..."If there is a paradise on Earth, it is here, it is here, it is here"...
-Jehangir, Mogul Emperor, 17th Century.
Kashmir is a specatular region of the world located in Northern India. Cashew and walnut trees line the streets that meander through lush rice paddies before giving way to the majestic, snow-capped peaks of the Himalaya. The same mountains reflect perfectly of off the Dal Lake which forms a moat around the antique houseboats, insulating them from the chaos of traffic and trading in the capital, Srinagar. At dawn, speakers atop Muslim mosques crackle with calls to prayer that slide smoothly across the water, past Hindu temples and echo throughout the streets, summoning the faithful. Simply put, Kashmir is a shangri-la, an high altitude oasis.
At least it once was...
During the 1990's a violent militant war was waged in the streets and mountains of Kashmir. A consequence of partition in 1947 when India and Pakistan came into being, the majority Muslim state of Jammu & Kashmir acceded to the majority Hindu India. In many ways a model of secular India with Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists coexisting in peace, morning calls to prayer became punctuated by gunfire. The war resulted in the closing of Kashmir's doors to the rest of the world and in 1999 President Bill Clinton was to describe Kashmir as "the most dangerous place in the world." The the label stuck.
Today, Kashmir's complexion resembles more the former glory days of peace and tranquil getaways from the oppressively hot south of India, but the mascara of the war has yet to be washed off. Soldiers with AK47s are still omnipresent throughout the entire valley, however, nowadays they kick stones along the road and smoke cigarettes. The people are incredibly scarred by the experience of war, but they are looking forward. Proprietors of a once robust tourist economy work tirelessly to dispell the stigma that Kashmir is unsafe.
In our experience traveling and skiing in Gulmarg in the winter of 2009, Kashmir is once again a safe destination. And it is still paradise on Earth.