And that was truly one of the highlights of this trip. Hehe. So unexpected, I was just eating rice and only rice. The actual culprit in this situation is often a mystery. Haha. But I was convinced it was from the white rice we've eaten that night. Both Nini and I just ate white rice together with sambal ikan bilis packed from home and we've been fighting some kind of Delhi belly right after. Haha. So if you ask;

Will I get Delhi belly?

Short answer; more than likely. Hiks.

Well, India is really like nowhere else on earth. Yes, it is crowded, dusty, noisy and the list goes on but still... my favorite place so far :). InshaAllah, we'll be there again, soon. Hehe. Ladakh calling baby!

And apologies for not continuing my India story, it has been almost 3 years I know. It has become harder and harder to find time to blog nowadays. So so so lazy.

CONT'D from HERE



Our dinner was good as usual. I ate rice with chicken curry cooked with Kashmiri spices and it was da bomb. Bertambah-tambah. Shoo shedap! They also served semiya payasam for dessert which I don't know how it tastes like. To me, it looks like yogurt and yogurt for dessert? Thanks but no thanks. Hiks. It is actually a combination of milk, sugar and vermicelli.

All of us spent the night along the quiet banks of Nageen lake and we were talking to Ajaz about Delhi while watching TV. He said not to worry so much, just take it all with a pinch of salt, and it will be alright. But the thing is, the news on TV suddenly shows travelers were robbed in New Delhi. And Ajaz was laughing so hard, he quickly changed the TV channel. Duh. Haha sooo sakai.

The first thing I noticed while talking to him, was his eyes. Bright hazel brown and they were soo pretty. Then I realised, more often than not, Kashmiris are a beutiful lot. Can't help it so I told him; you've got beautiful eyes. He was smiling and replied; I know that, but yours are fake! Bahahaha. Sooo sarcastic. He was right, but you don't have to state the obvious out loud pleaseee. Haha.



We will be heading to Gulmarg the next morning and we have to say goodbye to Uncle and his family. They were soooo kind to us and we were glad that we stayed 3 nights with them. So, if you decide to visit Kashmir, do note that you'll spend most of your time where you're staying. And hence it is important to get that right. Choose carefully and read reviews because nothing ruins a trip like being ripped off.










This was my room at the Hilltop Hotel Gulmarg and I like the view from my room the most. The best thing here is the fact that the room is also centrally heated. It can get very cold at night so we NEED this for sure haha.

The location of this hotel is perfect too. Very close to the gondola (cable car) and yes the hotel staff was very cooperative and helpful. Highly recommended.




We were told to meet Uncle Nabi's good friend here in Gulmarg. He could arrange for our gondola tickets as this place is often known for tourist trap. And luckily we have Farouq with us, he helped us a lot. At least we know where to go and what to do. It is completely disorganised here and there was such a hugeee crowd.











So the Gulmarg Gondola is Asia's highest cable car project. It takes place in two stages;-
Stage  : From Gulmarg to Kungdoori
Stage  : From Kungdoori to Aparwath

And we chose the former. It was sooo soo good to ride the gondola up and looking across at the giant Himalaya. Well, you can also see the LoC (Line of Control) between India and Pakistan from the Stage 2. So if you wish to locate LoC, go further up.

And can you see we had gotten the perfect weather? There are moment of nervousness because sometimes the gondola stops abruptly for few seconds and it does make strange sounds. Haha. Takoot. But the breathtaking view along the way up distracts us from this silly thoughts. Hehe.



















We finally reached the phase 1 and then started the enthralling experience of walking in snowfall for hours. We took some instagram worthy photos too. Haha.

So Gulmarg if you can see is a popular skiing destination. I have skied once in Poland and I don't like it at all. Long story short, I fell few times on the way down and I can't get up! Hahahhaa.  I really have a great admiration to those Kashmiris who can expertly control their body on these dangerously vertical slopes. Sooo envy these people who seem to be enjoying ski from such a high point.
















































As we made our way down, the clouds moved in and the wind picked up.  At that point the wind made it clear that fun time was over and photography time was out of the question. Hehe.


Our room had a lovely balcony and we were quite fascinated by these mountains. And I remember last time when I was in Murren, Switzerland back in 2012, I wanted to stay at one of the hotels there, looking at the window in the morning and see the mountains catch the light at sunset. Unfortunately, that was just a dream. Everything is expensive in Switzerland and I couldn't afford to pay. Sobs.




To be continued.