Jan 4

Jan 4th.

I've made it to kashmir and am safely on a houseboat in the famous city of srinigar. I was looking for something different and I found it in Kashmir. THis place, is so different from the rest of india. in fact I understand why they call themselves kasmiri and not indian or pakistani. The people are different, the land is different, the entire vibe of this place is different. I was beginning to get bored of the tourist India I'd seen up to now, thinking I had had enough of forts and temples and I hesitated about coming here for fear it would be too cold and not knowing what it would be like with no other tourists around since it's dead season here. But it was worth it. Yes, I got overcharged, and I will try to remedy that tomorrow by calling up the agent who booked this place and getting a better rate for tomorrow, and if not I'll find another hotel in town, in essence, one night on a houseboat is enough, though I wouldn't mind a second or maybe even third.

The ride here was long, really long. Woke up at 5:29, one minute before my alarm because of a dream I can't remember. Was eerie to wake up and find I had beat my alarm to it. Got ready and waited to be picked up. That in and of itself was an experience. When they came to pick me up in the middle of the main street they didn't say a word, so I wasn't even sure it was the right people or just someone who figured i was going that way and wanted to play himself off as my ride. Even after showing the card and asking if it was truly my ride I didn't feel confident, but my agent showed up and by 7 or so, we were off. The road starts off completely uphill, then down into a valley, then the mountains begin to show up in the distance and next thing you know, assuming you're awake enough to notice it, your winding your way around the edge of the great himalayas. It's no Tibet but it's grandiose nonetheless. I was getting excited. Only one thing could ruin my kashmiri experience now and that would be the house boat. 8 hours later, I arrived and saw my boat, a decripit little structure among many other decripit little structures, but it was on the water's edge, and I had payed for it, and really, on a second look, it wasn't all that bad. THey said I'd have power, they'd arrange for hot water, my meals were included, fuck it, it's already payed. I put my bags down and went to join the agent's family in their home which is just a few feet away.

It's fucking cold and I was worried about that and how I'd manage if the boat were indeed a rip off. But, for the most part, I was awestruck by the differences, the changes in temperature, in environment, the snow capped himalayas, the change in architecture, the meandering river now pretty much dried up in the name of progress and hydroelectric power. It just all seemed like a real adventure, a road less travelled at a time when no one was even considering it and that made it all the more special. Everyone speaks to me in kashmiri first, thinking i'm one of them and that too has it's charm, tho not all look amused when I say I don't understand in english that probably sounds way to american to them to be anything but. But given some time, as in the shared jeep I took to get here, they warm up. I was in the jeep with 6 other people to begin with and the number fluctuated constantly, dropping one off, picking one up, etc. But the permanent travellers, most either from Kashmir or Jammu seemed cool enough, even offering me some barfi which is an indian sweet which surprisingly was quite good. So, all of this, being amongst real kashmiris for 8 hours, being surrounded by the music blaring occassionally on the jeep radio, the conversations between a bunch of strangers which I could not understand a word of, the strangely efficient maniacal driving along 2lane roads that rarely had barriers to keep us from falling a thousand feet down, made it an enjoyable ride.

