EP 1 Exploring Srinagar _ Shikara ride in Dal lake _ Wazwan _ Nishat Garden _ Kashmir Tourism]-

Namaskar friends! Welcome to Visa2explore! This is your host, Harish Bali. Right now, I am standing on the banks of the Dal Lake in Srinagar. We are starting our day at 12.30 am here. We are here at 12.30 am because we left Delhi early in the morning. We reached here. We stopped at the Himal Hotel, checked in and now we are here. We are planning to do a shikara ride here. Look at the number of shikaras standing on the banks of the Dal Lake. This is a great place to do shikara. There are shikaras on this side, where I am standing. And there are houseboats on the other side. Very good! Someone told me that if I want to do a shikara ride, it would be better to start from Ghat No. 23. It is better to start from Ghat No. 23 because you can easily go to Char Chinar from there. Char Chinar is an island. That is also good. So, we will enjoy the view here for 5-10 minutes. After that, we will go to Ghat No. 23 and do the shikara ride. I've found out that the charge for one hour ride is Rs. 770. So, you can do this shikara ride here. And if you want to see the floating market, you can do so. It is your choice. This is a donkey. It looks beautiful. The visibility is a bit down. The mountains in front of me look beautiful but the clouds have covered them. So, I am not able to see them properly. And look at this road. The road in front of the Dal Lake. And there are a lot of hotels in front of me. I mean, I can see at least 10-12 hotels standing here. The thing is that Char Chinar is close to this place. Which Ghat are we at now? We are at Ghat No. 20. So, Char Chinar is close to Ghat No. 20. Basically, it is an island with 4 Chinar trees. But if we go there, we will miss a closer view of the houseboats. So, let us do one thing. Today, we will see the houseboats up close. And tomorrow, we will go to Char Chinar again. I think this is a better idea. So, Shogat Bhai, do one thing. Go back half a kilometer and drop us off. Somewhere around Ghat No. 10 or 12. We are going to camp outside Ghat No. 14. Javed Bhai will show us around. Where is your camp? This is my camp. Okay! So, this is the floating post office? Yes, this is the floating post office. Really! This is the first floating post office in India. Amazing! I am enjoying myself a lot. We've just started our Shikara journey. It took us less than a minute to reach here. But I am feeling the same way, which I haven't felt anywhere else in the last 6-10 years. This experience is very different. A while ago, we told you about the floating post office. Look at that. Very good! What I've seen here is that there are a couple of booking agents outside Ghat. So, to talk to the customers, we asked Gulzar Bhai to come with us. He told us to enjoy the journey for an hour. We came here in the afternoon. By the way, when do you enjoy the most? In the morning or evening? I enjoy it the most in the evening. Everyone told me that in the evening.... Why do you enjoy it in the evening? When the sun sets, you get to see a lot of beautiful scenery. Okay, we will come again in the evening. We are here today and tomorrow. We are not going to Charchinar right now. But how long will it take to reach there? It will take us about 1.5 hours to reach there. Okay, because we came from the back of the Ghat. Yes! By the way, which is the nearest Ghat to Charchinar? That is Charchinar No. 24. Charchinar is the nearest Ghat to Charchinar? Yes, it is right in front of Charchinar. Oh! It will take you 15-20 minutes to reach there. Yes, it will take me 20 minutes to reach there. Ufff! By the way, while staying here, I've been thinking.... ...that the experience of Shrinagar Dal Lake, Shikara Ride.... ...is unmatched. I mean, you can go on a boat ride in any lake but.... ...this is something different. Very different! We've been walking for 30 minutes now. Look at all these houseboats, one after the other. They are standing back-to-back together. So, let us try to stop at one of these houseboats... ...and see what it is like inside. According to a rough count, there are around 1200-1400 houseboats... ...in Shrinagar Dal Lake. That is what someone told me this morning. What a view! While you are on a Shikara ride, if you feel like eating chicken tikka or mutton tikka.... ...you can eat all that because there are people on the Shikara... ...who will keep serving you food while you are on the Shikara ride. Wow! This looks like a good TV. The houseboat that I've come to visit... ...has three rooms in it. The charge for one room is Rs. 6000. Rest, it depends on the season. Breakfast is included in Rs. 6000. Lunch and dinner are not included. Check-in and check-out time is from 12 am to 12 pm. It is an experience to stay on a houseboat. So, I think I should stay for at least one day. But we are not staying on a houseboat. We will stay in a hotel, the Himal Hotel, in Shrinagar. The only challenge of staying on a houseboat is that your mobility gets restricted. If you are on the hotel side, you can go anytime. But it is okay, you are enjoying it too. A lot of people told me that if you go to Nigeen