Seeing Heaven, Up Close: Priyank’s Kashmir Trip Review with Thrillophilia
"I think we need a break."
Priyank’s voice broke the silence of the movie night. He and his wife were watching Laila Majnu, their personal favourite.
Priyank’s wife looked up, surprised. They were on their regular Sunday movie night on the terrace, the Pune skyline stretching before them.
Same terrace, same routine, same life.
But Prinyank’s words hung in the air like a lifeline and the background music felt a lot more meaningful.
‘Patta anaaron ka,
Patta chinaaron ka,
Jaise hawaon mein’
"Where should we go?" his wife asked, curious but unenthusiastic.
"Kashmir."
That single word sparked something between them. It wasn’t just a destination; it was an old dream for both, one they had forgotten about.
The idea especially gripped Priyank and made him recall the childhood stories from his grandmother. She had once visited what she explained as ‘the paradise’ during her younger days and all she mentioned was snow-capped mountains, crystal lakes, and Mughal gardens.
That night, after talking it over with their friends, the plan was set.
Seven souls, craving adventure.
A Touch of Magic to Reality
‘Landing in Srinagar feels like stepping into a postcard. The air is crisp, the sky clear, and I can already feel my heart calming down. The Dal Lake stretches out before us, dotted with houseboats like tiny islands of peace. It’s even better than I imagined.’
Priyank was lost in his own thoughts when he heard his son call him-
"Look, Dad! Are those houses on water?" his son asked, his excitement contagious.
“Yes, and we will be living in one of those today!”
Their stay in Srinagar was like a dream. The shikara ride across Dal Lake, with the reflection of the Himalayas shimmering in the water, made them mesmerised to the core.
Priyank held his wife’s hand as the boat glided past floating gardens and vendors selling trinkets and flowers.
"This is so peaceful," she said with a voice as calm as the water.
And as they checked into the houseboat, the sunset painted the water orange and gold. Priyank watched the kids laugh and play on the deck, realizing that this was the very reason he needed the break, that THEY needed this break.
"Sometimes you don’t know you’re suffocating until you breathe fresh air," he thought to himself.
But the journey to Gulmarg gave him a thrilling taste of Kashmir, the opposite of what he felt till then.
During the Gondola ride, gliding high above the valley, Priyank felt his stomach lurch as they climbed higher and higher. Below them, meadows and forests stretched out like a green-brown quilt.
"Are we going to touch the sky, Dad?" his son asked with wonder.
Up at the top, it felt like winter had somehow gate-crashed summer. Snow covered the ground, and the kids were quick to dive in, building snowmen and having snowball fights. Priyank couldn't believe it- snow in June! It was one thing to hear about it, but to see it in reality… surreal.
It was like a childhood dream come true for him.
His friends laughed as Priyank slipped on a patch of ice.
“It will take some time for us to get used to nature, we have been secluded from it for quite a long time”, Priyank’s friends noted with a tone of sarcasm in their voice. True, it was after a long time that they were seeing such pristine vistas…far away from the hustle of city life.
Later, they sat around sipping hot chocolate at a café, the snowy peaks rising around them. The warmth of the drink seeped into their bones, and Priyank looked around at his friends and family, grateful for deciding on this trip.
I’ve never felt more alive, he mused.
A Leap, A Land, A Wonder
‘We’re on our way to Sonmarg, driving through what feels like an endless painting. Mountains on either side, rivers cutting through the valley, and everything so... untouched. It’s so vast, yet peaceful. Every time I look out the window, I feel like I’m seeing something new. It’s like Kashmir is a living, breathing piece of art.’
The Golden Meadow - that’s what Sonmarg meant. Priyank had read about it, but nothing prepared him for the sheer expanse of the place. As they rode ponies towards the glacier, the kids squealed with joy while the adults admired the beauty that surrounded them.
At Thajiwas Glacier, the white-blue ice towers over them, ancient and astonishing. The three kids again indulged in snowball fights, while Priyank saw his wife taking a quiet walk. He ran to catch up with her, falling short of breath.
"Is this place real?" she asked in a tone as if she was joking.
"If it is, we’ve just found heaven," Priyank replied, wittily, gasping for air still.
Later, they watched the sunset turn the meadow golden, living up to its name. Sonmarg had a certain quietness about it, a peaceful solitude that tugged at Priyank’s heart. It was a place that made you slow down and just... be.
Priyank clicked a few pictures, knowing that they would never do justice to what his eyes saw.
Pahalgam was where Priyank felt most at home, though he had never been there before. It was different from the grandeur of Sonmarg or Gulmarg. It was quieter, more intimate, with the sound of the river and the rustling of trees filling the air. The kids loved Betaab Valley, where the mountains surrounded them like a merry-go-round, and the river cut through the landscape like a silver thread.
As they sat by the river, watching the kids play, he turned to his wife.
"It feels like we’ve lived a lifetime in just a few days."
From Dreams to Reality
“Back in Pune, life has returned to normal. The same office, the same routine. But Kashmir has left a mark. It’s like I’ve brought back a piece of that tranquillity with me. Whenever the stress builds up, I just close my eyes and picture the Dal Lake of Srinagar, the mountains of Gulmarg, the golden meadow of Sonmarg, and the river of Pahalgam. And for a moment, I’m there again. I think that’s the magic of Kashmir. It doesn’t just live in your memories; it lives in your heart.”
That was the end of all the mental notes Priyank had taken throughout the trip. And now, he was finally ready to try his pen at a new blog, a new venture!
Read More: Thrillophilia Kashmir Reviews