Seeing the houseboat wasn't all that comforting, but it's what came next that made me feel like I really had made the right decision, even if it cost me a pretty penny in indian terms. My "guide", in fact the man who works for the agent's family, seemed like a nice guy, and his english was good enough that i felt I could ask some questions and I did. He brought me into the home of the family that owned the boat (agent's family). I couldn't quite figure out his relationship to them but when I got there, there was only a young kid, 12 or 13, he wasn't sure of his age, and an older women, I would say late 30s maybe, tho age is hard to figure out around here. I never quite got her name, and I can't remember his, but the kid's name is bilal, which means blue eyes. THey sat me down, gave me a Kavawa tea, the typical kashmiri tea which is quite good, sweet and hot, and they put a faron on me, a typical kashmiri top, which everyone wears here, women as much as men. It's an oversized shirt, too wide, too long, all around too big. Didn't quite get why everyone i had seen up to then was wearing one. I chalked it up to ridiculous tradition, though I could tell that very often, people had their arms not in the sleeves but inside the shirt, to keep them warm. Well, he began to explain it for me. It's oversized so people can easily slip it on or off, can quickly pull their arms in and out of the sleeve when needed, and when sitting so it can be pulled to cover the entire lower body. Cool huh? But wait, there's more. It's made of wool, pretty thick and well, the one i had on was kinda scratchy but I assume the better quality ones aren't. To add to the warmth factor and all around efficiency and flexibility of it, they place what's called a winter wife, which is essentially a clay pot in a pot holder made of twine with a sturdy handle on the top which allows you to carry it easily from one place to another and apparently they carry them everywhere. But, inside the clay pot, is lit charcoal. The clay keeps it from getting too hot and the twine pot holder makes it portable. The idea is, you sit place it on your lap or by your feet and then cover it and your body with the now necessary oversized faron. Such little genuis can be found all over the world, but I had never seen or heard of this. It was a great treat. This is how they keep warm in their homes, in their shakkaras, even just sitting by the road or the lake. I was in my own way, enthralled. There's no heating here, and it can get down to -10 on a cold night, but between this and their sleeping tactics, they deal with it quite well.

To sleep, and there's no furniture in their homes to sit on, just a few cushions they lay against the wall, and wall to wall, uh, rugging, as it's not really a carpet either but a collection of rugs. Well, first off, I know why Kashmiri rugs are famous, it's because they have to be good and they are needed to shield the feet and body from the otherwise cold floors. People sleep on the floor and in the winter that must be a rough thing but with numerous blankets and hot water bottles and even occasional winter wives, they apparently are quite warm. I have to admit it works. I'm currently typing this from my deathly cold room. In fact, as I type I can see my breath in here, but I'm warm. I have 2 hot water bottles under me, my sleeping bag, my blanket and 2 or 3 of their blankets on top of me. Well, I'm also wearing my warm flanel pj pants and about three layers on top and 2 pair of socks just in case, cause for sure the water bottles won't last all night. Anyway, let's move away from the clever heating solutions.

So, shortly after i was seated and given tea and appropriate clothing, a couple walks in. Well I thought they were a couple but it was the cousin or brother of the agent and the daughter of the woman who lives in this home. They were both quite nice, though the young woman didn't really say hi, but did smile. She too thought I was kashmiri. She was cute, in fact, I have to say of all the women I've seen in India, not on tv, she's the most attractive one I've seen. Young, I later found out around 15 or 16, as she doesn't know her age either. The visiting brother sat for a while, had some tea, we talked, his english was pretty good too, and then left. Then, another woman stepped in, the mother of bilal and the young woman I just spoke of, who's name escapes me now but will come back to me. Nice woman, doesn't speak a word of english though her 2 children managed a few here and there. We all talked, it was nice. A little while later a third child, daughter, name of Lilu, but nicknkamed Adi, walked in and said hi, thinking i was also a kashmiri and not recognizing me as being a new guest of the family's. She was also very attractive. In fact, all three kids were really attractive. It was a bit shocking as I didn't really think I've ever really meet any locals who were attractive, not that it matters, but give me a break, you know what I mean. It's just strange to be in a country and see so few attractive people. Haha. Alright, so, we're all sitting there, talking about a whole bunch of things and the three of us, particularly the 2 girls and I, were having a good time, asking each other questions, me trying to understand the culture and language, them asking about my background, country of origin, work or school sits, typical but genuine and nice and they smiled which was a nice change. Then, they left and just the guide and I had dinner together on the floor, eating with our hands. It was really cool. I found out how to shovel food in my mouth; you use your thumb to slide it in. Ha. THe little things. It was a shanti, peaceful and entertaining experience, real, local, completely outside of the tourist experiences I had had up to now.

Anyway, it's late now (10:45, it's dead quiet out there, dead cold in here, and for the first time since being in India, completely peaceful. Maybe I'll write more. I'm not sure whether I'm tired or not, though i got only 4 hours last night, but I'm gonna throw on a movie and have a couple drinks and a smoke and hopefully fall asleep before the water bottles lose their niceness.