This morning , all our HC members took a domestic flight (Rs4,000=Rm360) from Indira Ganhi Airport to Srinagar, the summer capital of Kashmir. We were in three groups arriving in different time of the day as some of our members had bought their air tickets from their home countries , others bought the tickets after their arrival in new Delhi. Don (USA) and myself flew on the same flight (11.00am) and we arrived in Srinagar at around 12.30pm. The last group arrived at 1.30pm.
As our plane was descending, I had a glimpse of the western Himalayas range and the view was stunning. Srinagar is about 1,730m above sea level and has a population of 1.0mil people. On arrival, I could feel the thin air surrounding the place and for some, the symptoms of acute mountain sickness (AMS) could strike at anytime ! It took a few hours for me to acclimatize !
The HC members of the Himalaya team were : 1) K M Cheng - Malaysia 2) Don - USA 3) Caesar - New Delhi 4) Jaggi - New Delhi 5) Antonia - Spain 6) Janna - Germany 7) Jukka - Finland 8) Valerious - Italy. Siren of Vietnam was not able to join our team as she had chosen to travel on her own initially but would try to join us later.
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| A local home cooked dinner on the house boat |
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| Our members taking a rest near the Dal Lake |
Due to the political conflict between India and Pakistan, the airport and the road leading to the Srinagar town was heavily guarded and stationed with soldiers so indeed there was a security risk and tension in this particular region. I prayed hard that no stray bullets and suicide bombers "greeting" us during our nine day stay in Kashmir and Ladakh. At the airport, seven of us shared a jeep ( Rs70=Rm6.30 per person) to take us to the Srinagar town.
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| Taking a joy ride on a shikaras - local taxi boat |
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| The EU members from Spain, Finland & Italy |
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| Oh - I love the boat ride on Dal lake |
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| The Asian version of the Venice of the East |
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| A row of houseboats on Dal lake |
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| The jetty linking the Dal Lake to the Srinagar town |
Antonio who flew in earlier had booked a houseboat in Dal lake so for the next two nights, this was our group's acommondation in Srinagar - typical Kashmir style ! Each member paid Rs300=Rm27 per night for the lodging and in addition, we paid Rs250=Rm22.50 each for a breakfast ( roti, jam & honey, Kasmir tea & coffee) and dinner (home cooked meal comprising rice, chicken or mutton and vegetables) at the houseboat. The cost also inclusive of the shikaras (gondola-like taxi boats) rides from our houseboat to the shore and return. A very good deal for all of us ! This deluxe houseboat ( called Jamaica) had a lounge, two bed rooms , kitchens and toilets.
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| This houseboat is big and spacious |
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| Calm & peaceful |
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| This was the houseboat where we stayed overnight |
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| abundance of lotus plants in Dal Lake |
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| Lotus plants & weeds - very green & pleasing to look at |
The front was a verandas leaning out over the water where our group liked to laze around and enjoyed our afternoon with Kashmir tea - it had a strong aroma and tasted great ! Most of our members (except me) smoked so the verandas was a great resting place for us to chat and admire the cool air & surrounding environment. There were abundance of lotus plants near our houseboat making the place very green and serene ! After our check in, our group took a shikara ride around the Dal lake and had an evening stroll at the boulevard, the town centre, lined with lots of souvenir shops.
"Dal lake, Shikaras rides , Kashmir tea, lotus plants - what a great place to enjoy our summer vacation before our ascend to the Himalayas range"
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