Visit to Kashmir in October 2006 |
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This page has a seven minute slideshow of 106 photos of my visit to the historic Vale of Kashmir in October 2006. Kashmir is partitioned between India, Pakistan and China. Srinagar, where I visited, is in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is predominately Muslim with a desire for independence. The highly visible Indian army presence has limited terrorist-inspired killings. Tourists, like me, who are unafraid will be rewarded with an exceptional travel experience. The slide show has seven sections: arrival in paradise; floating hotels & salesmen; the magnificent gardens built by the Moguls; boat trip among the homes; the fort, cemetery and mosque; the market; and the Indian army presence. The architecture is unusual and the floating hotels, which typically have a dozen rooms -- with hand carved walls and ceiling, are unique. Many people live on the water. There are even floating fields among the houses. The security at the airport in Srinagar is extremely tight. You and your luggage are checked before you can even enter the airport grounds. There are dozens of sandbagged machine gun emplacements and special security vehicles on city streets. It is tricky to photograph the extensive military presence. See if you can spot the soldiers in each of the last 8 photos. The slideshow (9.8Mb) takes about a minute to load. When the background changes to black it is ready to play,
click on the small arrow on the bottom left side of the slideshow to start. If desired, click to pause or resume. |
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