The next time I visit Kashmir, it will NOT be in January. Whilst I loved it in January, I am sure that in May and June the place must just be bursting with flowers. I will return soon, and when I do I will definitely stay at the Swan Group of houseboats again, if not just for the mere fact that for very little money you sleep in a lovely atmosphere and are treated like a king. However, when I return it will be to pay a visit to my new friends who all happen to be associated with the houseboats. Both the staff of 3 on the boat: Hassan, Latif and Gulam, or the crew in management office, I left Kashmir after 4 days with several dear new friends. The boats themselves are extraordinary specimens of the kind of intricate woodcarving work treasured by Kashmiris. I had the entire property to myself, and was in heaven sitting on the stern deck at night listening to the echoes of the call to prayer bouncing from the 4 major mosques in Srinagar off of the mountains and then bouncing off the surface of Dal Lake: a crazy harmony out of cacophony, order from chase that I have only experienced there. For a true experience of Srinagar, I really couldn't reccommend the Swan Group of Houseboats any more strongly.