We arrived on a not so typical winter weather, strangely. And Kashmir really greeted us in the loveliest way. It was sooo sunny and bright. But, as we stepped out of Srinagar Airport, a cool gust of wind hit our face, sending a shiver and a smile. I haven't told you that I really love winter time, have I?

We was enthralled, intensely, by the existence of so many Indian soldiers that first welcome us as we stood at the traffic junction just across the Srinagar Airport. But as we moved further, it was not that bad. They might have a very tight security in Kashmir but it was so peaceful nonetheless.



As soon as people think of Srinagar, we always see an image of Dal Lake with thousands of houseboats. And the wooden houseboats can only be found in Srinagar, India. Sooo rustic! Well, Kerala also has its own version of houseboats, but let's just not go there right now okay?

Among all other places to visit in Kashmir, stay in houseboats is definitely the most sought after. To be honest, who doesn't want to post a picture on Facebook or Instagram that has a check-in status of "Our houseboat for the next three days!" Hiks. Well, I did that. Haha.

So, during our stay in Srinagar, we stayed at the Houseboat Lily of Nageen owned by Uncle Nabi and his son, Ajaz. Interestingly, Malaysians make up a large proportion of Uncle Nabi's guests. Thanks to Dr. Faizal of Kembara Sang Kancil for his write-up about Houseboat Lily of Nageen. And the trip would not have been memorable if we did not enjoy the hospitality given by Uncle Nabi and his family. Really, highly recommended!

Well, we chose to stay in Nageen Lake instead of the famous Dal Lake just because Nageen Lake is less crowded with people and more serene. And we want to avoid sellers coming to our houseboat too. Haha. Tapi can't be avoided. They still came but not so frequent. Only one seller per night.



These houseboats intrigued me, so did their history. They first came into existence during the colonial time, back in the 19th century, when British expressed their interest in buying land in Kashmir. But a restriction which prevents an outsider from purchasing land in Kashmir didn't allow them to do so. And I think this restriction still applicable until now. So British being British, they were smart and they came out with an idea to make a home in the valley without buying a land.

That's why most of the houseboats in Srinagar (both in Dal Lake and Nageen Lake) are so luxurious because they had the money to make the houseboats as beautiful and as comfortable as possible. Don't be surprised if you try to search the houseboats from any of the search engines, you might find some of them would have rather interesting names like New Buckingham Palace and other well-known cities around the world. Haha. Reason being, to attract tourists. There are hundreds of houseboats to choose from, so choose wisely okay?

The bedroom of Houseboat Lily of Nageen; picture courtesy of Booking.com