131
KASHMIR HOLIDAY
CLIVE ROBINSON, M.B.E.*
From Delhi to Srinagar by road is about 570 miles and it takes all of two days hard driving to get there. About twice as long, in fact, as the journey by air from Hong Kong. Indeed, for those who fly to Europe on leave and pass through Delhi on the way, the extra flying time to get to Kashmir is only about four and a half hours. And provided a few simple arrangements are made beforehand Kashmir is still one of the most rewarding places in the world for a holiday.
Though there are good hotels in Srinagar it is more fun to hire one's own house-boat and have it taken, before arrival, to one of the lakes such as Nagin or Dal that lie close to the town. Fringed with the stately chenar trees and with the high peaks of the Himalayas in the distance all of them are equally perfect in their setting.
House-boats vary in size according to the number of people who want to live in them. A small one will consist of an entrance verandah with steps leading from the water, a dining and sitting-room and two bedrooms and bathrooms. Aft of the house-boat and connected by a narrow plank lies the cook-boat where the owner and his staff live and where all the meals are prepared.
The owner, by the way, is a kind of major-domo well practiced in the art of looking after visitors and who, from long experience, knows all the answers. These Kashmiri boat owners vie with each other in the comforts they provide and nowhere in the world, I imagine, is one likely to find such luxury. With Persian carpets on the floors; gaily upholstered sofas and easy chairs; desks, tables and sideboards all made from the highly-polished local woods and silver candlesticks in the dining-room; it is hard to imagine one is in a floating home high up in the Himalayas.
Outside the living-rooms a narrow passage leads along one side of the boat to the bedrooms and a staircase to the roof and flower garden. Here, in the company of countless little Indian kingfishers, one usually breakfasts and sits out before dinner to watch the evening sun setting over the Himalayas.
*The author is Deputy Representative of the British Council in Hong Kong,
131
KASHMIR HOLIDAY
CLIVE ROBINSON, M.B.E.*
From Delhi to Srinagar by road is about 570 miles and it takes all of two days hard driving to get there. About twice as long, in fact, as the journey by air from Hong Kong. Indeed, for those who fly to Europe on leave and pass through Delhi on the way, the extra flying time to get to Kashmir is only about four and a half hours. And provided a few simple arrangements are made beforehand Kashmir is still one of the most rewarding places in the world for a holiday.
Though there are good hotels in Srinagar it is more fun to hire one's own house-boat and have it taken, before arrival, to one of the lakes such as Nagin or Dal that lie close to the town. Fringed with the stately chenar trees and with the high peaks of the Himalayas in the distance all of them are equally perfect in their setting.
House-boats vary in size according to the number of people who want to live in them. A small one will consist of an entrance verandah with steps leading from the water, a dining and sitting- room and two bedrooms and bathrooms. Aft of the house-boat and connected by a narrow plank lies the cook-boat where the owner and his staff live and where all the meals are prepared.
The owner, by the way, is a kind of major-domo well practiced in the art of looking after visitors and who, from long experience, knows all the answers. These Kashmiri boat owners vie with each other in the comforts they provide and nowhere in the world, I imagine, is one likely to find such luxury. With Persian carpets on the floors; gaily upholstered sofas and easy chairs; desks, tables and sideboards all made from the highly-polished local woods and silver candlesticks in the dining-room; it is hard to imagine one is in a floating home high up in the Himalayas.
Outside the living-rooms a narrow passage leads along one side of the boat to the bedrooms and a staircase to the roof and flower garden. Here, in the company of countless little Indian kingfishers, one usually breakfasts and sits out before dinner to watch the evening sun setting over the Himalayas.
*The author is Deputy Representative of the British Council in Hong Kong,
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