I woke up very early on the second morning of our Kashmir tour. We were supposed to go to Sonamarg on that day. The day before, the hotel owner had arranged a taxi for us. Snowfall has not started in Srinagar yet. Heard that there might be snow falling at Sonamarg.
We were unable to check the weather update as the internet connection was so poor at Srinagar. Sometimes there was no connection at all!
Sonamarg is a hill station located about 80 km from Srinagar, which is popular among tourists. We started our journey towards Sonamar and enjoying the amazing beauty of nature.
Read Also - Surreal Experiences in Srinagar | My Trip to Kashmir | Day 01
We stood on the way and had breakfast, because no restaurant was open very early in the morning at Srinagar. After going some distance, the police stopped the car at the checkpoint and released us immediately with a smile after hearing that we are tourists. And told the driver to come back early, because snowfall could start at any moment. Snowfall can cause road blockage.
The police were right! After passing about 30 kilometers on the way to Sonamarg, I saw snow on the side of the road and in the mountains a little further away. Slowly the ice density on both sides of the road was increasing. The driver informed me that there was snowfall here about an hour ago.
Shortly after that, the snow started rolling like a shower of rain! I am a Bangladeshi, where we are used to seeing rain. But I had never seen snow in my life.
I was looking out of the window with fascination. After a while, ignoring the severe cold, I opened the window of the car and got out my hands without gloves.
Snow was falling on my hands like soft cotton. However, as I could not stand the cold, I quickly closed the window and put my hand inside. Gradually the snowfall continued to increase. After a while, the road became completely white. The driver informed us that - it is not possible to go to Sonamarg. If we go, we can't come back. We have to spend the night at Sonamarg!
The driver was like our guide. In consultation with him, we decided not to go to Sonamarg. A little before that we will visit Zero Point next to Thajiwas Glacier. The whole road is covered with snow. We didn't have chains on the wheels of our cars. Some cars had chains on their wheels to drive on snowy roads. We left our car on the main road and rent a jeep just to get to Zeropoint.
With that jeep, we continued our journey on the road in the middle of the village towards Zeropoint. The heater in the car was turned on, not to mention the amount of cold outside. I was very surprised to see small Kashmiri children were going to school in this cold and snow.
It was constantly snowing. The driver of the rented car arrived at a bridge and said it would be better to go back without going ahead. Otherwise, we'll get stuck in this place.
We spent 10 to 15 minutes on this bridge and the surrounding area. We fought with each other with the snowball and climbed on an icy hill. But even after wearing heavy jackets and gloves, I could not stand the cold. In fact, we were not accustomed to so much cold.
Without delay, we arrived on the main road near our car. I canceled all the plans of Sonamarg. A few moments later, we realized that the decision was right.
Because within an hour we fell into a terrible situation. After going some distance on the way to Srinagar, the car got stuck in the snow. The road was very bumpy, and this car was not suitable for running on ice. There was thick ice on the road and cars were not moving on it.
A few hours passed. It was slowly getting darker and darker all around. If night falls we have to take shelter in any nearby house. Because there were no hotels in that area.
We drove some distance with the help of some other vehicles. But it was not more than a few kilometers. At last, we came to such a steep road that we gave up. In the midst of this snowfall, we pushed the car, put sackcloth under the wheels, but nothing worked. Meanwhile, my hands and feet were frozen in the cold. I wasn't feeling anything on my fingers, frostbite condition! We needed more manpower to push the car and cross that high road.
At that time, locals came forward to help us like angels. I saw the greatness of Kashmiri people on that day. About ten or twelve Kashmiri boys came forward.
They also brought hot tea in a flask. Another Kashmiri boy brought a towel. Because we almost got wet while pushing the car! Everyone pushed the car and crossed the steep road. Some even invited us to stay at their house for the night. They also helped some other cars to cross that road. I also joined them to push the cars.
I will never forget the kindness that Kashmir locals showed on that day. It was almost 8 pm when we reached Srinagar. Without eating at night, I quickly entered the hotel room and lay down on a blanket.
Who knew that we would have to experience so much on the second day of our trip to Kashmir.
Read my other travel blogs on Hive -
Having grown up around snow, it's hard to imagine seeing it for the first time as an adult, and adding to that, while driving in a car!
Good adventure!
It's pretty cool. But honestly, snow was fun for few hours! Fun was over the moment I realized I was stuck in the middle of the road. And it was cold af. 😒 Although it was a good adventure.
Thanks for stopping by.
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