Eternally hopeful: A trip to Kashmir

Good morning.
My senses are so completely overwhelmed that I need to consciously pause before writing.
First, Kashmir is one of the safest places I have been to. Yes, there are trouble spots, and it would be wise, if you are going the first time, to go with a group and with a seasoned tour operator. And yes, there is visible evidence of the J &K police and the CRPF; but there are not even half as many of them, as we have in Mumbai.
Second, Kashmir is GREEN! There are trees th...ere that I have only seen and heard of, back in school, in my Geography text book. The tree of the state is the Chinar tree and it has leaves like the maple. They grow to a massive size, chiefly because cutting it is considered a crime in the State. Some of them have trunks so large that they could easily straddle the breadth of any large road we have here. The leaves turn brick-and-rust red in autumn, and drop in winter. Then you have the willow, the weeping willow, the walnut, the cherry, the almond, the deodar (cedar) and the pine. There are wild flowers that bend with their own weight, like the laburnum, but each individual flower looks like an orchid. They scent the air and intoxicate any one who passes by. The pine has such a heady fragrance that I felt inebriated and reeling with it.
Third, the State has some of the best human beings I have ever seen. They are warm, friendly, full of life and laughter, and with every word they utter, they tell you, do come back. Come back when the apples are ripe on the tree, they say, in August and September. Come back in March, when winter sports are at their height. Come back any time; but come back.
Fourth, and I am not being flippant here; almost every one I saw is so drop-dead good looking, they would give ALL our supposed Bollywood heroes and heroines a serious run for their money. Sharp features, blue/green/brown/grey/ hazelnut-coloured eyes, and a complexion both fair and lovely, despite being in the sun all day. The sun only manages to colour their cheeks an apple red.
Fifth, the number of schools for girls that I saw during my short sojourn there left me amazed. And if you are out in the city during the time that it is recess in school, the area is full of girls, wearing the hijab, with so much mischief in their eyes, that I was reminded of some of my girls in the Arts classes.
Sixth, for those of you who have been to places like Austria and Switzerland, or who have seen or read the book 'Heidi' by Johanna Spyri, do you remember the cottages that are described in the book/ seen in the place? Well, you will find identical wood-and-stone structures here, tucked away among the trees, laughingly peeping at you from behind a Chinar branch or from among the leaf-needles and cones of a pine tree.
And there is more. But I