Srinagar
Jama Masjid
July 29, 2008
I was picked up at 6:30am for my trip to Kashmir. I met my first travelers at the
airport, a couple from Ireland, who got the same trip as I signed up for.
On the plane I met two local Kashmiri girls who told me what sights to see and told
me that the people in Kashmir are Muslims, not ethnic Indians, and identify more
with being Kashmiri or Mughal rather than Indian or Pakistani.
The airport in Srinagar, Kashmir seemed rudimentary and I was surprised that there
was a lack of mountains in Srinagar. I was welcomed by the Jammu and Kashmir tourism
bureau who gave me a registration form, and an evaluation to fill out and return
at the end of my trip in case I get ripped off by my hosts. It's tough getting
tourists to Kashmir, so they obviously want to take care of us.
I found my host outside the airport and we headed to his boat house. The traffic
was typical India: not because of volume but because the roads are so narrow and
there are animals everywhere in the streets. I found my place on Nagin Lake, an
extension of Dal Lake and the boat house was quite nice and roomy. I had a porch
on the lake, a dining room, living room, bedroom and bathroom. My most pleasant
surprise was that the toilet was a western toilet and given the fact that last night
I had diarrhea again, a nice toilet is all I wanted at that point.
After settling in, I headed into the city to see the old Mughal gardens and the
downtown markets. Our first stop was at a mosque where I was greeted by a local
who asked me if I was Muslim, after my negative response he then asked if I believe
in Islam. I wasn’t sure what response he wanted and his temperament seemed edgy
so I responded by saying "I believe in God." He kissed my forehead and
blessed me.
The mosque and the surrounding grounds were well guarded and I was frisked twice
before I could enter. The Mughal gardens were very nice, but there's little
reason to see more than one. We also went to a Hindu temple at the top of the hill,
where we had to remove our shoes. The black stone was incredibly hot and I wanted
to return nearly as soon as I had arrived only to get my shoes back on. None-the-less,
the temple was interesting and worth the trip.
Following the gardens and temple we headed into town itself and visited some of
the mosques. The largest mosque in the city has four sides to represent the "four
religions": Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Christianity. The mosque was beautiful
and enormous.
Walking the streets was interesting and shops were everywhere. There were a lot
of men peeing in the streets here, like men seem to do everywhere in India, but
here they seemed to at least try to hide it by squatting down while peeing.
We eventually made our way to a chicken shop. My host picked out a chicken; it was
weighed, then decapitated, skinned, washed, and thrown in a bag for dinner. Even
if my stomach was fine I’m not sure I would have been able to eat after that.
Once back at the house boat I found myself bombarded with floating salesmen. Men
go from houseboat to houseboat trying to sell anything and everything. The first
was selling jewelry and I bought two pairs of earrings for a few dollars. Then the
quality decreased drastically and quickly. There were hand-painted paper mache boxes,
shawls, and wood carvings. Most of the objects didn't interest me and I had
to say no at least 15-20 times before each would leave.
After an hour of ridding listening to salesmen, I found dinner ready. It was the
chicken I just saw butchered covered in salt and a milder sauce. My stomach couldn't
handle it too long.
Before heading to bed, my host informed me that there was a bombing in Jammu very
nearby and that someone was killed. His explanation was confusing however and I
get the impression it was basically just a protest that escalated and one protester
was killed; he passed it off as not a big deal.
Food stand
One of my hosts
Khanqah Shan-i-Hamadan
Khanqah Shan-i-Hamadan
July 30, 2008
I requested wazwan for dinner, a traditional Kashmiri dish that is typically only
served at weddings. It is usually 16 courses, however they are only going to make
the main four courses for me. The first is goat meat covered in oil and chili over
the grill; the toughest piece of meat I’ve ever had. Next was ground buffalo and
lamb kebabs, then sheep meatballs in milk and oil, and finally a mystery meat in
meatball form. The sheep was better than expected and the buffalo/lamb kebab was
fairly good.
After dinner the mother demanded I pay her 500 rupees for dinner, but I stood up
for myself and said I already paid for it (the price included breakfast and dinner
each day and I asked if wazwan was included and they said yes). She was not happy,
but agreed.
In the evening I learned much about arranged marriages. The daughter at the house
is “engaged” to a person she has never met. She told me that her mother “is my mother,
my father, and my friend. If she says he is a good husband, then I trust her.” The
odd thing is that her mother has never met him either; she’s only met his parents,
which is normal apparently. The two sets of parents get together and make sure everything
matches like religion, economic status, astrological sign, if you’re Hindu - caste,
and if you’re in Srinagar if the other family is a house boat family or not.
On the day of the marriage she will “make her last cup of tea for her brother,”
the husband’s family will collect their dowry and new daughter-in-law. She will
then move in with her husband’s family and learn how to be a wife to her new husband
by learning from her mother-in-law, who will teach her how to cook and clean in
the way her husband likes.
Her brother is also getting married the same weekend, probably for financial reasons.
He however has met his “wife,” because he requested a meeting and both parents agreed
given the fact that all the male cousins were present. The family has already started
collecting food for the wedding, but neither seems too excited to be getting married.
Soon after making it to bed I found myself up all night on the toilet; apparently
goat meat and sheep aren’t good on the stomach.
Wezwan
Housing
Jama Masjid
Kashmiri police look just like soldiers
July 31, 2008
I woke up this morning at 4:00am to catch a water taxi to the floating vegetable
market. This whole experience was one of the most incredible and surreal experiences
I've ever encountered. Farmers row out to the water’s openings with their small
row boats filled with vegetables or flowers as other men come to buy. The atmosphere
was eerily silent and colorful. There were no motor boats and the feeling was as
if I had been transported into another generation and in another world. The scales
were simple hand scales with a rock on one end and vegetables on the other. It was
mesmerizing and we stayed for a couple hours.
The trip home rowed through a lake filled with lotus flowers on each side, an old
Mughal castle to the southwest and the mountains rising out of the lake to the northeast.
When I returned to my house boat, reality came striking down. I was told to tip
everyone: the boat driver, the two cooks, my two guides, everyone it seemed. It
put a bitter taste in my mouth, I’m already paying these people so much money yet
they are very direct and pushy in demanding tips. To me that’s only motivation to
lower the tip, but none-the-less its disappointing when you pay them well, they
are kind, then they trap you in a corner and say “give me big tip!” I found it rude
and pushy, but I don't entirely understand this culture... the whole idea of
a tip as I know it is lost in India.
I made my way to the airport and had to go through security three times. It seems
like the attitude here is “more is better,” but really the security at each checkpoint
is a formality.
Floating gardens
Lotus flower
Srinagar floating vegetable market
Srinagar floating vegetable market
Srinagar floating vegetable market