Kashmir – Beautiful place, ruined by experience

Kashmir was beautiful, but the local union rules, haggling, and constant sales pitches ruined our experience.

In December, we visited Kashmir as a family – four adults and three kids.

Unlike other tourist spots where you can hire a cab to take you anywhere, in Kashmir, cabs only bring you to the tourist spot. You’ve got to park and then use local vehicles to get around – like a mule, horse, or Jeep. This odd rule wasn’t the worst part – the prices were. At one spot, the horse handler quoted 3,600 rupees; I haggled it down to 1,500 rupees. I felt good. I later found out it could’ve been done for 800 rupees. Imagine this everywhere. Everywhere you go, you have to negotiate, and it marrs the experience.

We had hard time going around peacefully. There’s always someone selling something near you – tea, nuts, photography services, and kababs. No matter how stern we were, they persisted until another vendor took their spot. The last day, we took a boat ride on Dal Lake, hoping it would be at least quiet. Nope. The floating sellers came around selling tea, coffee, photography, and kababs. We didn’t get a single moment of peace during those 20 to 30 minutes out on the water.

Next time, I will escape this madness.