Saturday 29 June - arriving in Srinigar the first thing that strikes you is that it is pretty much an armed camp. Starting in Mumbai before boarding we had a secondary security inspection immediately before boarding. The flight itself was uneventful other than Stuart expressing his displeasure at the sound of the DVD being played on the other side of the aisle. But hey that's the downside of taking the aisle seat !
The bags arrived and after completing another Foreigner's registration form off we headed out to meet the driver before heading to the houseboat our destination for the night !
But first we thought lunch at the Taj overlooking Dal Lake was called for. More security to get in but the buffet and the view were excellent.
Our houseboat turned out to be on Nageen Lake and after a short ride on a traditional Shikara we arrived at the boat. It was looking pristine but it turned out that was because it was just painted - so the fumes hung heavy in the air.
After sitting on the verandh watching the word go by we wondered if beer was available ? Seemingly it was and a ride across the lake was all that was needed. As a Shikira ride was included in the price all seemed set. As with many things in India there is a need to check the fine print and it turned out the Shikira was INR 400 for 1 hour and a can of beer INR 250. The real price of beer is about 80 so that seemed a bit steep and the alternative was an auto to the nearest bottle shop. So it was an abstemious night !
The bags arrived and after completing another Foreigner's registration form off we headed out to meet the driver before heading to the houseboat our destination for the night !
But first we thought lunch at the Taj overlooking Dal Lake was called for. More security to get in but the buffet and the view were excellent.
Our houseboat turned out to be on Nageen Lake and after a short ride on a traditional Shikara we arrived at the boat. It was looking pristine but it turned out that was because it was just painted - so the fumes hung heavy in the air.
After sitting on the verandh watching the word go by we wondered if beer was available ? Seemingly it was and a ride across the lake was all that was needed. As a Shikira ride was included in the price all seemed set. As with many things in India there is a need to check the fine print and it turned out the Shikira was INR 400 for 1 hour and a can of beer INR 250. The real price of beer is about 80 so that seemed a bit steep and the alternative was an auto to the nearest bottle shop. So it was an abstemious night !