Kashmir: 3 Tourists in the Whole Damn Place
May 8, 2008
I don’t know who felt more uncomfortable. I was dressed in my rough, woolen abaya (a robe-like garment covering my body from neck to ankle that women wear in Muslim countries) donning fake Chanel sunglasses I had purchased on the streets of Bangkok, and bright blue plastic bags between my socks and shoes. They were dark-skinned, mostly mustachioed members of the Kashmir military sitting around me at a picnic-like rectangular table, each with a heavy artillery rifle resting between their knees. They had no idea of what to make of a Western tourist, and a female one at that, traveling to their remote, conflict-stricken military outpost. Yet here we were, none of us speaking a common language, sharing chai teas at a tiny cafe.
Upon my arrival in overcrowded Delhi, I decided spontaneously to push to the far north of the country — to unsettled Kashmir — despite numerous travel warnings against visiting the area.
From Dal Lake, where I was staying with a Muslim family on their houseboat,
I had another impulsive idea: to climb to an excellent viewpoint of the mighty mountain K2. I would begin from the last village in Kashmir, which was only five miles from the Pakistan border.
There were a few issues with my unplanned adventure. First and foremost was the dangerous, brooding military conflict on the border of Pakistan and Kashmir. From the little guest house room where I was staying, I could hear the pounding noise of gunfire at all hours of the day, which I was told was just ‘gun training.’ Over the horizon, in the distance, was a thick tree line beyond which was Pakistan- and their rival military base.
The other major problem with my little foray was the terrain. Much of the climb was through the snow, straight in one direction, without any trails or paths. To make matters more difficult, the only footwear I had was a pair of sneakers. It goes without saying that this was not a place with equipment rentals of any sort. Hence: my brilliant idea of donning plastic bags over my feet in an attempt to keep them dry.
That’s crazy! Did you make up it the viewpoint? I was in Ladahk a few years ago and it seemed sketchy enough. No one I met was traveling down through Kashmir and there was fighting by Kargil.
Hey Evan! Yeah, to say it was sketch would be an understatement. There were a lot of bombings in Srinigar when I was there, and tons of military and angry looking groups of men. Good thing I can pass for Indian, more or less.