We woke at 0445 as we had arranged to be picked up at 0500 to go to the floating markets in the lake by shikara (row boat). If there is one thing I didn’t like about our houseboat is the pricing for this excursion.
They tried charging is INR2000 for a 3 hour outing when the guide suggests it should be about INR1000 at most, based on an hourly rate of INR300. We negotiated and managed to get it for half, which is still a bit expensive.
It took us about 45 minutes to get to the first floating market. It appears people come with their specific produce. They either trade between themselves or with retailers so they end up with a variety to sell to retailers. We stayed for 15 minutes and the market more or less emptied out by then.
It was a bit further through some beautiful lotus patches and market gardens before we got to the second market, which was still in progress. We turned around and returned back to the houseboat by around 0730.
It looked like today wouldn’t be as clear and hot as yesterday. It looked hazy and there was rumbling of thunder. After breakfast, a few showers passed and we had to close all the windows briefly.
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- Market on the lake already in full swing before sunrise.
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- Market on the lake soon after sunrise.
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- Kashmiri home by the lake.
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- Scene on the lake.
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- Scene on the lake.
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- Another market on the lake.
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- Scene on the lake.
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- Scene on the lake.
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- Collecting lotus leaves on the lake.
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- Returning to our home, the houseboat.
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- Scene from our houseboat.
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- Scene from our houseboat.
