India: Exploring Dal Lake in Srinagar, Kashmir

At the heart of Srinagar, Kashmir's capital, is Dal Lake, which many call the jewel in the crown of Kashmir. Srinagar was built around it. And today, it's bustling with life with its floating communities and many houseboats with the tourism economy they create.

Hiring a shikara (traditional boat) and exploring Dal Lake should be in your bucketlist when visiting Srinagar. It's best to do it in the morning or late in the afternoon. The lake is quite big so you won't be able to explore all of it. Our shikara ride took us around the vicinity of our houseboat.

It's quite interesting observing the daily life in Dal Lake as locals make their way around on their boats, going about their business, meeting with friends or selling souvenirs to tourists. Yes, some persistent merchants pursue tourist boats and try to sell you everything under the sun from flowers, seeds and spices (such as saffron) to shawls, clothing and jewelry.

There are also shops which sell necessities such as a medicine, food (dried fruits and nuts are quite popular here) and things you'd see in a regular market. And of course, there are also shops for tourists.

You'll see families with children on their way to school on the mainland or locals boating to the port to proceed to work.

But it's just not people which make life on Dal Lake interesting. There are many species of birds and other wildlife and interesting flora.

A visit to Kashmir would not be complete without noticing military and police presence. It may be scary at first. But you realize they keep the area stable and safe. I actually felt secure while I was in Kashmir, seeing them all over the place.

After our shikara ride, we were off to the airport to catch our Jet Airways flight back to Delhi. Goodbye Kashmir! It was a pleasant and interesting visit indeed!

Jet Airways flies daily to Srinagar!
Jet Airways has twice daily flights from Delhi (DEL) to Srinagar (SXR). Jet Airways also connects to Delhi from Manila via Bangkok, Singapore or Hong Kong at least twice daily!

India: Houseboat accommodation in Dal Lake, Srinagar, Kashmir

We've all experienced different kinds of accommodation from luxury resorts and hotels to inns and hostels. They're all available in Srinagar in Kashmir, India as well. But if you want a more authentic experience in Srinagar, you have to stay at a houseboat.

Previous entry: Jamia Masjid & the Nishat Bagh Mughal garden in Srinagar, Kashmir

Houseboats are part of the history and cultural landscape of Srinagar. There are hundreds of them, moored by the shores of Dal Lake and Nigeen Lake. Some historical accounts say these houseboats date back to English colonial rule in India since foreigners were not allowed to own land in Kashmir. And therefore they circumvented this rule by building floating houses on the lakes of Srinagar.

And just like hotels, the quality also varies from budget to the luxurious. I had no idea what to expect.

Our van parked at a small dock on one side of Dal Lake where shikaras (traditional boats) were waiting to take us and our luggage to the houseboats where we would be checking-in. We slowly made our way through the floating community complete with shops, specialty stores and services. The front of most of the houseboats had intricately-carved designs.

The shikara docked beside a cluster of houseboats which I would later learn belonged to a single family. This allows them to welcome large groups, since a houseboat usually has four rooms each.

I was floored when I entered our houseboat. The living room was a showcase of Kashmiri carpets and embroidery, with large chandeliers and massive wooden furniture. Beside it is a dining room where you are served your meals, usually part of the package since you can't find your own food here unless you hire a shikara and explore the lake.

A carpeted hallway connects the four rooms, each with fabulous Kashmiri carpets, intricately-carved wooden beds, cabinets, wall details and ceilings, colorful embroidered curtains and linens (another Kashmiri tradition), chandeliers, and a bathroom with amenities one would expect from a hotel. No air-conditioning, but the cool weather and fans will ensure you sleep in complete comfort.

We were served a sumptuous Kashmiri dinner shortly after we arrived.

And since it's difficult to shop without a shikara, the vendors usually visit the houseboats at night, with large bags containing really good quality cashmere shawls, pashmina and silk scarves, leather clothing and accessories, and Kashmiri gems and jewelry among many others.

In the morning, you can catch the sunrise and watch locals begin their day as they move about in their boats. I'll talk about the vibrant floating community of Dal Lake in another post. The houseboat experience was definitely a pleasant surprise!

P.S. Each houseboat has a name, they can be anything under the sun from local names and foreign cities or countries to imitations and spoofs. Yes, they've got the Holiday Inn, the Kashmir Hilton, and even H.B. Manila and New Manila!

