13-5-15 Farooq’s Houseboat, Dal Lake, Sri Nagar, India
We must know where things begin. For example, with brush, color and brain, we can paint a flower. We can explain the painted flower, but we cannot explain the real flower.
– A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Daunting bus ride from Jammu to Sri Nagar
As the sun rose on the 12th of May, I found myself seated in a window seat on a bus, embarking on a journey from Jammu to Sri Nagar. The expected duration of the trip was 12 hours, set to begin at 7:30AM, but as fate would have it, the journey ended up taking an exhausting 16 hours and 52 minutes, starting at 8:08AM and arriving shortly after 1:00AM. The bus careened around sharp curves and blind bends, at times reaching speeds of over 70km/h, with only sheer embankments to prevent us from careening off the road. I subsisted on nothing but water and mango juice until dinner time, when I finally indulged in a handful of plain, unroasted peanuts.
Plunging into Dal Lake from Ghat No. 7
With 68km to go, we stopped for the third and final meal break of the journey. It was there that I met Farooq, who offered to take me to his houseboat on Dal Lake. I had heard many positive things about the houseboat scene in Sri Nagar, and so I eagerly accepted his offer, little knowing that this chance encounter would lead to an adventure of a lifetime.
A deluxe boat ride befitting of a Maharaja
As we arrived at Ghat No. 7 on Dal Lake, Farooq motioned for me to hop on a paddle boat, and as we glided through the water, I knew that this was a moment I would treasure forever. We reached the houseboat, and I settled in for the night, sleeping soundly beneath a pile of blankets, the gentle motion of the boat rocking me to sleep. I awoke the next morning to the realization that I could see fish swimming beneath the floorboards, and after taking in this peaceful sight, I drifted back to sleep until noon.
Farooq and I spent the day exploring the city, taking in the wide sidewalks, clean streets, and slower pace of life. We even took a deluxe seat boat, fit for a Maharaja, back to the houseboat. I was treated to Kashmiri tea, played Cham Boat with Farooq’s children, and enjoyed a delicious meal with a banana desert lightly dusted with cinnamon.
“Thin line between dream and vision is execution.”
Sipping kashmiri tea, perched on the houseboat’s porch overlooking Dal Lake
As the sun set, I sipped my tea from the porch of the houseboat, overlooking Dal Lake and watching locals navigate their canoe boats from the porches of their houseboats to the floating market. I gazed up at the grey-stoned Shiva Temple atop Shankaracharya Hill, marveling at the unique lifestyle of those who lived on these boats year-round. The sun’s rays heated the right side of the porch in the morning, but by 11:00AM, the overhang provided welcome shade.
A chance meeting with Salman Khan at Sonamarg
I even took a canoe boat to the general store on the water, where I chanced upon the opportunity to meet Salman Khan, India’s most famous actor, who was just finishing a day of filming for the movie Bajrangi Bhaijaan. I attempted to take a picture, but his entourage of heavily armed guards quickly shouted at me to stop. No photos were allowed.
The trip proved to be a wonderful adventure, I had the chance to enjoy the beautiful sceneries, meet new people, and had a unique experience on the houseboat that I will never forget.
“Do what it takes, passion is contagious.”
