In the morning we walked to Shakiel's hotel and asked him to drive us to the Thajiwas glacier. "After today I will ask you how you like Kashmir," he said. We told him we already loved it. We followed the river through the valley between steep mountains covered in pine and topped with peaks of bare granite. With every bend in the road and river the scenery became more and more impressive. Soon, we arrived in Sonamarg. A large rolling meadow rose to our left. A gate stood in front of a road leading through it. A man called out to us and Shakiel left the car to talk to the gatekeeper. The gatekeeper wanted us to take horses. They needed to make a living and our driving through wouldn't help them. Shakiel told them we were his family friends and that he, too, needed to make a living. After some wrangling they allowed us to proceed up the road. At the end of the road we were surrounded by horsemen asking if we wanted to ride to the glacier. I said I would walk. No walking, they said. It was a distance of four kilometers. I said I'd like to stretch my legs. We set off into the mountains: the peaks were dotted with snow, the meadows were dotted with horses. We followed a rocky path to a meadow and then struck out on dirt trails. At the base of the glacier a tent city had been established, with proprietors asking if we wanted tea or snacks. I declined and continued towards the snow, fording the river and climbing up onto the ice pack. Village children dragged homemade wooden sleds behind them, asking tourists if they wanted a ride. Midway up, I looked back to see Tini and Ed arriving. I could see them take photos of each other and Aria. I continued up to the top edge of the snow pack for the view. Two men from Mumbai were taking photos and resting on the rocks. A pair of local villagers were waiting with homemade wooden sleds. One detached himself from the men to offer me a ride to the bottom. My first inclination was to decline and then I paused. After a bit of haggling I was sliding down the mountain, snow blowing onto my face and into my shoes as we bounced across the ice.
