Kashmir

Right up on the northern tip of Indian border lies a magical place. Kashmir: paradise land of lotus flower lakes, floating gardens, gaily canopied houseboats, many bridged crystal rivers and flower strewn pastures all encircled by the Himalayas. Himalayas, again. Right! I got somehow sort of tropical fatigue down the Bengal, but now I got back up here in the Himalayas. Kashmir it’s a place so interesting in India also for the fact that is not very Indian, I could say! It’s very Central Asian. Almost everybody knows about the frictions going on between India and Pakistan over Kashmir region and the borders lines. This erupted in the past into 3 wars, last time in ’99, and still the military presence can be overwhelming.

Mughal emperor Jehangir exclaimed ones: “If there is paradise on earth then it is here, it is here, it is here in Kashmir”. The land is fertile and of a striking beauty. In the Kashmir Valley one finds an epitome of all the earth’s beauties. Towns of Kashmir are mountain-crowned, lake-garlanded and flowers, carpets of flowers everywhere. I saw the most flowers in my life over here. Holland region has them also, but there is so organized; here in Kashmir is wild beauty. It can be easily one of the world’s most scenic spots. There is something of the charm of the Alps, and of Loch Lomond. Srinagar is the capital of Indian Kashmir, and it was founded in the 3^rd century B.C. by the Emperor Ashoka. It stands on Dal Lake and the Jhelum River overlooked by the green Pir Panjal range. Immense gardens full of color -roses, jasmine, lilies, snapdragons, lavender, pansies, and poppies. Symmetrical rows of cypresses, cherry trees and chinnars, beyond always being the white austerities of the Himalayas.

There is the feeling of central Asia. The Aryan features of the Kashmiris, you drink Kahwa (green tea with cardamom) here, and the black tea is spiced with salt instead of sugar. Kashmiris are very good merchants, their way of dealing reminds me of Middle East. Too bad that after ’89 the tourism is downwards and everybody is trying to sell you something. My afghan style beard helped, even that some kids running after me screaming: Al Qaeda! Or Bin Laden! For them it’s something positive somehow. Not strangely, the Barber shops have Pakistani Cricket players’ posters on the wall. But Bollywood is Bollywood: and Big B and Shah Rukh Khan are everywhere also here.

Like almost everybody, I chose to stay on a house boat for the experience. I wanted to try all possibilities and in few days to try also the cheap options (around 6-10$/day) and also some posh house boat (from 60$/day). I found a family with a calm houseboat, away from the traffic. Good place, even which the owner was very pushy. But I can handle that. Being the high season for the Indians, the pricey boats were crowded. I visited few and did not like them. Kitschy, but in a bad way. Not that kind of funky kitsch which is cool. I stayed at the cheap one. Being behind the main channels, I could enjoy it. Calm, and lotus everywhere. Getting up at 5am, rowing the canoe around with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan on my earphones, was unforgettable. Oh, and I bought a Kashmiri jumper. Red, of course.