"View from our balcony on the Young Rajah, even a small boat like this was like a floating palace.
Srinagar was very much a tourist area not just for the westeners, but also for other Indians, as it was soon to become very clear to us by the many hotels and house boats on the nearby Dal Lake, and we had no trouble finding a man to take us to see his houseboat. After some hard bargaining over the price we decided to stay for a few days.
It was lovely staying on the boat called Young Rajah and I spent two enjoyable and restful days sitting on the little balcony in front of our room, where I could watch and paint the view of the waterway leading to the lake, with its water taxis and many traders selling everything from fruit and household goods to naughty postcards.
It was still quite hot and nearly at the end of the dry season with the lake level low and beginning to smell, as most of the power in the area comes from hydro - that was also low and at the peak time of around 7pm the lights got so dim you could see the red element.
On our last day in Srinagar we rented a Shikara for a lazy afternoon being punted round the lake. A beautiful trip so quiet and still, its mirror reflections of the other boats and mountains behind only broken by the odd clump of lovely lotus plants. The lake lived well up to its good reputation, the trip was only marred by a big haggle at the end over the price" - MH