Upland Llama's sojourn to the Vale of Kashmir

I tried drawing inspiration from articles about different cities and it almost ended up being counter productive. Most of these cities are well known and for good reasons. At one point, it just didn't make any sense to make a pitch as these cities have all the possible advantages, starting with the right infrastructure, resources and the support system for any business to thrive. I had almost given up to the point when I realised it was less about the things that weren't there and more about what was there. And there is a lot.

NFTs and Upland Metaverse

It's all about the right time and that is so true for technology which is changing every minute, and saying it's rapid will be a gross understatement. No one back in 2009 would have imagined BTC to reach $60,000 or paid a single dime for a virtual property. When I first heard of Cryptocurrency, my mind questioned the whole purpose. It was beyond me to understand why people would want something which happened to have no real value. Fast forward few years and I had the same doubts about NFTs. Why would someone want to own NFTs when there can be a million bazillion copies of it, all across the internet till I finally saw a video which gave me some perspective. A Beeple selling for $69 million or Cryptopunk for $15 million can drive anyone to question. Right! What is it about them? What gives them value? Why are these selling at ridiculous prices? Think about it like this, Why does Mona Lisa or any other work of art have value? And, can it have a defined value? Art has value but not defined, for it can be worth anything based on who's paying. The value is decided by the people who choose to value it. You can have a thousand copies of Mona Lisa but not the real Mona Lisa. The value of NFT is also derived in same manner, that's why they are called Non-Fungible.   

It's no surprise that real world art pieces are being changed to NFTs, like Banksy's "Morons", which was burnt into an NFT. And that's exactly what Upland is doing to the real world. Of course, not burning but adding to it by creating a virtual world, a replica of the real one. For starters, Upland is a blockchain game, much like Monopoly (to get a bit of sense) which has found popularity for it mirrors the world cities & locations creating a 3D metaverse. Users can buy and sell properties with the game currency UPX which makes it an independent system responding to the laws of supply and demand as in the real world. I couldn't afford a property in San Francisco but have been collecting my daily UPX rewards. As I am writing this, I am outbound on a flight to Chicago to pick up a property. I should be landing in exactly 25 minutes and I might land my hands on some and become a landlord of sorts. Finally, the dry spell might come to an end. The game is quite simple and pretty easy to understand (considering it's on EOS blockchain) especially for those who come with little or no knowledge of blockchain. Virtual properties exist through NFTs on blockchain and your property is yours to keep, much safer than the real world properties out there. 

Expansion into new territories

Upland started with US cities San Francisco, New York, Fresno expanding into Chicago and Cleveland and has its eyes set on the world. Like any business or technology and Upland in this case, progression and mass adoption is always a goal. Taking a look at the ambitious roadmap, it has goals of being a bit of everything, part game, part metaverse, part digital community, and yet still more than the sum of its parts. Upland intends to bring every bit of the real world into the virtual metaverse including cars, aircraft, art, cafes, dealerships and a whole lot of other things. All in all, the experience will be as close as possible to the real world. Perhaps, breathing oxygen will also be a commodity at some point (pun intended). 

My take

As cities become crowded and over populated, people want to get out from concrete jungles into the wilderness, where they can breathe and not choke, where the senses can refresh and life feels more lively. The cars, ships and aircraft carrying you to these exotic and peaceful destinations, for getaways or for longer stays.

Wouldn't you dream of owning a holiday home or a property where it's more about life than grind. Achieving that would mean being an explorer going in search of newer pastures, territories and lands. To save Miles the trouble of stepping into Columbus's shoes which would otherwise need a whole lot of time, a big ship, crew and eventually getting lost, I think this one is much easier. We become the explorers and help Miles for a change. So, I have got my ship and crew ready, explorer boots on, and my compass, pointing eastwards.

Far eastwards lies a magical place, where the lakes change the colour and the gardens soothe the soul, ice cold water springs from the bosom of the mountain peaks, and the breeze fills you up. And guess what, they call it Paradise, for real we do.