Lake side, you will get to see a lot of houseboats. It is good here too. There is a different environment there. Great! A while ago, we were looking at the houseboats on the other side of the lake. Now, we are looking at the traffic on the other side of the lake. And we can see beautiful mountains in front of us. Earlier, there used to be a program called Gul Gulshan Gul Farm. Yes Sir! Where is that houseboat? That houseboat is on the front side. Which one? It is not on the front line, it is on the front side. It is on the front side of the boat, the side you are on. Is it on that side? No, it is on this side. Oh, it is on this side? Yes! So, all three houseboats are different? Yes, they are different. How is their customer service? Is the houseboat good? Yes, Gul Gulshan Gul Farm is the best houseboat. Tell me one thing, Gulzar Bhai. Yes Sir! In this area, there is a lot of hunting going on. It is a market area, right? Yes, it is a market area. So, it is a floating market? Yes, it is a floating market. Hmm! A lot of people come here to buy clothes, shawls, suits, etc. Okay! So, they buy from this market area. Hmm! So, there are more woolens? Yes! Right? Yes Sir! What do you have? Kava? Kava Sir! Kava, coffee, hot chocolate, cappuccino, bonita, pomegranate syrup, etc. You are carrying so many things with you! Yes Sir! Very good! Okay! Please give me this kava for Rs. 50. Is it hot? Yes Sir, it is absolutely hot! I want less sweet! So, what all ingredients did you use to make this kava? Sir, I've used cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, green tea, shangram, shebistan, cashew nuts, saffron, almonds and honey. So, what is the use of sugar when you've added honey? Sugar is not required. Okay! If you want it to be sweeter? Yes! Here you go! By the way, kava is mostly consumed in winters, right? Yes Sir! In November and December, when it is snowing. It is an antioxidant, immunity booster. So, what are these grains? These are almonds, Sir! Okay! Almond crush! Thank you! Sir, how is the taste of this kava? I haven't tasted it yet! Please taste it Sir! Look, the taste is good! I think it is a bit too sweet! Too sweet! Still, it is good! It is a new taste for us! Thank you Sir! It is a new taste for us! Thank you! It is good! Thank you! Have a good day Sir! Thank you! So, now we are going to take a turn and go back to our Ghat Kinare. The post office is right in front of us. The time is 2.10 pm. Now, let us go for lunch. This will be good! After lunch, we will do sightseeing for the second half of the day. Usually, when it is 1.30 or 1.30 pm, I feel it is time for lunch. I feel I should not be late for lunch. What is the point in having lunch at 4 pm? It is better to have it on time. So, in winters, when it snows in November and December, does the shikara stop? The shikara is still going on Sir. The shikara is still going on even in the snow. Really! We have four curtains here. The shikara operator runs the shikara here. The customers can sit here comfortably. Even if it rains or snows, the shikara is still going on. No problem! So, the shikara is going on for the whole year? Yes, the shikara is still going on. If the lake is completely covered in snow, it will continue to snow for the next few days. Then it will be difficult for the shikara. Okay! This morning, when we were travelling from the airport to Dalle, I saw a bridge on the Jhelum river. It is called the Zero Bridge. I am talking about the bridge in front of us. We were passing over it. When we were passing over it, I saw this beautiful wooden bridge. So, during the day, I decided to see this bridge up close. So, 10 minutes ago, I reached the corner of the bridge. While walking slowly from there, I saw the view of the Jhelum river on both sides. Now, I've come across the bridge. The view is good. It feels good to stand here. I don't know why it is called the Zero Bridge or Zero Point. Rest, I feel that you can stand here in the evening or in the morning and enjoy the view. Though, I am still enjoying the view. But if it is early morning or evening time, it would be great. For example, if we stand here, look how beautiful it is. You can go down a few steps and sit near the water. It is your choice. Nice, beautiful! We were planning to have lunch here. So, we did both these things together. There is a restaurant by the name of JKDDC. I've been told that it is built in the shape of a houseboat. It looks like that too. So, we are going to have lunch here. Let us walk around for 5-10 minutes and then we will go for lunch. I met Mr. Abdul Salam at the restaurant. You are the manager of this restaurant. Yes Sir! Around 11 am, I told you that we wanted to come here for lunch. Yes Sir! Early in the morning, for lunch. We wanted to eat something here in Wazwan. So, my idea was to eat one or two dishes. So, he suggested that I make some dishes for you in a mix of veg and non-veg. Yes Sir! I've kept 2-4 items in veg and 5-6 items in non-veg. Okay! I had an idea that there would be 4-5 items in total. But, I think there are 7-8 items in total. It doesn't matter. Wazwan is very big. We kept only a few items. Okay! There is no