Our travel to Azad Kashmir: An unexpectedly beautiful place

The last leg of our travels to Southeast Asian Countries were to cross borders from India to Pakistan. We went to Wagha (a border town) between Pakistan and India. It is the only crossing point between the two countries. As usual, there were a lot of people there offering you their services on the streets. However we have already secured our Pakistan Tourist Visas long before this trip (you need to apply Pakistan tourist visa from your home country) so all that we really needed was to take on some border formalities that could take upto 30minutes for each. If you're planning on actually crossing the border, you should aim to get there as early as possible. It opens around 8:30am to 2:30pm.. and it gets crowded. Regular buses or taxis are not allowed into the no-man's land between the countries, so unless you're on one of the few deluxe international buses, you'll have to walk across the 500m between the border posts yourself. Porters -- blue coats for the Indians, green coats for the Pakistanis -- can carry your belongings for a few dollars.

When crossed the gate between the two countries and in the Pakistani side you can relax at nearby attractive Jallo Park, or enjoy in Sozo Water Park. For those who get there early with hunger theres a great restaurant about 1km before the border called "Sarhad". They serve Amritsari and Lahori food with some great truck art as decoration and the bathrooms are clean! Lot of people go there just to get a feel of the ambience and food

There is an official tourist center, called "Aman Umeed" at the entry gate. It is a nice clean facility with bathrooms etc and has comfortable seating, although food options are very limited inside.

However, there are 2-3 large local food stalls outside the gate opposite the tourist center which serve food, offer packaged snacks and soft drinks. You can take these inside when you watch the ceremony. Water Bottles are not allowed after the checking point of entry to Wagah border. So don't carry them from the car/autos. If necessary, buy them at the stalls just near the gate.

*Note that cellphones may not work here, as calls/SMSs are jammed. There are jammers at wagah, so no mobile phone service

Once we got settled on the Pakistan side. Our guide held a car service to take us to Azad Kashmir. My friend swears that it is a must see side of Pakistan. We traveled around 9 straight hours from the borders, to Lahore and to Kashmir. We had some occasional stop overs to take a pee or to eat.. but nevertheless I was just sleeping the whole time. Many have warned me before this trip but I didn't really felt any danger or whatsoever. As long as your documents are complete. You have a guide or a company that you can trust. Your okay. 

So when we finally arrived at the Kashmir it was already night time.. Was freezing cold. We went to eat at our host house and went to sleep. The morning after was a very nice surprise. I can't believe my eyes. No wonder this place is in dispute between India and Pakistan... it is the most beautiful place I've ever been or seen all my life. Pictures on the internet does not even justify the HD resolution my eyes can see. Here are the pictures of Neelum Valley.. where we are staying... 

and here is one picture from the remains of Budha University in Sharda, Azad Kashmir..

Snow-caped mountains... clean breathable air.. and just the serene beauty of this place will captivate you. From this point, I don't even know if I am still willing to go back to my world.