And we sail out for Kashmir Touchdown

"Oh, let the sun beat down upon my face

With stars to fill my dreams"

Neither Robert Plant nor Jimmy Page ever traveled to Kashmir, in fact, the track was written thousands of miles away while driving through the Saharan desert of South Morocco. And yet, It defines my world where we still remember the prophets, where we still talk to the good old wise, and where the stars still fill our dreams.

Once our ship docked at one of the Indian coasts, we realised we had time traveled just like Led Zepellin's Kashmir to be where we had to be (check out the lyrics of the track). The year is 2021 and I decided to get rid of the sailor hat and don my pilot uniform. We flew over the Pir Panjal range, which is to the south west of Kashmir valley with the far off ranges of Karakoram and Zanskar (of the mighty Himalayas) in sight.

Source - Google Sat Image

Kashmir needs no proem for its beauty, love and the life. I was born and raised in this city which ended up being my lamppost and it taught me well. It gave me the life and spirit.

Waking up to the snow clad mountains in winter and lush green peaks in summer, the heart filling breeze in spring and the colour changing leaves in autumn. Skiing in the winters in Gulmarg and rafting in Lidder in summers, drives along the boulevard shore of Dal lake with the houseboat lights lit like stars. The leaves of the majestic Chinar trees changing colours with each season, from green to blood red to mauve and amber before the dying yellow. The ice cold water from the springs of Cheshma Shahi, Verinag and Sheeshnag and the sunset by the Wular, Dal and Manasbal lakes. Home to the multitude communities and religions from Buddhism, Sikhism, Hindusim and Islam, all blended into oneness. The world famous Wazwaan, Kaftans, Carpets, Saffron all deeply embedded in lives through culture and traditions. It is only natural for the natives to take utmost pride in being and accepting of who they are. Do talk to us and hear our stories, that's all they ask.

Considering how Kashmir looks different in every season, we had to use the time travel portal to navigate and experience it all, for I didn't want Miles to miss any of my favourite spots.

My favourite spots

Jhelum River - Source: Link

Jhelum river is the bloodline that powers the soul of Kashmir through its Lidder and Sindh tributaries. Even though it fuels the entire valley, it's not the rivers that stand out but the lakes.

Dal Lake - Source: Link

Dal Lake - Source: Link

Sunset by the Dal - Source: Link

Kashmir is said to have been one big lake in the past. I don't really know if that's true but won't be surprising given the number of lakes in Kashmir. And the most popular lake amongst them all is the world famous Dal Lake. It is also called Jewel of Kashmir, or the Lake of Flowers which is the second largest lake and a major tourist attraction. I remember coming to Dal lake every Tuesday and Wednesday for regattas when I was in school. We would start rowing our boats from our boat-shed located at Dal GATE all the way to the Char Chinar.

Char Chinar is a small park in the middle of Dal lake which has four mighty Chinar trees. It was here where I experienced my first love, for the sunsets.

Hazratbal Shrine - Source: Link

On the banks of the other end of the lake lies the Hazratbal shrine. It is a highly revered holy shrine, built in the typical minaret style consisting of a single dome and a single minaret. For me, it's the view that is unparalleled with the sight of Dal lake, Koh-e-Maraan and Pir Panjal range all captured within one single frame. Koh-e-Maraan is a hill which stands out in the land of the mountains overlooking the city. It houses a fort on top which was built not too long ago back in 1800s.

Koh-e-Maraan - Source: Link

Dal lake is the heart of city which is linked to every other tourist attraction. My favourite road in Kashmir is the boulevard of the Dal lake which runs for almost 10 miles encompassed by Mughal era gardens, parks, hotels, golf courses right at the foothills of Zabarwan range. Imagine sipping your salt tea (called non chaai), if you have the taste buds for it, or the coffee with some barbecued meat in one of the apple orchards lined by the side of the boulevard.

