Kashmir

Kashmir is the most beautiful place on earth I have decided. Dal lake, the largest lake in India is peppered with 1200 houseboats, where you can lounge and let the little Shikaras (boats) come to you with every conceivable convenience. They bring you fresh flowers, jewelery, chips, cigarettes, bottled water, carved wood, saffron, and even ice cream, straight to your doorstep, or rather, dock.

You can cruise the canals of the lake, surrounded by reeds, water lillies, and a canopy of trees and pass by women in multicolored beautiful saris washing their clothes or little kids laughing and jumping into the lake.

Merchants offer to bring you for free to their workshop, where you can see how they make 100% silk rugs in true Persian style or carve beautiful wood wardrobes and tables and lamps. You see, Kashmir is not really India. That's what all the rock-throwing and civil unrest is all about, and why India dumped thousands of army into Srinagar and the surrounding area. It's 98% muslim, and at all hours you can hear the call to worship echoing across the placid waters 'Allahu akbar' straight to your floating paradise telling you it's time to touch your forehead to the carpet again. Kashmiri is more like Arabic than Hindi, and the people, especially the young ones are very adamant about separating from India. Some want to be part of Pakistan, most want a separate Kashmir.

It's nice really. We didnt want to move...and really, we didnt have to. Meals cooked in the shack behind the houseboat were delivered right to us. We bargained the shit out of our room and board, nearly 25% the normal price. But since the unrest, not so many tourists come, so we could.

Mustafa, the man in charge of the boat was wonderfully accommodating, and helped us out with everything from fresh fry dal and aloo parantha to real 100% Kashmiri saffron and opium honey. He ferried us across to land, where his buddy Kaka, who I called Dosda (friend in Kashmiri) took us around on his motorcycle.

In Kashmir they fry up huge pieces of bread and put this yellow, sweet, wheaty sugary paste inside for a tasty snack that is unbelievable...and unbelievable greasy, but then again it is still close to India, where food isn't food unless its got a litre of oil in it.

All in all, Kashmir was the most peaceful, tranquil, beautiful place I've ever been, and people were dying in the streets every night. It's unbelievable, but when I think about it, I can understand. It's certainly something worth fighting for.