Dal Lake

Dal Lake was for us the high point of Srinagar. The houseboat was pricey and totally dilapidated (when we turned on the water in the sink, it ran straight out onto our feet) but the setting was worth it. No horns, no motors, even. Just the calls of boaters, eagles, the splash of a diving kingfisher -- oh, and merchants pulling up alongside your boat to sell you saffron.



A shikara: rather like a gondola, only without the opera


Houseboats all seem to have funny names, all in English, many creatively spelled


Aloha...


The front porch of Houseboat Denver


Fishing for very small but very plentiful fish


Among the lotuses: people eat the nuts and roots and feed the leaves to cattle






The floating gardens, which seemed hugely productive -- all kinds of vegetables and flowers grew there -- and a couple of gardeners


One of the many kingfishers -- and many, many birds -- on the lake


No need to leave the lake to do your shopping for souvenirs -- just pull your shikara up to the steps here and take a look... no need to buy, just take a look...


Sunset over the Mughal fort