has anyone recently been to Srinagar?

(Rossy!! where are you?)

I am thinking btw Leh and Srinagar. Leh is all quiet and peaceful and Buddhist but I have already been there. What is Srinagar like in early March?

thanks

Volga

Srinagar in early March will be nice and cold. It will be pretty deserted as well.

Check on the current political situation before venturing there.

Why don't you visit Chamba, Bharmour, Khajjiar and Dalhousie instead?

Hi SHIMLA!!

But Srinagar is heaven on earth! why would I want to be anywhere else?

rgds

Volga

any recommendations? the Hotel Listings section is rather empty for J&K...

boat houses? if possible, with names/tel numbers/emails, I would like to book before I land there.

thanks!!

Volga

Hi volga !

Himachal is the "Abode of the Gods" !!

Now decide whether you want to go to heaven or to the Gods' abode !!!

rgds,
SHIMLA

abode of the Gods/Himachal Pradesh airports are not included in the Jet Airways North region promo fare :-))))))))

Gods will have to wait for me a little while longer

volga,

The houseboat owners will be falling over themselves to offer their houseboats to you !! Where is the need to book before hand??

Just for your information, The Housboats Owners Association opp. the tourist reception centre on Residency Road will do the booking. Tel: 0194-2450326.

Houseboats are divided into five categories: Deluxe, "A","B","C" and "D".

Above information courtesy LP's "India", 10th edition.

thanks SHIMLA, I don't own a single LP and am therefore asking these questions. I am looking forward to see people falling over themselves... but I thought if someone stayed and liked the boat and the owner that would give me some good leads.

I don't even know how a houseboat is supposed to look like.

Please check this link :

http://www.indiantravelportal.com/ja...use-boats.html

oh my goodness why do i have so little time left in india??? do you know how much it is to buy a houseboat over there? (am thinking of retiring already)

another Srinagar question, is there an ATM in Srinagar or I should bring cash?

A House-Boat in Srinagar will cost you at least Rs 4,000,000 & the super luxury ones go for Rs.10,000,000 plus. Even Indians from outside Kashmir cannot buy property in Kashmir. If you pay anyone, say bye-bye to your money.

Before dreaming of settling down in Srinagar, let the political situation stabilize. Leh is safe to settle down, as it is relatively far from the border. Also, you as an outsider, cant buy property in Leh. Talking of Leh......

Leh makes me nostalgic. The tchhadar trek over the frozen Zanskar river ia a "must" for trekkers, but one week isn't enough.

Visit Tso Moriri on the Tibet Border (inner line permit can be obtained in half a day by paying Rs. 100 to some "hangers around" the District Magistrate's office).( + the official fee) The Lake has a lot of migratory birds, & the skies will be very clear this time'o'd'year. Of course, there are many Buddhist monasteries & you may have been to them already. In summer you could do "The Buddhist Circuit" i.e. visit the famous monasteries of Spiti AND Leh in "one" round. Later you can go to your favorite one again, to only stay & meditate.

then I will build my own boat over there :-)

Happy Birthday, AvidTrekker!!

Volga....

Thank You, Dhanyavaad, Gracias, Danke, Shukran.... now Russian I dont know. You tell me. You ARE observant.

Cant wait to see your boat. Btw, where, if at all; ARE you going this Saturday........

I am now reduced to chasing peppermint bushes every alternate day since you managed somehow to elicit a "tea" thread reply from me. The man has promised me at least two bunches on Thu/Fri/Sat whichever day it comes. Am cooking myself this Sat/Sun (I do it once a year) I can cook ONLY two things... Peppermint tea & Rajma with Maa ki Daal. The few invitees are jumping up & down like your pink elephant.

Elephant is my first choice (of animals) & pink is the colour I have developed as a first love. Deep Pink is the colour of Divine Love, which emanates from the Heart Chakra. Say.... something like the corners of the above Elephant, somewhat.. a shade darker.

Some rare dark pink roses are exactly that colour, and; so'm'I lead to believe; they originate from Russia.

a nice simple phrase from a long and complicated explanation of Vedas in a book I am reading... seems to me that the only thing that i retained is that phrase

spasibo is russian for thank you. that is in case you get to meet a russian who presents you with a dark pink rose

my mind is firmly set (for the moment) on going to Srinagar, with may be a short stop-over in Rajastan since on my ticket i can fly anywhere in the North with unlimited number of flights. but i haven't bought the ticket yet, only booked

btw i opened my kashmiri tea that i bought in a grocery store. it is light colour (sort of darjeeling) with whole seeds of cardamon not bad considering I RAN OUT OF PEPPERMINT TEA

and no tea shop in sight

jokes apart, i still haven't got this question answered: are there ATMs in Srinagar or I should take loads of Rs with me?