Tulip Garden - Source: Link

Mughal Garden - Source: Link

Kashmir is incomplete without its gardens, whether it's the famous Tulip garden or rest of other Mughal gardens.

Tulip garden is the largest in Asia, right at the foothills of Zabarwan range overlooking the Dal lake with more than 60 varieties of Tulips and open to the public only during the spring months.

From a long list of other sprawling gardens, the famous Mughal gardens always take the limelight. These were built by Mughal emperors and the two famous ones are the Shalimar and the Nishat gardens. Laid out in the form of cascading terraces, home to thousands of flower species, one can spend hours underneath the shade of the mighty Chinar trees while looking at the Dal lake staring into a beautiful sunset.

Pari Mahal - Source: Link

Pari Mahal or the Palace of Fairies is a seven-terraced garden nestled within the Zabarwan range overlooking the city and the Dal lake. It was also built by the Mughals as a library and a residence. It was later used as an observatory to study astrology and astronomy. I would always go looking for the fairies as a kid only to come back disappointed wondering where all the fairies disappeared. Simpler times then.

Royal Springs Golf Course - Source: Link

Right below Pari Mahal at the foothills of Zabarwan is the Royal Springs Golf course. It is one of the scenic and breathtakingly stunning spots. It also houses cottages for tourists to stay.

Wazwaan - Source: Link

Kashmir is incomplete without its vast variety of the Wazwaan cuisine and the freshly baked bread. Salman Rushdie, in his book, Shalimar the clown, described it to be a banquet of 36 to 60 dishes, my guess a lot more. It is a gastronomical experience prepared by the culinary expertise of the professional cooks, called the Wazas. Wazwaan is an art and an intrinsic part of any celebration in Kashmir. Most of the dishes are meat based, and some of the most well known are RoganJosh, tender lamb cooked with Kashmiri spices and Tabak Maaz, ribs of lamb simmered in yogurt till tender and then fried.

Old City - Source: Link

From the confines of old city to ever expanding suburbs, from top of Shankaracharya temple to the steps of the Hazratbal shrine, from Khanqah-e-Moula to Pari Mahal, there are but a thousand landmarks missed. Kashmir is built on a culture of thousands of years boasting of satirical folk and dance, sufiana music and poetry, roots deeply embedded in diversity and cohesion. Kashmir is a world famous tourist destination, one popular before the sands of time. It can very well be a reset button for those who want to connect back to life; it can fill you with a new found spirit. It is not just a place but an experience larger than life, nothing short of solitude and peace. Every part of Kashmir, every bit of it speaks to you in ways. 

Why Upland and what would I like to Own

Any tourist destination is worth every penny as far as investment goes and more so for Kashmir. It would only make sense for Upland to showcase a city which can add so much beauty and value to it, imagine your address to be on Paradise boulevard or the Mount K2 foothills( I haven't even touched the nearby meadows of Gulmarg, Pahalgam or Sonamarg).

Houseboat - Source: Link

As exciting as the sound of a lake facing property, an address within the lake as one of the floating houses would sound even better. Owning one of the houseboats in the middle of the lake with Lotus and colourful flowers growing all around is nothing short of owning a 5 star property, and these are one of the most preserved parts of our heritage. Made from the finest cedar wood with a sun deck on top, intricate wood carvings inside, world famous Kashmiri carpets to rest your feet on, the aroma and taste of saffron infused Kashmiri Kehwa refreshing your senses and getting lost in the beauty of the landscape ahead and around you, these houseboats are becoming scarce with time. And anything which is scarce, you know it, is expensive. 

If I had to choose an address, it would be be that besides my own house. Home is where the heart is. For the rest of it, whole Kashmir feels like a home and every place is beautiful and magical. 

Backfie - At 17000 ft. with Llama

And I have managed to get myself a property in Chicago. Do visit if you around, applies to both.