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sprecher Srinagar - A travel report by viktor
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Srinagar,  India - flag India -  Jammu and Kashm¿r
3459 readers

sprecher's travel reports

Houseboat Howrah, Dal lake, Srinagar

  19 votes
Enjoy Kashmir, stay on a houseboat. having stayed on houseboat Howrah in August 2004 (my third time since 1994) I can strongly recommend the place. The friendly Billoo family take perfect care of their guests, even picking you up from the airport.


typical houseboat on Dal Lake, Srinagar, Kashmir
typical houseboat on Dal Lake, Srinagar, Kashmir
Hi, Houseboat Howrah has 4 spacious rooms with western style bathrooms, bathtubs, electricity and good comfortable beds. Telephone, Hifi, DVD, TV are also available. The Billoo family accepts traveller cheques, have a bank account and the nearest bank also has a money machine for getting cash with your cards. Ali Billoo and his sons speaks very good english and have more than 20 years of experience in organizing trecking and fishing tours in Kashmir and Ladakh for groups and individuals. The Sonamarg and Pahalgam glaciers are breathtaking – a must go. You can go trecking by horse and fish for big trouts in the Himalayan. The political situation in 2004 is quite stable and Srinagar is far away from the unstable border region to Pakistan. I felt safe at all times. Kashmiris are open minded and friendly, representing the spiritual Sufi branch of Islam. They are strict muslims but very tolerant to other religions (you´ll find also churches, Sikh- and Hindu-temples in Srinagar). Kashmiri people will not hassle you on the streets, woman can even travel on their own. I made this little website in order to help my friends Ali Billoo and his family and also because the official tourist board never answered my emails, faxes and did not even answer the phone. The best time to travel is summer. My personal advice: check out the hairdresser, tailor, and printer (for visiting cards). Kind regards from Berlin, Germany Viktor Pavel Ali´s adress: Ali Billoo Houseboat Howrah Dal Lake, opposite Welcome Hotel Srinagar, Kashmir, India. Phone: 0091 194 2478710 (Please check out the time difference before calling) billoohilalahmed@yah-oo.com (checked only sporadically, better call)

Favourite spots:
Trekking at glaciers like Pahalgam is a very beautiful experience. I visited some temples in Srinagar and was warmly welcomed by the Hindu Community.

What's really great:
Warmth and hospitality of the Kashmiri people is astounding. They are very open minded, helpfull and speak good english!

Sights:
If you want to have a look at the houseboat "Howrah" (i stayed there for the 6th time in 2006) and other places in Srinagar and on Dal Lake check out "The Kashmir files" on youtube. These are film i made with a friend (Rolf) when we were invited to a traditional Kashmiri wedding.

Accommodations:
Houseboat Howrah in Dal Lake, opposite Welcome Hotel

Restaurants:
Try the freshly made sweets at street markets

Other recommendations:
Moghul gardens are nice. Explore the city by Shikara (boat). They´re cheap.

Published on Tuesday October 11th, 2005


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Fri, Oct 14 2005 - 05:40 AM rating by subdha

Very nice report,It is very dangerous to travel due to Mulsim terrorist there ,how do you manage??

Wed, Oct 12 2005 - 05:56 PM rating by miguelmarchi

nice pic

Tue, Oct 11 2005 - 04:09 PM rating by jorgesanchez

Helpful, but short and only one picture.

Tue, Oct 11 2005 - 02:49 PM rating by gegeone

Such a report should help westerners to better understand so far remote people and to kill any prejudice against them.
I do hope your friends have not been hit by the quake.

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