Into Srinagar

 17th October 2022

Was told this morning at Sonmarg that the weather was breaking.

Now, sitting in my tshirt, I can see the clouds over the eastern horizon.

Left Sonmarg at an easy 0830.

Comfortable drive. Had less than 80 kilometers to do.

It started off well enough. Great road. Good curves. Lovely wooded mountains.

Then came the villages. And, with it traffic.

Then 30 kilometers from Srinagar, came a small town called Ganderbal.

Traffic slowed down to 2nd gear.

As I entered Srinagar and got close to the Dal Lake, got stopped by the JK Police.

Had anyways been noticing the overt presence of the CRPF for a while.

It was a random check. The officer who came to talk to me was very interested in my travels. Suppose he used that to figure out that a search of my vehicle was not really necessary.

Turned off the main road to the one leading to the houseboats. Traffic was choked.

There are about a 1000 houseboats here. And, people come for the shikara ride.

Guests are picked up from designated Ghats.

Parking is midway, so had to leave vehicle and walk with luggage. 

Got to Ghat Number 9, which was the marked one for Chicago Houseboats.

Was guided to a shikara and the houseboat.

It has a common living room, dining room and a neat bedroom with an attached bathroom.

Had no plans for the day, so sat out in the run and then the shade. Much warmer here than Sonmarg.

 That is the lake over the day. First filled with the boats. Then empty in the afternoon. Now it is full again.

They sell everything you can want to buy. Even drape women in local clothes and jewelry to tempt the sale.

The picture in the middle is of a guy selling barbeque stuff.

Just had a boat come up and try and sell me beer. Laughed at his efforts.

Will try and get a shot of the lake with the evening lights. Post it tomorrow.