Field notes
The Journal
Longer reads from the road — written in Srinagar, about the things guests ask us at dinner.
How to sit at a wazwan
Four to a copper plate, one hand only, and a meatball at the end that you are not allowed to refuse. A short guide to not embarrassing yourself at the best meal of your trip.
A shikara is built without plans
Deodar for the hull, a canopy bent by eye, and a paddle shaped like a spade that has not changed in centuries. A week in the boatyards behind the bazaar.
Fourteen days of purple
For about a fortnight in late October the Pampore plateau turns purple and the whole year’s crop is taken by hand before the sun is properly up. What that actually costs to produce.
Apharwat is not a ski resort
It is a high, ungroomed, largely unpatrolled alpine face with a gondola on it. That is what makes it extraordinary, and it is exactly why you hire a guide and carry a beacon.
The yarbals of the Jhelum
Yaar, friend; bal, the water’s edge. The stone landings where Srinagar met its river, washed its pashmina and heard its news — and what became of them.
Five hours to Gurez
Over the Razdan pass and down into Shina-speaking country, where the houses are stacked timber and the valley closes for half the year. Notes on doing it properly.