My Second Journey - Kashmir - 1988 & 1989

Travel Route: Mumbai -> Jammu -> Srinagar -> Jammu -> Mumbai

Travel Ways: Train and Land

No. of Days: 10

It is said that there is a Heaven on Earth and that place is called "Kashmir". And yes it is !!!

This was a family trip with my dad, mom, sis and my uncle and aunt. We embarked on our journey from Mumbai by catching the train from Mumbai Central till Jammu. It was a one and half day route by train. We reached Jammu around 2 PM and we had to travel further to Srinagar by road. 

It was a 6 hours journey to Srinagar through mountains and valleys. The entire route was through a ghat section with too many twists and turns. Sometimes you were falling on the left, sometimes on the right, but the entire journey was scenic. By the way, this route is know as the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. This highway passes through Pulwama district, Anantnag district, Kulgam district, Ramban district, and Udhampur district. On the way, we stopped at a few places for some yummy snacks. We also passed the highest point in the journey called "Patnitop". We also passed though Jawahar Tunnel, which is a heavily guarded tunnel on this route. 

We reached Dal lake in Srinagar around 9 PM, and as soon as we stepped out of the vehicle, we were met with cold winds in our face. We had to take a small Shikara to reach our Houseboat. And as soon as we reached our houseboat, I was presented with their traditional winter dress "Poncho". The perks of being the youngest. We were also served their traditional tea "Kahwah".  We freshened up, had our dinner and went to bed, to start our mesmerizing journey of this beautiful place from the next day. Since the weather was almost 2 degrees, the sleeping experience was something new. They would keep hot water package under the blankets, so that when we go to sleep, the mattress are warm and we could easily snuggle under it. 

We woke up to a cold morning and were served breakfast in the dinning room of this houseboat. For the next 6-7 days, we visited places like Sonamarg, Gulmarg, and Pahalgam. We also went to view the glaciers in Sonamarg, played with the snow in Gulmarg and saw all the places in Pahalgam which were used in various Bollywood movies. Also visited the Zoji La pass. 

On one of the days, we took an entire tour of the beautiful Dal lake. You simply sit back in the Shikara while the shikara rider explains the beauty of this lake. Kashmir is also known for its beautiful gardens like the Shalimar Bagh Mughal Garden and the Chashma Shahi Garden. The Shalimar garden gives the Most extraordinary View of the Dal Lake.

While Kashmir is a Heaven on earth, the Kashmiri cuisine is food of the Gods. Some yummy tasty food was served during our stay like the Yakhni, Rogan Josh, Riste, Tabakhmaaz, Goshtaba just to name a few. Yes, these are all non-veg dishes and I LOVE them till date. I would die for this food anytime. 

The people here are very friendly and they made our stay one of the most memorable ones. Infact our first journey to Kashmir in 1988 was so great, we visited again a year later in 1989. The experience the second time was more memorable. 

Sadly, this was the time when the insurgencies and the terrorist activities started gaining pace. Had this not started, we would have visited this place many multiple times. Till today, I am still waiting for that opportunity. 

My First Journey - Singapore / Malaysia - 1984

Travel Route: Mumbai -> Chennai -> Penang -> Kuala Lumpur -> Singapore -> Kuala Lumpur -> Penang -> Chennai -> Mumbai

Travel Ways: Train, Ship and Land

No. of Days: 14 

Before this, I had been to places in and around Maharashtra with my family. But this was the first time, I along with my mom went on a long journey outside India. And I would say, this was officially my first journey out of many more that followed.

 I was 11 years old and I got a chance to accompany my mom as a part of her passport. In those days, children 12 years and below could accompany one parent in the same passport. 

We embarked on our journey from Mumbai to Chennai (at that time was called as Madras) in an express train. It took us two full days to reach Chennai around 2 PM. From the station we traveled to Chennai port to board our Ship "M. V. Chidambaram" at around 4 PM. We completed all our immigration facilities and checked-in our First Class Cabin around 5 PM. Once all the passengers were boarded, the ship left the dock at 6 PM. This was my first and only journey so far on a Ship. Spent the evening in the cabin and later dinner at the restaurant on the ship. Loved the food. Retreated back to cabin for a good night's sleep. 

Woke up to a bright morning, and one glance outside the window, I could only see water everywhere. We were in deep waters traveling towards our first destination Penang. As per the itinerary, we were to spend 3 full days on board the ship. Yes, 3 full days. But nothing to worry about, as there were many recreation facilities on board. There was a library, a play room for Table Tennis and Carrom, a mini theater for movies and magic shows and many more. As an 11 year old, it was too boring for me to stay in cabin always, hence I spent these 3 days enjoying each of these recreation facilities. The best part was that the officers on this ship were my mom's closest friends, and because of that I got the best treatment everywhere. Thanks mom for your great friends. :) 

During this time, one of the chief purser's daughter, became a close friend of mine. She was 3 years elder to me and she accompanied me to movies/shows and played games with me. 

After spending 3 of the most enjoyable days on the ship, we reached Penang, our first stop in Malaysia. We disembarked the ship for a quick tour of the city. Nothing much to write about this place as we spent only 2 hours here. We returned back as the ship had to continue its journey to Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. We reached KL in the morning and had 2 full days to spent in this beautiful city. 

Accompanying me and mom on the city tour, was one senior officer from the ship and my new friend (the chief purser's daughter). Saw many fascinating attractions like Batu Caves, which has a climb of 272 steps, The National Monument, The National Palace, Jamek Mosque and many other places. Also had some mouth watering food during these 2 days in KL. Had a fun time. 

After spending two days in KL, we returned back to our ship for our onward journey to Singapore. To welcome us to this great city, our ship was accompanied by the beautiful Dolphins who were swimming alongside our ship as we were nearing Singapore. What a beautiful sight it was!!!! We reached Singapore in the evening around 5 PM. We were excited to explore this beautiful city the next day. After another yummy breakfast, the four of us started our tour of this country for 4 full days. Just to name a few visited places like Sentosa, the Changi Airport, did an entire city tour, traveled in Cable Car, and much more. We spent most of our time on the Sentosa island where I had the first taste of Chinese food and I simply fell in love with it. Till today my favourite cuisine is Chinese. We also did a lot, a lot means a lot, of shopping during these 4 days. 

Once we completed Singapore, our return journey was the same with stoppages at KL, Penang and then disembarking at Chennai. While returning, I spent a great time on the ship where I toured the entire ship, from the highest point to the lowest point (called as bunker), from the starting tip (remember the Titanic pose) to the end tip (where again in Titanic, the old Rose throws her pendent). By the end of the trip, I was able to know each and every area of this Ship. I also celebrated my 12th birthday on this ship, with all my new friends. 

At the end of 12th Day, we landed back in Chennai, sadly saying ADIEU to my friend and my companion, our Ship "M. V. Chidambaram". An experience that I could remember even after more than 30 years.