Wonderful Kashmir!

Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2007--Delhi (Continued)

I spent the evening relaxing and waiting for my travels tomorrow. For dinner, I went to a nearby restaurant facing the New Delhi Station. It was small and rather dumpy looking, but the food I got was some of the best Indian food I have had in a long time. I had paneer tikka masala (paneer cheese in a spicy red sauce), fried dal (a thick, but liquid, serving of lentils), and paratha (the layered, soft flat bread from southern India--2 of them). I was stuffed afterwards, but I was so happy to enjoy such a good meal.

Thursday, Aug. 9, 2007--Delhi to Srinagar, Kashmir

I took an auto rickshaw (3-wheel vehicle with a motorcycle engine) to the airport rather than a taxi. It cost about 1/3 the cost of a taxi. Being one person, there was plenty of room for me and my luggage. But the traffic was horrible along the way. We spent about 12 cycles of a traffic light getting through one intersection! I had left early and had plenty of time, however, so I wasn't worried about the delays. The biggest problem was having to smell all the fumes. (During the evening as I slept my nasal passage became completely obstructed. It was probably due to those fumes.)

Lots of Hindu pilgrims passed us along the side of the road going to the airport. I say that they passed us, because they were actually walking faster than we were driving while waiting through several cycles for a couple of lights. They had been to a special shrine and were returning home. There is a set route for them with temples along the way for them to rest, wash, eat, etc. Many of them were hobbling as if they were totally exhausted, had heat rash, or were suffering in some other way.

At the airport, I tried to buy a sandwich as a snack, since I hadn't eaten breakfast. When I tried to pay with a 50 rupee note, the guy wouldn't take it because it was partially torn. I've had that happen before here in India. He didn't mind when I said I wouldn't be able to buy it then. He put it back in the case and I walked away. After going through security to the gate area, I saw another identical shop. There, I ordered the same sandwich and laid the same note down. The guy took it without even noticing the tear.

I flew on Air India (the new domestic/international airline made by combining Indian Airlines and Air India). The plane was OLD. Most airlines today fly many old jets, but they have had the insides refitted to look like new. This one was old inside, too, with torn upholstery, plastic that had discolored, etc. I remember reading that Indian Airlines and the Star Alliance were discussing their entry into the alliance, but it must not be in the planning anymore. I even asked a supervisor about it, and she knew nothing. If an Indian airline were in the alliance, I could do some internal flying in India as a part of my around-the-world ticket instead of having to buy an extra ticket as I did for this flight. Even though the flight was domestic, they did serve us a full hot meal. I was surprised to get that. I guess I didn't need that sandwich at the airport after all.

There were lots of hassles with my arrival here in Srinagar. First, there were touts in the terminal trying to get westerners to go with them to rent rooms on houseboats. Even the government employee taking information forms we had to complete upon arrival tried to force me to stop at the Houseboat Owners Association booth before leaving the arrivals hall. He let me skip it when I insisted I didn't want to talk to anyone about a houseboat. Second, I had bought a ticket inside the arrivals hall for the tourist bus to town (35 rupees vs. the 300-350 that a taxi costs). As I walked through the lots to try to find the bus, the taxi drivers tried to tell me that the bus had left and that the next one would come through the lot when it arrived. I happened to notice that a big white bus was parked some distance past us toward the entrance to the airport, so I walked there. Sure enough, it had the bus number and license plate number of the bus I had been told to take. The taxi drivers had just been trying to convince me to give up on the idea of taking the bus and to go with them. Third, houseboat owners came onto the bus to try to convince me to stay in their houseboats while the bus waited until its scheduled departure time (which, by the way, was an hour later than the man selling the bus ticket inside had said it would be). They just didn't want to take "no" for an answer. And they especially didn't like the idea of giving me their address and letting me come by on my own if I decided I was interested in one. They wanted to have me trapped with them--a situation that I guess has proven to be a successful sales tactic with most tourists.

The hassles continued with my arrival at the bus station downtown. A man there who owned houseboats wouldn't leave me alone. I had the names of a hotel and a guesthouse I had gotten from Kashmiri souvenir salesmen in Delhi who had been nice to me, so I was going to check out their places with the hotel being my first stop. Well, the houseboat owner wouldn't give up. Even as I walked my fast pace down the streets, he struggled and kept up, talking all the way about his houseboats, how nice they are and what a good price he would give me, how the hotel was in the old part of town where no one would want to stay, and how the tourists always prefer the houseboats because they are romantic. Anyway, when he saw I was serious, he continued walking with me and asked if I would look at his houseboats if I didn't like the hotel. I told him I wasn't planning to decide on the hotel until I saw the other places I was considering--that I always look at 2-3 places and then go back to the one I like best. He was saying hello to everyone along the way, so I could tell he was well-known in town. I agreed to see his houseboat as one of the places and then I would decide where to stay. He stopped at a restaurant while I went to the hotel another several blocks away. He just couldn't keep up the pace with me.

