Am interested in visiting Srinagar, and staying on the Dal lake. Does anyone have any suggestions regarding accomodations? Any other tips, suggestions, etc. for visitors to this region?
Thanks,
Jack Hatley
Houston, Texas

Welcome to Slow Travel, Jack!

I've done some quick site searches on possible previous discussions on both Srinagar and Kashmir words, and nothing came up. But I do not give up: many of our members are widely travelled and something may still come up .

It was 1978 when I stayed on a Houseboat in Srinagar.

I understand that the current troubles had stopped most tourism and the boats had sunk from lack of maintenance, but an internet search indicates a vibrant industry.

E.g This Kashmir site.

John, my information and houseboat experience is even more ancient--1971! I am a bit surprised to hear the industry is thriving but have had no news since our stay there.

Great memories of shikari (sp?) boat rides, flower boat vendors, and a rather posh camping trip arranged by our houseboat "host."

Hi Jack,

I, too, stayed on a house boat on Dal Lake. Found the accommodations when the owner boarded the bus I was on (coming from Ladakh) looking for guests. This was in 1994.

I haven't heard in a while the status on the ground of the skirmishes among Pakistan/India/Kashmir over the independence of Kashmir, but that situation created many vacancies. Pretty disconcerting to see tanks and armed Army personnel on the streets. But it was safe as long as we didn't go out beyond curfew, which I did once but still made it back in one piece.

Pashmina shawls and saffron were great buys then. The best saffron in the world comes from Kashmir I was told.

The owner of the houseboat I stayed on took me in a row boat around Dal Lake. I had never seen lotuses growing in the wild. Oh my heavens, the glorious smell of a just-picked flower!

I was told that many Kashmiris - and Indians too - don't believe that Jesus died on the cross. They claim that he made his way to India and actually died in Srinagar. He was allegedly known as Isa.

I visited the site of his alleged burial place even though I didn't know about this. It wasn't anything much to look at, but something to think about visiting if you like this sort of thing.

Hope you have a wonderful trip!

Cubbies,
I have similar memories, and also there was grewat wood carving that we were tempted with.

We also bought cut stones at a good price (so I am told - personally, I have little interest in jewels), for making into jewelry later.

One of our party unwisely believed the advice of the houseboat owner and drank water from the tap on the houseboat. The tap water was unfiltered from the lake into which the houseboats' sewage was dumped. He was delirious for the bus trip back down to the Ganges plain.

We were there in December, and warm clothes were required. When travelling about by the small shikari boats we were provided with a wooden basket containing an earthenware pot of glowing charcoal to put under our shawls and keep us warm.

I like Kashmiri food and enjoyed what was provided on the houseboat. I don't think we ate anywhere else.

The people I talked to said they did not want to be Indian or Pakistani, just Kashmiri.

gopika,

I am no expert, but I think that some Muslims (and Kashmiris are mostly Muslim) believe that Jesus did not die on the cross, and someone e.g. Judas may have been substituted for him. There are references to this in the Quran but there are different schools of thought over its interpretation.