need to worry. It is a good thing. Anyway, we are a team. So, how long will it take to get ready? Sir, it will be ready in 10 minutes. Okay! Okay Sir! Done! So, please get it ready as soon as possible, within 10-15 minutes. Okay Sir! We will sit there. Okay Sir! This is Tashnadi. First, we wash our hands in this. Okay! In Kashmiri Wazwan. What is it called? Tashnadi! Kashmiri! Tashnadi! This is famous in Kashmir. Okay! Do you use it in your homes as well? Yes, we keep it in our homes as well. Okay! We keep it in our homes as well. Okay! We use it at weddings and other functions as well. Okay! What is this? This is a tray for one person. We cook food for one person in this. Do you cover it like this? Yes! It also has a lid to keep it warm. To keep it warm! Yes! In Wazwan, we have a tray. Four people can eat food in this. Okay! This is a big tray for four people. What is this? This is also a copper glass. Copper glass! Yes! This is Mutton Kebab. Okay! It is also known as Shee Kebab. This is also made of ground meat. Okay! Yes! It is also known as Takta. But it is made of ground meat. Give me a piece! These people are veg, so, give it only to me. Yes, we will get veg as well. Thank you! This is Kashmiri chutney. It has dry fruits, radish and everything else. Green chutney! Is there dry fruit in radish? Yes, there is dry fruit in it. Okay! Yes! Does it also have coriander and mint leaves? Yes, it has coriander leaves and a little bit of curd as well. Okay! This is Rista, Kashmiri. What is it called? This is Mutton Rista. This is also made of ground meat. It requires a lot of hard work. Okay! Yes! It is ground on a stone. Then it is shaped into a ball. And the rest is made of Kashmiri spices. Okay! Yes! What is Praan Masala? Praan is a Kashmiri type of masala. This Praan Masala! Yes! I want to see how it is made. Do you have it right now? No, we don't have it right now. We have mixed it with other spices. Okay! So, Praan is made in Kashmir. Okay! Yes! This is Nadru. Yes, this is Nadru Yakhni. Lotus stem! Yes, it is Lotus stem. It is made in Dal. Okay! Veg for you! What else is there in veg? There is Dum Aloo in veg. I will eat Dum Aloo later. Aloo Dum! Yes! You guys start first. Which one is veg? Give me the veg one. It would be better. Okay, fine! Good! Brother, how is the taste of Aloo Dum? It is good! Hmm! It is spicy. It is very good for a spicy dish. Is it spicy? Dum Aloo is always spicy. Hmm! Oh! Did you take this? We will take it right now. Okay! Oh, this is the whole thing? Yes, it is made on a stone. It is like a ball of mutton. Mutton! Only mutton! Okay! Only mutton! So, does it take a lot of effort to make this? Yes, it takes a lot of time. Okay! Then you have to cook it. Hmm! I liked the taste of this dish. I liked all the items. And the way you told me that you make it by crushing it, it has a very different taste. Okay, in your food preparation, you don't use tomatoes? No, we don't use tomatoes. Okay! We use this masala, which is made on this. Okay! The meat is very soft. And when you crush it with your hands, the taste of the balls is very good. In total, how many items are there in Wazan? There are 20-24 items. Okay, 20-24! So, all the items are usually made during weddings? Yes, it is usually made during weddings. But this dish is made less in restaurants. This is Mirchi Korma. This is white ball. This is Gustav. Hmm! So, in Mutton Gustava, this ball is the same? Yes, it is the same, but it is made on white. The gravy that is being made is different? Yes, it is different. So, this is curd gravy? Yes, it is curd gravy. Oh! Gustava! This has dry fruit and white fruit. Is that so? Yes! This is called Waza Haag. Is it called Haag Saag? Yes, it is called Haag Saag in Kashmir. It is called Haag Saag in Kashmir. Haag Saag and Waza Haag. And these are its leaves. Yes, these are its leaves. The saag itself has a very good taste. And the gravy in which it is cooked is awesome. So, I am noticing that tomatoes are not used here. Tomatoes are used in paneer. Yes, in paneer. Tomatoes are used in saag as well. The reason why I like Waza Haag so much is that... ...due to its hot spices, it tastes spicy. And the gravy is delicious. Give me some rice. Just a little. That is enough. The curd has added a little sourness to it. Yes, it has a different taste. The taste of mutton balls is the same as it was in Kashmir. It has a different taste. Mirchi Korma. Really? Yes, it has a different taste. It is made without powder. It has a different taste. Rogan Josh has a different taste. It has a different taste. So far, out of all the dishes I've eaten here... ...the one I liked the most is this Mirchi Korma. Mirchi Korma is special. It is something different. Okay. Because it is spicy and it has its own flavor. It is different. Waza Haag has its own flavor. Personally, I liked this Mirchi Korma the most. And also this Haag Saag. Yes, it is called Waza Haag. These two dishes are amazing. I haven't eaten potato yet. My stomach is already full. So, you've used a lot of garam masala in this dish. Yes, garam masala is also added to it. A little bit of cardamom, cinnamon, black cardamom. It is mixed with