snap shots

 Srinigar (& Dal Lake) is in a
valley surrounded by mountains on all sides.

These boats are being used as docks for tourists to swim or water ski, but they are also commonly  called in to service as party boats complete with Bollywood music, lights and dancing.  No alcohol, obviously. 

Most importantly, these boats are decked out and used to ferry the groom and his family and friends to the bride's house during the wedding ceremony.

 Simon, his dad, his grandmother and I took a shikara (a canoe-like boat) ride around the lake together.  Sometimes tourists do shikara trekking spending several days floating, sleeping and eating on the boat.  Simon will not be doing this any time soon.  The  2 hour ride we took was broken up by lunch with his cousin and it was almost too much for him.

Simon's cousin Parvina came to stay in the house one night.  this is her sending her daughter Cerri off too school Saturday morning.  They are walking from the house between Simon's dad's houseboat and one owned by  his aunt Selima's family to the edge of the water to take a shikara to the bus stop.

Simon and I are staying in a room on the right.

This is Horis excited that the barbeque man has been called to provide snacks for the family.  This vendor services houseboats along the lake, but  most of his business is from selling to tourists floating on other shikaras.

Geela always says you can sell anything from a shikara- flash drives, vegetables, flower seeds, toilet paper, post cards.  Simon will need to practice his paddling before he can realize his dream of a chocolate selling shikara.