Really lovin' Srinagar. From the moment I got here, everyone has gone way out of their way to take me places & feed me. It's almost overwhelming how nice everyone is!

Starting on the ride here, the jeep driver & the 6 other (non-tourist) passengers keep recommending places to stop so I could take photos. And when we got here, the driver dropped everyone at the station then called the hotel I'd booked, got directions & drove me across town there.

And the hotel... it didn't work out (he'd agreed to a third of the price but only for a few days & I didn't want to change hotels later) so he walked & drove me all around to find a good hotel in my price range. And the next day, insisted I come for breakfast followed by a city tour - for free! And I've had to promise to visit everyday!

Oh, & the hotel I ended up in, incredibly nice people too! First night asked where a restaurant was & he made me dinner. And he's always offering me tea & cakes. And a few days later when I agreed to have dinner in the family's house, the mother insisted I start paying less. Now that's a first!

And a random boat man has decided he wants to show me real Kashmiri hospitality... so I can get boat rides for free whenever I like. One day he took me out all day & even cooked me a fantastic meal in his little boat.

Yesterday, I walked into a cheapie restaurant & a friend of the owner dragged me out to a fancy restaurant (& he paid!) then drove me around town showing me other sights. Finally had to say goodbye because the boat man was making me dinner on the boat again.

And two different mornings, went to the market to buy breakfast & ended up having an older lady, neither of whom spoke English, drag me to their house for breakfast.

It's amazing, I've been here 6 days & have only spent $2.50 on food! Maybe there is such a thing as a free lunch~