So as I sit here, I realize that I still have so much more to tell but I shall pick up where I left off- in Shrinagar, Kashmir, Day 10.
I wake up early to the the song filled pre-dawn of Muslim prayers. Holy chants are ringing throughout the mountains, as the Muslim men of Kashmir do their first of 5 daily prayers. It is the most extraordinary thing one can hear- the sacred song of Muslims, or Salaat or Salah, , which is the fixed ritual of Muslims. The dawn was filled with worship and I smiled dreamily as the spiritual hymns lulled me back to sleep.
Manzoor slept in till noon which gave me plenty of time to sit and chat with his father whom eventually came into the house right around the time I awoke. We sat and he told me of the French woman who lived in his home for a very long time to meditate and do yoga in the Himalayas. We spoke of the rich history of the Kashmiri people and how his life began in the mountains of Shrinagar.
By the time Manzoor was up and about, I had already eaten breakfast with his family and was fully prepared to start the day. Manzoor took me high to the gardens overlooking Srinagar. It was a breaktaking sight. As wonderful as the Cybershot is, I knew it could not capture the splendor of this paradise.
It is me and Manzoor and his friend whom we picked up along the way. I am trying to grab photos as fast as I can, but my trigger finger is a bit slow and I am always a few seconds too slow to capture the wildlife in the trees or the animals that dart behind rocks as we fly past. But to give you an idea of what it is like to be driving in the backseat of a car in India, here is a quick video as we ascend into the hills towards the first spot that Manzoor wants to show me. Pari Mahal. Its a lovely day today in Srinagar and the air is incredibly clean and refreshing. The climate is so crisp that you can almost slice a cube of the air like glacier ice and admire it's purity as if it were art.
