Three honeymoons in as many months, and I just realized I haven't even done a proper post on any of them. Let's start with Kashmir. It's always been on my list of must-do places, and it was the perfect antidote to our summer beaches overdose.
The people (women in burqas included!) are super extroverted and friendly, and the burqa seems to be a local costume more than any form of restriction. I'm inclined to believe the locals who told us that strife and terror are very much a part of the past... the kids wandering around unsupervised are a definite indication that all's very well indeed.
This was one place where I actually felt kids would have a great time growing up - they have ponds with easy-to-catch fish which they freely dive into, as well as hills with sheep that don't mind playing tag, and horses which are allowed to run wild when it's not their turn to lug someone uphill.
I'm torn between being glad tourists haven't cottoned on to how safe and lovely it is, and being sad that the locals earn so little. The prices for most things are still very 80's... you can easily have a full meal for 80 bucks or so. Except, of course, when they make it Kashmiri style, and then you pay for the kesar and the badam and the bucketloads of raisins - well worth it. I could continue with this post but my eyes tend to cross over if I read posts that are too long, so I'll end this here and do a more detailed breakdown in the next.
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