pirpanjalrange

I was fascinated that this bush in my hotel grounds resembled the map of India!
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A sign about the ubiquitous Chinar tree, found all over Kashmir
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Beautiful Alpine scenery in Pahalgam, Kashmir
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Not one of these gift shops had leather jackets
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A houseboat, a Shikara, a service boat, the verandah of a house- all on Dal Lake
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My friend and host strikes a pose on those steep steps
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Too many people resting after climbing the steep steps leading into the Chashme Shahi Mughal Garden
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Pahalgam is one of the starting points for the Amarnath Yatra
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A barren garden, conifers, a frozen river, rain clouds and relatively low snow capped peaks
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One of the hotels in Pahalgam is almost hidden from sight
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A pleasant town nestled deep down in the valley
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In Pahalgam at last, and guess what, time for more selfies!
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My turn now to pose for a selfie- I was trying to look as relaxed as possible
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Shikaras at rest- I was seeing these boats without canopy for the first time
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Crows in Kashmir do look a bit different- well they are Jackdaws.
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A selfie by the Lidder River in Pahalgam which runs past the public park we are now in
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Sign welcoming visitors to Gulmarg valley
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Beautiful Alpine scenery in Gulmarg
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A mother Rhesus Macaque monkey admonishes her husband perhaps?
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A selfie in themidst of the bush with bright yellow leaves
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I am done but my friend asks our guide to take more selfies of him
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Stately entrance to the Chashme Shahi Mughal Garden in Srinagar
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A far view of the treacherous road to Ladakh and the under construction Zoji La tunnel
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Lal Chowk was until recently not a safe place to hang about
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Blanks for cricket bats stacked by the road on the way from Pahalgam
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All the Shikaras are literally funneled into a market area with overpriced handicrafts
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It was off season, so all saffron fields were devoid of flowers
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My friend insists I sit and take a more leisurely selfie
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Entrance to the Mughal Nishat Garden in Srinagar
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The ice stretches almost half way down the mountain slope
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I was surprised that not a single store in Kashmir offered leather jackets
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It's a bit off season, so the bush in the public park still looks rather barren
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An arch welcoming visitors to the Pahalgam area
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A look at the lawns and flower beds of the Mughal Nishat Gardens
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Gulmarg town is still a little way out though
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I was having a tough time keeping my balance on that slippery slope
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Here is a final selfie against the Avantipora temple ruins
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The glacial stream provides interesting foreground to a river frozen in it's tracks in the background
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A view of the outer fringes of the Dal Lake seen from the Chashme Shahi Mughal Garden
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Shikaras and houseboats lined up on the Dal Lake at night
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Enough already, I protest, but my friend insists on still more selfies
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I was happy to see an apple orchard, sadly all those apples are fake
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Pleasing snowscape as we exit Sonmarg
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The mandatory selfie against the clock tower on Srinagar's Lal Chowk
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Clouds are beginning to obscure the mountain tops
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Some repair and restoration work has been attempted in the Avantipora temple
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Beautiful Alpine scenery seen from a public park in Pahalgam, Kashmir
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Gliding past Lilies and a cluster of buildings on the shores of Dal Lake
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Thinking back about the Sind (Sindh) river as we exit Sonmarg
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Gliding past the rear of one of the houseboats- what tall grass!
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Another pose by my friend in the ruins of the inner shrine of the Awantipora temple
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Signage for the market street is fixed across the street
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My host in Kashmir displays a traditional Kanger
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A hotel on the Dal Lake- yet not directly on the Dal Lake
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Such selfie spots have now sprung up on the shores of Dal Lake
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We hit the main street in Pahalgam looking for a place to eat
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Ascending the steps to what was once the main sanctum sanctorum
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A better view of the dry water channel. minus the nylon ropees
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Funneled into a narrow market street with idle Shilaras parked to one side
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My host and friend strikes a pose on the shores of Dal Lake
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