prana. We will join you again after finishing our food. And thank you for your time. Thank you Sir. Alright! So, now we have 2 and a half hours to roam around. It will be dark around 6.30 or 7.45 pm. After that, we can't do sightseeing. After that, we can only have dinner. Right! Let us meet you in some time. Then we will tell you our further plan. We are going to Kaka. The gate you see in front of us, we came in through that gate. And as soon as I came up these stairs and saw the view in front of me.... ...what can I tell you! It is magical! We haven't even started our garden tour yet. And just standing here, I've got a feeling that.... ...it is going to be an amazing experience for the next 30-45 minutes. What a beauty! Before going further, look at this aerial view of Dal Lake. It looks so beautiful, isn't it? So, if you take a photograph from here, you will see Dal Lake in the backdrop. If you stand here and take a photograph, you will see the Zabarwan Mountain in the backdrop. This is a part of the Zabarwan Range. Zabarwan Mountain! Lovely! Everything here is so magnificent. You can walk a few steps and enjoy the view. I've got a feeling that the view is changing every few steps. Now, as I've come here, look at these fountains in the front. How beautiful they look! And these plants, right in the cemetery. I told you about the mountain in the backdrop. Very beautiful! Come, let us go further. By the way, there are some areas in the garden that are no-entry zones. For example, you cannot go inside this area. You can look at the flowers from outside. You can take photographs. These are the passages to walk through. But there are some areas, like this, where you can sit inside the garden and take photographs. For example, you can go inside here. In the Nishat Garden, you can see a 380-year-old Chinnar tree. It is written here that it is 150 feet tall. And it is huge in size. Who do you call a tree that is 380 years old? And in the Kashmir Valley, we've been told that you can see Chinnar trees everywhere. During the autumn season, its leaves turn red in color. I was reading somewhere that when a Persian traveller saw a Chinnar tree in the forest,... ...while travelling, he said, Chinnar! So, is it fire? Is it fire? That is where this tree got its name. Chinnar! The Nishat Garden was built by Shah Jahan's father-in-law, Asaf Khan, in 1634. There is an interesting story associated with this garden. When Asaf Khan built this garden, he must have been much more impressed with it than we were. So, Shah Jahan visited this garden and praised it a lot. Shah Jahan had such high expectations that he would get this garden as a gift from Asaf Khan. But that didn't happen. So, Shah Jahan got angry and stopped the water supply to this garden. As time passed, Asaf Khan felt bad that Shah Jahan stopped the water supply to this garden. But who told Emperor Shah Jahan to stop the water supply? So, on the way, one of Asaf Khan's servants opened the water supply from Shalimar Garden. Shalimar Garden is 3kms from here. Shah Jahan got to know about this later. In a way, Asaf Khan was worried about what would happen. But later, Shah Jahan appreciated the fact that he appreciated the servant who was loyal to his master. He was loyal to the garden. So, this is an interesting story. Shah Jahan liked this garden so much that he stopped the water supply to this garden. When we came up these stairs, we could see terraces at every distance. And we climbed a few more stairs to reach this height. For example, this is one of the terraces. After climbing four steps, we reached here. Now, if we go up from here, we will reach another terrace. So, there are a total of 12 terraces here. And this is such a well-maintained garden, with such beautiful fountains. These are very old Chinar trees. This board says that this tree is 375 years old. Its height is approximately 160 feet. And it is quite a big tree. In this line and in that line. It is a total Chinar tree. I am not just talking about this tree. I've been reading about Chinar trees for a long time now. In fact, I can see a lot of Chinar trees in front of me. We've reached the top point of the garden. There is nothing beyond this point. You can see that there is a boundary wall here. Right! So, the view that I was able to see from below.... ...was not as beautiful as the view that I was able to see from here. Although, the aerial view is good from any height. But the view from the platform at the centre was magnificent. Anyways, the bottom line is that our visit to Nishat Garden was successful. I liked it very much. Great! We are going to end today's episode here. This small episode is because we didn't have much time today. Tomorrow, we will start our day early so that we can visit Shrinagar properly. After that, we have to visit Sonmarg, Pahalgam, Gulmarg and many more places. Right! So, I will say bye-bye to you for now. We will meet again soon. Till then, thanks for your time! You can see the clouds right in front of you. Yes Sir, we have to go into those clouds now. You will like it further? Yes Sir! This is just a trailer. The movie is yet to come. Movie! Yes Sir!