The hotel was locked and no one answered the door. It's really a rather slow time here in Kashmir, so they probably seldom have business. I glanced in a window to get an idea of what the rooms were like--okey but not so special. I then returned and picked up the man to see his houseboat. He paid for an auto rickshaw although I insisted I would be happy to walk. Well, the houseboat was nice with thick carpets, antique furniture, etc. But there is no boardwalk/pier connecting it or any of the other houseboats to the land. It is necessary to take a boat back and forth. I didn't want to be trapped like that. I like to come and go several times a day. I didn't want to pay to do that and I didn't want to wait for the boat and travel so slowly. He just couldn't understand. But he finally accepted it when I told him that the price wasn't the problem. I said, "It could be only 150 rupees per night (less than $4) and I wouldn't stay here. He took me back on the boat to the street telling everyone along the way that I didn't want to stay there because there was no way to walk away as if it was crazy to expect such a thing in terms of a houseboat. Finally, I was free and walked away on my own.

I was walking toward the hotel where I had been before when I saw a newer, nice looking place I thought might be appropriate. I went in and their rates were 1200 with breakfast and 1800 with three meals per day ($30 and $45). I told them that was beyond my budget and started to leave. They asked what my budget allowed. I explained that I normally spent between 250 and 400 rupees and that my highest amount was 600. They immediately told me they would discount the room to 600. I said I would have to see it first, because I didn't pay that much unless I was very pleased with the room. Well, it was nice. In fact, it was new with tub/shower, hot water, cable TV, big windows with views of the mountains, telephone, etc. I asked if it included breakfast and they balked. I told them I knew of other places I had planned to go and started to leave. They asked me to stop and argued among themselves briefly. Then they said I could have the room for 600 including breakfast. I lucked out. The web address is http://www.hotelshaneelresidency.org .

There are lots of military here. The airport was full of them. And they are located every few meters (yards) down the streets. Each is carrying an assault rifle. Although things have been calm for some time, they don't take a chance, I guess.

Wow, now that I am in a room and out in town, I am enjoying myself so much. It's beautiful here. There are lakes filled with houseboats, there are wonderful old brick and wooden buildings in the old parts of the city. The air is fresh, and the sun is bright. Best of all, the people are friendly. I wandered through parts of the old town taking photos of old buildings. One of the reasons I wanted to come here is that I read an article last year saying that 90% of the old buildings in Srinagar had disappeared over the last 10 years to be replaced by new structures. But there are still plenty of old buildings here, thankfully.

On the way back to my hotel, I met Juneed. He was standing outside a nearby building and said hello. He actually operates a hotel himself, a family business which he is taking over from his father. He showed me the rooms in his hotel and told me of the work he is doing to improve it. He introduced me to several of his friends who arrived to spend the evening with him. We talked almost an hour, I guess, and I took photos. Then he insisted that I return for a visit tomorrow to meet his father.

When I left, I went to a restaurant Juneed had recommended and ate. I had spinach with locally made paneer cheese and fresh chipatis (flat breads). It was good, but nothing like what I had in Delhi last night.

One strange thing I've noticed today, though, is that when people give directions they make everything seem closer than it is. They will say: "8 shops down" when the place is 20-25 shops down or "10-16 steps" when it is 2-3 blocks. Strange.

Friday, Aug. 10, 2007--Srinagar

I walked around Dal Lake today. It is a huge lake. The city end of it is filled with houseboats. All along the shore are small boats (shikaras) that are used to ferry people back and forth. On those, one sites back on cushions under a roof as the boatman paddles. I talked to one of the boatmen along the way. In the distance are views of the mountains with a closer one having a Hindu temple on top and another one an old fort. I also talked to a couple of the soldiers along the way. After about 2 hours of walking, I turned around and returned the same way.

At the far end of the lake are nice gardens built by the Moghul kings. I didn't go that far. I will take a bus to visit 1-2 of them on another day. I had to be careful today not to stay out too long, since the sun is bright and the sunlight was reflecting off the lake. Even though I wore sunscreen, I was afraid my nose might burn.

I stopped at Juneed's hotel and met his father. We visited for quite a while. I invited Juneed to go with me to eat Kashmiri food in the evening. Then I left to return to my hotel to rest.

Juneed took me to a restaurant that serves a small feast that is similar to what is served at Kashmiri weddings. We had kebab, roasted mutton, ground mutton ball, mutton rib, and a creamy ball (mutton again?). Each had it's own sauce (except for the kebab and the roasted mutton) to put over rice. We ate with our fingers mixing the sauce in the rice to eat with the meat. When I explained that my biggest problem with eating with my fingers was transferring the food from my fingers to my mouth, Juneed watched me and pointed out that I needed to hold my thumb in a different position; it is placed behind the food and used to push it from the fingers where it rests into the mouth. It made a world of difference in my success with eating that way. I had hoped to visit and ask questions about life here, but I got the impression that Juneed expected the evening to be over when we returned from the restaurant. So I returned to my hotel. But his father told me to come at 10:30 tomorrow morning and he will give me a tour of the old mosque and the old town area.