Tolokyo: My first sight of Kashmir as I woke up in the sleeper-bus. Mustard flowers were all in bloom.
Tolokyo: The architecture here is clearly different from the other parts of India I've been in.
Tolokyo: The corrugated tin roofs give it a bit of a slummy feel, but aside from that, the towns are really picturesque.
Tolokyo: Sleeper buses aren't the height of comfort, but they're MUCH better than a usual bus.
Tolokyo: Yep - still in India.
Tolokyo: My first sight of Srinagar from the bus.
Tolokyo: This was a unique sleeper bus...often they have beds in the top and bottom, but here it was only the top, and seats on the bottom.
Tolokyo: This is the building where my Couchsurfing host lives.
Tolokyo: It's a cute little neighborhood.
Tolokyo: This bridge is called Zero Bridge...maybe because there's zero possibility a car could successfully make it across. :P
Tolokyo: The view from Zero Bridge. I actually met a tout at a completely different place who tried to bring me to these houseboats. The one on the left is called "Japan", and the tout actually spoke a little Japanese.
Tolokyo: Took this picture 'cause I thought the name was funny and the building cute, but actually in the end, it turned out I ended up buying something from the father of this shop's owner (who has an AMAZING boutique just next door)
Tolokyo: If you go to Srinagar, check out this supermarket and get some Himalayan Cheese ^_^
Tolokyo: I thought it interesting what kinds of books they were displaying. Turns out there's a lot of literature out there on Kashmir.
Tolokyo: Clock tower at the edge of town
Tolokyo: Didn't see any actual Rado watches, but they definitely try to take advantage of the relative similarity between Kashmir and Switzerland. Imagine Switzerland if they'd never discovered manners, cleanliness, or the elusive art of using dustbins.
Tolokyo: But still...it is a really picturesque town. ^_^
Tolokyo: The roofs here are pretty interesting...wonder if it serves practical purposes, or is just decorative.
Tolokyo: Cute scene at the canal
Tolokyo: Shine! I didn't know you had a palace in Kashmir!??
Tolokyo: The building across from where my CS host lived - the Almond tree was in bloom.
Tolokyo: I was suprised to see so many film companies in Srinagar. They advertise pretty nicely and give the impression of modern, high-tech equipment....but who knows~
Tolokyo: See the hill on the picture before this one? I decided to go up it and see what the view was like.
Tolokyo: So many hawks in the Srinagar skies! Love it!
Tolokyo: Yep - the view looked kinda like this.
Tolokyo: I had my own little hanami in Kashmir...I think they're plum blossoms, but close enough.
Tolokyo: Feels like hanami time!!
Tolokyo: Most of the petals had fallen already actually - but who doesn't love that time at the end of hanami season where the paths are littlered with petals...like exiting a wedding everywhere you go!
Tolokyo: That's the town in the background.
Tolokyo: A petal of hope still remains for Kashmir!