(Note: I wrote this while in Varanasi but couldn't post from there. I am now back in Mumbai. I will post about Varanasi tomorrow.)
Sorry for the long delay in postings. Srinagar and Varanasi have only Internet cafes for access and they tend to be slow. Quick update on things.
Srinagar is a beautiful place. Nestled in the Himalaya's around a huge lake called Dal Lake it's famous for it's houseboats. The British couldn't buy land so they built these. I stayed in one and it was gorgeous and confortable. Rhe scenery and climate are great this time of year. Srinagar is also the heart of the Kashmir region. Which as you may know was the cause of two wars between Pakistan and India over whoi controlled the region. There was a cease fire in 2005 which has held except for the occasional gun fire from Pakistan over the border (I was 300 kilometers from the border. But there is a heavy armed militaru presence in Srinagar.Soldiers every 200 feet or so alond main roads. Gives it a slightly uneasy feeling to a regular tourist like me. Also Kashmiris don't consider themsleves Indians. They don't seem to like Indians very much either. But they do make up 95% of the current tourist trade.
I just got to Varanasi so no comments yet except the hotel is great, Hotel Ganges View, and the Ganges is impressive.
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