A Memorable Winter Trip to Gulmarg

Hello, dear friends! How is everyone doing? I hope you are all well and enjoying your time with your loved ones, no matter where you are. Today, I want to share another day of my life with you all. I hope you find some time to read my post and that you find it enjoyable enough to upvote.

Back in 2023, a couple of my friends and I had been involved in our respective jobs, and life had become a little busier than in the earlier days. It was a time when most of my friends were quite busy with their work and could hardly find time to meet and spend some time together. It was a Saturday afternoon, on the eve of New Year, when all of us luckily met at one of our friend’s shops, and that’s when we decided to leave for a famous tourist place, Gulmarg, which is located about 50 km from our village towards the north.

We quickly did our packing and left for the place. Gulmarg had already received snowfall that season, and the road leading there was quite slippery, so we needed to leave early in the day to reach safely and comfortably. Anyway, we left around 3 PM and had to cross Srinagar and then head towards this hilly place. The road leading there had sharp curves, and while negotiating them, a lot of care was needed.

Upon reaching a place that was more like a base camp for Gulmarg, we decided to tie up some chains on the tires to create friction while moving over the slippery snowy roads. At first, we managed to negotiate most parts of the route successfully, but unfortunately, at one point, one of the cars we had with us started losing grip, and climbing uphill became quite a challenge. We tried different tactics, but nothing worked. It wasn’t easy at all because darkness had already started engulfing the area, and since it was covered with forest, it felt quite horrifying.

Nothing could help us except our own effort, so we decided to push the car ourselves. All of my friends, except two who stayed to drive, pushed the cars through the slippery snowy roads, which was an uphill task. One of our cars had good new tires with a strong engine, but the other, though newer, struggled to climb uphill. Anyway, through our combined effort and determination, we managed to reach the place at around 10 PM.

It was very late at night, around 2 AM, when we entered the hotel we had already booked. Fortunately, the hotel had been arranged by one of our acquaintances in the hotel industry, who had connections all around the valley. We reached there quite tired, but the delay wasn’t boring at all. We enjoyed our time together, made memories, and then decided to take some rest.

Upon reaching the hotel room, which was quite warm, we sat together on the floor, wrapped ourselves in blankets, and shared enjoyable moments. We played cards for some time and then decided to wrap up the game. We were quite grateful to the waiter at the hotel who helped us with the food he had already arranged. We had a very late dinner and some tea a couple of times before deciding to sleep.

Rising early in the morning, we had breakfast and then decided to move around and enjoy the beauty of the place. Gulmarg is considered a winter heaven, and we couldn’t afford to miss exploring it, so we moved around and took in the beauty of every part of the valley. Walking on snow is quite exhausting, especially on the uphill and downhill slopes, but we enjoyed it. Our falls and getting back up again were no less than lessons, and we enjoyed every moment together.

Later in the day, after having enough of the place, we decided to leave as a few of my friends and I had to join our offices the next day, which was Monday, marking the start of the working week. On our way back towards Srinagar, we stopped at a restaurant known for its French bakery and enjoyed some tasty bakery items there.

Anyway, all these moments ended as we headed back home, but the experiences and the activities we did together will always remain vivid in my mind and heart. Moments like these make my life more beautiful and colorful, and having my friends always around makes it even more special.

Thank you for going through my post. Have a great time ahead.