Frozen Beauty: In Gulmarg, Kashmir
The first view of the Himalayas came from the flight. Brown alternating with white, covered by pretty clouds. The mountains extended far beyond the eye could see. There are very few places in the world where the color green - that faithful indication of life - is missing from the landscape. The mountains here are one of them. It was a view at once bleak and beautiful. Mountains x infinity When I first stepped out of Srinagar airport, I had a strong sense of déjà vu . This landscape was completely new to me - I had never even seen snow at close quarters before and the Valley was positively blanketed with it. Even as we traveled onwards to Gulmarg, the feeling didn't desert me. It was as if I had been here before. Maybe I was reminded of the pictures of Germany that my father had shown me after he went there during deep winter. Sloping roofs and snow-lined roads look the same to a sleep-deprived eye - even when separated by continents, it seems. Getting to Gulmarg