In the morning, we had our breakfast at the houseboat and decided to shift to a nearby guesthouse which we had visited the previous day. We then shifted our belongings from the houseboat to Stars Queen guesthouse near Dal Lake Gate no 1, a nice and homely place to stay (Rs. 400 per night). We negotiated a trip for local sightseeing, for Rs. 700 through the guest house owner. Shankaracharya temple dedicated to Lord Shiva was the first stop, where one gets a 360 degree view of Srinagar but unfortunately cameras are not allowed for security reasons, also the climb is steep with difficult steps not advisable for old people. Next stop, Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Botanical Garden where we clicked many pictures and had lunch, the garden also has a paddle boat ride but due to hot climate we decided against it. Chashmeshahi Garden was next on the list is famous for its spring water. A popular story goes that Mr. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru used to drink this spring water only and helicopter was specially flown to bring the same whenever needed. Water from the spring was really tasty. We then decided to skip Nishat Garden and visited Shalimar Gardens-The largest Mughal garden in Srinagar was built by Mughal Emperor Jahangir for his wife Nur Jahan, in 1619. It was the best garden amongst all. We then passed the Hazratbal Shrine and went to Lalbaug Market for buying Shawls from a wholesale shop. In the afternoon bought a wooden basket from one of the shops in the market. In the evening, had a great time, ‘the Shikara ride’ (Rs. 100 for 1 hour) on Dal Lake. Dinner was planned at the famous Krishna Dhaba Vegetarian restaurant but due to heavy rush, skipped it and had dinner at his next door neighbour. Please avoid food over here.
