Srinagar is a small, mountainside village in Kashmir.  Its main business was tourism until issues between India and Pakistan caused the number of visitors to drop off dramatically.  For nearly nine years, according to locals, the number of tourists is down nearly ninety percent.

It is a beautiful destination at the foot of a mountain range which eventually become the Himilayas.  Local activities include, trekking, fishing, water trekking and virtually anything outdoors and environmentally responsible.

My abode here is a house boat with a roof-top outdoor terrace (shaded by canvas during the day, open to the sky at night).  I take tea and meals here, day and night.  In fact, my first night here coincided with the full moon so I enjoyed a candlelight dinner under wisps of clouds, thousands of stars and a beautiful full moon.

The family of Ahmed Karnai occupy the houseboat next door and are the staff that supports me on the Winston.  Meet them by clicking The Family Next Door.

July 9 through July 17

Click on photo to enlarge it.

The Winston Houseboat ARRIVINGATHOUSEBOAT.JPG (29385 bytes)
on Nagin Lake straight ahead.		 AFTERNOONTEAUPTOP.JPG (25912 bytes)
Afternoon mint tea on the shaded upper deck
NEIGHBORBOATSANDTRAFFIC.JPG (33721 bytes)  BOATDETAIL.JPG (33323 bytes)  SUNSETOVERLAKE.JPG (30162 bytes)
Neighboring boats and a little river traffic
DINNERBYCANDLELIGHT.JPG (10385 bytes)
Dinner by candlelight on the upper deck		 MOONTHRUROOFLATTICE.JPG (12855 bytes)
Full moon framed by upper deck lattice work.
Library and work station WORKSTATIONANDBOOKCASE.JPG (30034 bytes) WORKANDWRITINGTABLE.JPG (24608 bytes)Work and writing table
At every stop on the journey, the first area of my accommodations to be set up was my computer work area and a space for writing.
FLOWERBOAT.JPG (39205 bytes)
Bulbul, piloting his flower market shikara, appeared at my houseboat during the second morning of my stay and every second day, thereafter.		 Bashir.jpg (40156 bytes) Bashir, the consummate and constant salesman.  His firm specializes in water and mountain treks.
PILGRIMSBYBOAT.JPG (48900 bytes)
Boats by the hundreds,
people by the tens of thousands celebrate a Muslim holiday at Hazrat Bal mosque.		 HEAVENLYSPRAY.JPG (39421 bytes)
Water spray from Dal lake provides cooling comfort from the blazing sun and adds a festive visual touch, too.
DISPLAYOFLOCK.JPG (27526 bytes)
A hair of Prophet Mohammed, one of the holiest Muslim relics, is displayed to the faithful at Hazrat Bal mosque.		 PILGRIMSBYBUS.JPG (14088 bytes)
A bus packed to overflowing speeds a retreat from the gathering.
LAKEMOUNTAINSKY.JPG (11967 bytes)
Hari Parbat rising above the Dal lake

Please send your thoughts and suggestions to me at PMCWorld98@aol.com.