Back on the Manora Houseboat on Dal Lake, we inhaled a beer, bathed and chatted during dinner with Charlotte and Frances, crewel carpet buyers who come to Kashmir twice a year to consult with manufacturers and stock up to sell their wares in Europe. They gave us important pointers on what shops to visit and [...]
“Travel Tips & Advice on Kashmir”
Shopping in Srinigar, Kashmir, India
December 19th, 2009 
Sheila Simkin 
Posted in India, Kashmir 
Tags: adventure, culture, destination, events, food, hotels, important sights, india, Kashmir, log, nature, sightseeing, Srinagar, touring, transportation, travel 
4 Comments »
It Took Ingenuity to Get Back to Srinagar from Pahalgam
December 18th, 2009 Sheila Simkin Another gorgeous morning with ample sunshine, no clouds and bright. Broke camp…View image… and headed downhill for 2-1/2 hours before reaching the trailhead in Pahalgram where a taxi was supposed to pick us up. We sat around and waited. Took final photos of our wonderful group who worked so hard and took such good care of [...]
Posted in India, Kashmir Tags: adventure, culture, destination, events, food, hotels, important sights, india, Kashmir, log, nature, Pahalgram, sightseeing, Srinagar, touring, transportation, travel, trekking No Comments »
Slogging Through The Mud back to Aru from Lidderwat, Kashmir
December 17th, 2009 Sheila Simkin Woke up to sunshine, a little too late for us in the ball game! Had eggs and chapatis for breakfast and packed up. Talked to the couple traveling with their 5-year daughter all over India. They hiked quite a distance up past Lidderwat yesterday but then had to come down because a bridge was washed [...]
Posted in India, Kashmir Tags: adventure, Aru, culture, destination, events, food, hotels, important sights, india, Kashmir, Lidderwat, log, nature, Pahalgram, sightseeing, Srinagar, touring, transportation, travel, trekking No Comments »
A Miserable Day in Lidderwat, Himalayas of Kashmir, India
December 16th, 2009 Sheila Simkin Another depressing and unseasonably monsoonal day. With that, we told Sula that we give up. Let’s head all the way back to Phalgram and we’ll just find a hotel there because we’re not going to sleep out Aru on wet ground again. Instead, Sula negotiated with the owner and we paid 30 rupees to move [...]
Posted in India, Kashmir Tags: adventure, Aru, culture, destination, events, food, hotels, important sights, india, Kashmir, Lidderwat, log, nature, sightseeing, touring, transportation, travel, trekking No Comments »
Trekking from Aru to Lidderwat, Kashmir, India
December 15th, 2009 Sheila Simkin It rained all night and was still raining when we woke up. Cook made breakfast and Sula decided to wait until 10:00 a.m. to see if the rain would stop. Out of luck on that, the crew broke camp…View image…and we set off to slog three miserable and very muddy hours to Lidderwat. The first [...]
Posted in India, Kashmir Tags: adventure, Aru, culture, destination, events, food, hotels, important sights, india, Kashmir, Lidderwat, log, nature, Pahalgram, sightseeing, touring, transportation, travel, trekking 1 Comment »
Trekking From Pahalgram to Aru in The Kashmir Valley of India
December 14th, 2009 Sheila Simkin We set out for Aru, only a 9km/6mile walk. The day was cool and raining off and on but not terribly uncomfortable. It was not supposed to rain. India has very definite monsoonal flows and October is supposed to be one of the best months for trekking. Don’t you just hate it when there are [...]
Posted in India, Kashmir Tags: adventure, Aru, culture, destination, events, food, hotels, important sights, india, Kashmir, log, nature, Pahalgram, sightseeing, Srinagar, touring, transportation, travel, trekking No Comments »
Kashmir Treks Usually Begin in Pahalgam, India
December 13th, 2009 Sheila Simkin This was the itinerary for the “boilerplate” and moderate 5 day/4 night trek in Kashmir: Day 1 – Drive to Pahalgam and trek to Aru, altitude 9,270′ and camp. Day 2 – Trek to Lidderwat, at 10,000′ through Alpine forest and camp. Day 3 – Trek to Sekiwas, a gradual climb up to 11,286′. Day [...]
Posted in India, Kashmir Tags: adventure, culture, Dal Lake, destination, events, food, hotels, important sights, india, Kashmir, log, nature, Pahalgam, sightseeing, Srinagar, touring, transportation, travel, trekking No Comments »
Floating and Sightseeing on Dal Lake in Kashmir – Srinagar, India
December 12th, 2009 Sheila Simkin Other than sightseeing on land, we had an early morning shikara ride around Dal Lake, comprised of series of lakes, all leading into each other. The houseboat and local communities have lived for centuries on Dal Lake and some have probably never stepped foot on land. We poled along through quiet, tranquil bayous with willow [...]
Posted in India, Kashmir Tags: adventure, culture, Dal Lake, destination, events, food, hotels, important sights, india, Kashmir, log, nature, sightseeing, Srinagar, touring, transportation, travel 1 Comment »
Visit the Kashmiri Moghul Gardens in Srinagar, India
December 11th, 2009 Sheila Simkin I would think that every tourist visits at least one of the three Mughal Gardens located in the vicinity of Srinagar center. Your choices are: Nishat Bagh (Garden of Gladness) a long ride away; Cheshma Shahi, 9 km/6 miles from Srinigar center, or Shalimar Garden (also called Shalimar Bagh) around 15 km/9.3 miles away. Our [...]
Posted in India, Kashmir Tags: adventure, culture, Dal Lake, destination, events, food, hotels, important sights, india, Kashmir, log, nature, sightseeing, Srinagar, touring, transportation, travel 1 Comment »
Staying on The Manora Houseboat, Lake Dal – Srinagar, Kashmir
December 10th, 2009 Sheila Simkin It is only a short 75-minute flight from Delhi to Srinagar. Now: Three very nice airlines, Spicejet, Kingfisher Air and Jet Airways fly here. Then: We had to fly junky Indian Airlines with a terrible safety record. Picked up at the airport and transfered to the shore of Dal Lake where our dedicated Manora Houseboat [...]
Posted in India, Kashmir Tags: accommodation, adventure, culture, Dal Lake, destination, events, food, hotels, house boats, important sights, india, Kashmir, log, nature, sightseeing, Srinagar, touring, transportation, travel 1 Comment »
