Rest days, I love rest days. Head out for breakfast and find a Samosa place on the way back to the main section of town. Served with channa and a mint/coriander/green chilli sauce. Very tasty.
Laundry is relocated from the cold dark room to the roof of the hotel which is flat and has staff accommodation and clothes line.
Down into town where most of the action is off the main highway. Nice street with great old wooden buildings nestled amongst the new concrete and brick ones. Fruit and veg looks fantastic and plenty of competition. We pick up some mandarins.
Some kind of a protest or march heads through the main intersection of town. College students by the age, I am guessing. The main intersection has a roundabout in the centre of which is the bust of someone of merit. Town appears to well serviced with plenty of stores covering the majority of needs. After lapping the block and offloading some mandarins to street children / people we stock up again prior to locating the post office. We find a guy sitting outside on his motorbike who identifies that the post office is closed of a Friday in Srinigar.
Back down towards the intersection but through and down to the river side where a large suspension bridge with tarred surface allows pedestrians and motor bikes to cross to the alternate bank along which to our right is the construction of dam infrastructure. We chill out in the sun below a Hindi temple eating mandarins prior to following the town bank back up into town. On the way we pass plenty of pigs either sunning themselves on the river side sand or rummaging through trash together with the cows and dogs alternatively.
In town we are invited to a gallery art exhibition opening by a local college student. Some of the work is quite talented, and he appears stoked to have some overseas interest. Pieces are finished on cardboard and taped. He has one under the desk which he pulls out to show me specifically which is of a frontal nude, unfortunately she has breasts that put Pamela Anderson's to shame and the overall picture is not his best so it is hard to show too much interest.
Following lunch we find an Internet cafe but are interupted by a blackout shortly after commencing and so decide to retire to the hotel to pack up and have an afternoon nap.
Back onto the streets after watching "Yes man" with Jim Carey we go in search of dinner. It is 8pm which is tea time by prior communication. Not so in Srinigar unfortunately but on returning to a dhaba from early in the day they redirected us to a hotel on the highway, which was a great find. Not only was the food and service great, but the owner who had a great personality also spoke English fluently and who came across as very grounded. He also provided some local advice re distances and locations for the next couple of days.
Back at the hotel we flaked out on full tummies watching cable, but unfortunately no hot water, to Soph's ire as the hotel manager had a habit of turning off the hot water via the main switchboard unless specifically requested.