Srinagar part 1

Sorry, i know its been over a week, so lets see how much i can write in 30mins. I have so much to say about the place!

It is a surprisingly big city, especially having passed nothing but villages for the previous 250km drive. Indeed, the lake, the centerpiece of the town, seems to be being swallowed up! (its not, the development ON the lake has been there for many years- the houseboats and floating gardens (reclaimed land used for farming)

Found a guesthouse to stay in, while i debated the pros and cons of staying in a houseboat. While they are one of the main draws of Srinagar, they are very much tourist traps, and having seen a few, didn't seem worth the money - why pay 1000rs for a floating version of my 200rs room)

I climbed the main - only - hill in the middle of the city (it is surrounded by snow capped mountains though, reminding me somewhat of Ljubljana in Slovenia) where there is a very old Hindu temple. Given the nature of the violence in the city - a massive muslim majority meant it was aimed at Hindus and Sikhs (with vicious police/army responses) means that there is a LARGE army presence at the shrine. In fact, given its location, it is the main communication base. Which means no photos, which is a shame, as the shrine was old enough to be of interest - made of unpainted and roughly cut stone, rather than the bland white buildings of most modern ones. I did have a lovely conversation with one of the para-military police officers though. She had been a call-center worker in a previous life, and had genuinely good English, in fact she was often sent to high level meetings to act as interpreter for her bosses. It was interesting to hear about the policing situation from her side, as everything else i heard was from the locals - (houseboat owners happy that the violence was over as tourists were coming back, others less happy with the political situation, and while not condoning violence, then at least sharing some of the anger).

Hardly any foreigners here though, due mainly to the fear of trouble - most western governments tell citizens not to come (including England- sshhhh), but there has been nothing big for 2 years, and while the police/army presence is very heavy, it doesn't feel like a dangerous place. That being said, I followed the advice of the locals and stayed away from the Old Town on friday- It is heavily muslim, and the scene of many of the problems. So i went for a walk around the lake instead, or at least tried to, but it was hot and sunny and only got halfway round (thankfully there is a pathway in them middle). Saw one of the old Mughal gardens- not much remains from that period of Indian history - and it will be very beautiful next year once they have finished the renovations. At the moment though, it looks like a building site, not helped by the fact that 2 of the ancient trees blew down in the storms that had hit the area a few weeks ago. My walk took me back through the 'floating gardens', an area which apparently gets no tourists, given the reaction by the locals to my presence. The kids came running from 100metres away to say hello and demand photos be taken, while adults all wanted me to stop and chat. It was very far away from the bustle of the other parts of town, and if i had been able to walk around in peace, i would have loved it. As it was though, being a celebrity was too tiring, and i headed back to my room rather quickly.

The faces here are an interesting mix of Pakistan, and central Asian - there are some blue eyes, freckles and ginger hair mixed into the olive skin and large noses. The language is Kashmiri, the writing is based on Sanskrit and there is nothing local that feels Indian- apart from the driving. If it wasn't for 95% of tourists here being Indian (and demanding Indian food and shops), it would really feel like a thousand miles away from India. Hindu is only spoken by those involved in the tourist trade, with English being the language of choice in talking to others - it has been rather nice not to have to practice my Hindi for a while.

The blossoms are out here - almond, cherry, apricot and walnut mainly - and it made me miss this season in Japan. But the lovely smells (combined with the fresher air) were hardly something to feel bad about!

I was convinced to stay in a houseboat, only by price (found something for cheaper than my guesthouse), and stayed two nights on the water. It was nice to be slightly further away from town, and was able to get a better look at the classic ones (built for the British, in classic Raj opulence) and they were lovely, but totally out of my price range. Took the opportunity to take two different boat rides out onto the lake - one in the evening, and again the next morning to see the floating vegetable market. The main thing i remember about the evening trip was some of the names of the houseboats. It is not clear if they were given by the original British owners, or newer owners with a grasp of literature/humour, but i think the 'Argonaut' was my favourite for literature, and 'Titanic' for humour. The experience did make me want to take a holiday on a houseboat in England - where they actually MOVE, and is something i will look at doing when i get back! The morning vegetable market was let down by the weather - bloody cold and windy - and the fact that the houseboat owner insisted we start while it was still dark, meaning I spent 30mins barely able to see what was going on and making photos impossible. However, it was very interesting to see something that has clearly been taking place, unchanged, for 100's of years. Both the farmers and the wholesalers paddle out into a corner of the lake and business takes place on the open water. The flowers sellers though, were there solely for the tourists (only 3 of us, so they were rather annoying).

Decided to head up into the mountains for a few days, and that will be the focus of the next update! (I am back in 'India' now, just to keep you up to date)

Going back to the police presence, i have seen some of them wearing cricket pads on their legs (painted khaki though), and just saw a group going past wearing motorbike helmets. While India is the largest importer of weapons in the world, it seems they still have a limited budget!

The train that will join Srinagar to India will certainly make the journey more comfortable - but i cant help thinking that for the locals, the negatives will outweigh the positives. It will allow many more Indians to visit here, especially those who cant currently afford the taxi/bus/plane and will no doubt see an influx of beggers seeking to take advantage of the current low numbers. I wonder if it will have a simular effect that the train had on Tibet, with a rapid increase in the 'Chineseing' of the area. It will also allow Indian (and chinese) products easier access to what is still a rather traditional commercial scene. There are still tailors on most street corners instead of clothing shops etc. Speaking of which, I had a suit and waistcoat made while I was here. The tailor was an interesting man, who had seemingly made clothing for just about every foreigner who has ever visited the city (he has kept all of the letters of recommendation and loves to show them off). While the postage costs eventually made the whole thing rather expensive, the experience was a novelty, and the clothing is all very well made of wool and silk.

Food wise, being a muslim town, there is meat everywhere, although seeing it hanging up by the side of the road has meant i have kept to my veg diet! The focus on real bread though, is a welcome change, and reminds me of the hot fresh bread we had in Kazakhstan. Certainly makes a great way to start the day - hot bread and local honey.

The old town is, suitably, still full of old brick and wooden buildings that lend it a charm lacking in much of India these days. And the local mosque designs are really rather unique. Made from wood, and with towers looking more like rural Russian churches than anything Islamic, they were something that was not covered in my Islamic Architecture course, and were a pleasant surprise. At the sufi tomb of Maqdoom, the Persian who brought Islam to the area, I met a local who had many complaints against the 'Indian occupation', and indeed his was the first voice of dissent I had heard- the houseboat and guesthouse owners welcomed the presence of the soldiers. He listed the beatings/detentions and rapes apparently committed, sounding more like an occupying force than they would seem. He was certainly a passionate individual and the conversation was interesting.

Found a great local bakery that makes the most amazing walnut and honey slices - both local ingredients - and helped me realize that i MUST start baking when i get back, as i love eating all this stuff so much. Mum- shortbread and flapjacks will be regular again!