First off, Happy Halloween to all! Unfortunately we are not celebrating here, a Hamid did not even know what the holiday was!
So, the Japanese young man and myself are off to do some trekking in the mountains with Hamid! We bought the food today at the local market! It was quite an experience, witnessing all of the craziness of the streets. The poor people selling the well-known Kashmir carpets, all the way to vegetable sales, and all kinds of funky characters to be seen amongst it all! So after that we went to do some errands and entered Hamid's wife's family's house. We sat down on the floor on a cushion and were given a blanket to cover ourselves for warmth (this seems to be the norm for Kashmiris). We were then served the Chai (delicious and sweet!) along with a nice piece of sesame bread! All worked out quite well there in the old town of Srinagar, and I felt a part of the culture. The nice thing about staying with Hamid and his family is that he includes us (the Japanese fellow and myself) in almost all they do. I have eaten with my hands - inside and outside, on the floor of the kitchen and in front of the TV with the family. Tonight I may even take a Kashmiri Shower! What is that you might ask? It is where you take a bucket of water, fill it up and dump it on yourself! ...more on that experience later!
So tomorrow we will be off to cook in the mountains and stay with a family which he knows for years and takes many of his guests to who lives in a local village. When we come back, on days 6-8 we will celebrate the Muslim Christmas with his family. We actually went with Hamid to check on the sheep (which were not there today) because during the festival the sheep are killed, but in a painless way - sounding almost identical to the kosher way of preparing meat. The more time I spend here, the more I see how alike the customs and beliefs of the Muslims and the Jews really are! Kashmir is predominantly Muslim, but as you make your way South through the country, the Muslims lose their ground and Hindus (and Sikhs_
A note about traffic in India. We got stuck today in the city center for a bit. I witnessed a minor accident, but without any information exchanged, paperwork filled out, hassle or stress, the incident was resolved in a matter of seconds with an exchange of a few words and minor vibes of frustration. People seemed happy for the most part, yelling to one another in the street and in other cars, cracking jokes rather than yelling and threatening to take the other's life..There were even a few special people parading through the middle of the street sign-less and traffic-light-less roads...
So, the Japanese young man and myself are off to do some trekking in the mountains with Hamid! We bought the food today at the local market! It was quite an experience, witnessing all of the craziness of the streets. The poor people selling the well-known Kashmir carpets, all the way to vegetable sales, and all kinds of funky characters to be seen amongst it all! So after that we went to do some errands and entered Hamid's wife's family's house. We sat down on the floor on a cushion and were given a blanket to cover ourselves for warmth (this seems to be the norm for Kashmiris). We were then served the Chai (delicious and sweet!) along with a nice piece of sesame bread! All worked out quite well there in the old town of Srinagar, and I felt a part of the culture. The nice thing about staying with Hamid and his family is that he includes us (the Japanese fellow and myself) in almost all they do. I have eaten with my hands - inside and outside, on the floor of the kitchen and in front of the TV with the family. Tonight I may even take a Kashmiri Shower! What is that you might ask? It is where you take a bucket of water, fill it up and dump it on yourself! ...more on that experience later!
So tomorrow we will be off to cook in the mountains and stay with a family which he knows for years and takes many of his guests to who lives in a local village. When we come back, on days 6-8 we will celebrate the Muslim Christmas with his family. We actually went with Hamid to check on the sheep (which were not there today) because during the festival the sheep are killed, but in a painless way - sounding almost identical to the kosher way of preparing meat. The more time I spend here, the more I see how alike the customs and beliefs of the Muslims and the Jews really are! Kashmir is predominantly Muslim, but as you make your way South through the country, the Muslims lose their ground and Hindus (and Sikhs_
A note about traffic in India. We got stuck today in the city center for a bit. I witnessed a minor accident, but without any information exchanged, paperwork filled out, hassle or stress, the incident was resolved in a matter of seconds with an exchange of a few words and minor vibes of frustration. People seemed happy for the most part, yelling to one another in the street and in other cars, cracking jokes rather than yelling and threatening to take the other's life..There were even a few special people parading through the middle of the street sign-less and traffic-light-less roads...
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