloved animals and we left for our next dsetination, Lolaab valley. We drove back on the same stunning route.

We passed by the Pahalgam village on the way to Lolaab valley. I was really surprised to see how big the actual village was. Located right in the center of the valley surrounded by steep mountains, even this looked like a lovely place to stay.

Once more, we ascended those steep mountains to reach an absolutely stunning view of Lolaab valley with the river of different shades of blue and green, flowing in the valley, splitting up and enclosing land areas. This valley is now famous as the shooting location for the movie “Betaab”.

The driver took us down into the valley where there was a large park, that we’d seen from higher up. It was a perfect picnic spot, with the streams alongside, surrounded by pine trees and mountains. My Gujju mum would have packed us a lovely food basket for sure!

As we walked about, the teen’s focus was animals, while I clicked pictures and looked for traditional Kashmiri clothes. Soon, we found one, and the teen was surprisingly enthusiastic about donning the entire gear.

I could have spent all day here, I think. I loved this place. However, soon, we were hungry and so we headed back to the market for lunch. It looked so different now, in the bright sun with the mountains seen all around.

Walking back to the hotel, we saw a short cut on Maps, that led right through the garden that I wanted to visit. The kid quickly jumped over the fence. Just as tempted, the hubby and I followed, though it was tough for me. We walked through yet another well-manicured garden, enjoying the flowers and giggling over saving entry fees.

We enjoyed our hotel room and a wonderful afternoon siesta with this view and then had a delicious tea and toast session in the hotel lawn by the river.

By late evening, the weather turned very pleasant. It became very cool, and the sun was setting. We went again to the market, a slow aimless stroll, where we really appreciated the beauty of our surroundings.

I walked down slowly, taking pictures of the beautiful sights on the sides. I noticed the smaller things like the tapestries, the pretty decorations inside the shop windows, the intricately embroidered kurtas, the jewelry shops, cushions embroidered with chinar leaves, classic of Kashmir, and the pretty old buildings.

We ate delicious Punjabi food at a local dhaba in the market, and finished with the same apple pie as the previous day. We spent a lot of time there, chatting with the owner of the store, and then rushed back to the hotel.

We slept well again, tired out by all the walking. The next morning was sunny again and I spent my last few hours staring at the snow-capped mountains over a long slow breakfast, that included Maggi. Maggi for breakfast was a new concept for me, not a truly alluring one, however.

We went down to the riverside again, and once more, the hubby clambered over some rocks to be closer to the rapidly swirling green waters.

Did I like Pahalgam as much as my memories had liked it? Sadly, no. Did I like it, nonetheless? Yes, I did. It probably wasn’t the fault of Pahalgam that Gulmarg and Sonmarg had more snow to offer. Also, when in Pahalgam, you must have a car at all times at your disposal as distances are much larger than in the other two areas.

Yet, I would love to be back in Pahalgam and stay for longer, maybe in Aru valley, maybe at the village, and definitely with a car!