Jet Airways flies daily to Srinagar!
Jet Airways has twice daily flights from Delhi (DEL) to Srinagar (SXR). Jet Airways also connects to Delhi from Manila via Bangkok, Singapore or Hong Kong at least twice daily!

India: Jamia Masjid & the Nishat Bagh Mughal garden in Srinagar, Kashmir

Srinagar, a city of ancient Mughal gardens, picturesque lakes and floating villages, is the capital of Kashmir, India. After enjoying the cool weather and majestic mountain views of Gulmarg, we made our way back to Srinagar to experience the city.

Previous entry: Picturesque views in Gulmarg, Kashmir

We went straight to the Jamia Masjid, the grand mosque of Kashmir in its old city built by Sultan Sikandar Shah Kashmiri and completed in 1402AD. The mosque was destroyed several times by fire. And the current one, inspired by Indo-Saracenic architecture, is a quadrangle with a charming courtyard garden and four minarets with pyramidal roofs.

From the courtyard, you can see the old Durrani Fort built on top of Hari Parbat Hill. We drove close to the fort as me made our way around Dal Lake. There were interesting mosques at the foot of the hill which I wish we had time to explore.

Just looking outside the van window kept us busy as we observed interesting facets of local life in Srinagar.

Our next stop was Nishat Bagh, a terraced Mughal garden built in 1633AD. We visited just at the right time as the late afternoon sun highlighted the vibrant colors of this ancient garden. Behind the garden are the Zabarwan Mountains.

Many locals visit the garden to relax and enjoy the beautiful flora. It's not uncommon to see groups seated together in colorful dresses.

Before proceeding to the house boats on Dal Lake where we were to stay for the next two nights, we had tea while watching the sunset at Vivanta by Taj, a charming resort build on top of a hill with grand views of Dal Lake and the communities around it.

Jet Airways flies daily to Srinagar!
Jet Airways has twice daily flights from Delhi (DEL) to Srinagar (SXR). Jet Airways also connects to Delhi from Manila via Bangkok, Singapore or Hong Kong at least twice daily!

Kashmir: From Srinagar to Gulmarg

Kashmir is often called Heaven on Earth. Indeed, the four days we spent in Kashmir was Heaven owing to its pleasant weather, spectacular scenery and colorful heritage and culture.

Day 1 in Kashmir, India: Just as soon as we arrived in Dehli, we were again at the Indira Gandhi International Airport to catch our Jet Airways flight to Srinagar in Kashmir. It was a short local flight but we were still served savory sandwiches (vegetarian or spicy chicken) on board. As soon as we arrived in Srinagar Airport, we drove to Gulmarg, a hill station and resort town two hours from Srinagar.

A mosque in Tangmarg

Gulmarg, which literally means Meadow of Flowers, is a popular skiing destination during winter. On the way, we saw one charming mountain village after another. Our late lunch stop (by now we were really hungry since the Philippines is ahead by 2 hours and 30 minutes) was at Tangmarg, one hour in between Srinagar and Gulmarg.

While waiting for our meal to be served, I walked around town and saw a quaint mosque (mosque architecture is very different in Kashmir) and a village down the valley.

Seekh Kebab

Gushtaba

Our lunch was a bevy of Kashmiri dishes which included Seekh Kebab (minced meat grilled on skewers in a tandoor) and Gushtaba (minced mutton balls in tangy yogurt gravy). It took us another hour to reach Gulmarg. But not before enjoying the picturesque views along the way!

At Strawberry Valley, locals play a game of cricket, a popular sport in India

As soon as we arrived in Gulmarg, we checked-in at the luxurious Khyber Himalayan Spa and Resort which is not even a year old! Too bad we only stayed there for a night. After dropping our stuff, we explored Gulmarg, particularly a place called Strawberry Valley, which is quite popular with hikers.

Locals picnic by the roadside in Gulmarg

Gulmarg is a favorite family getaway for locals in India. So you'd often see groups picnicking by the roadside or enjoying the children's park by the lake. Pony rides are also popular in Gulmarg. But we decided to do the activity in Sonamarg where the views are even more spectacular. Before sunset, we dropped by the downtown area. More on Gulmarg in my next post. Photos on my India trip here.

Jet Airways flies daily to Srinagar!
Jet Airways has twice daily flights from Delhi (DEL) to Srinagar (SXR). Jet Airways also connects to Delhi from Manila via Bangkok, Singapore or Hong Kong at least twice daily!