Nun cha with Haseena and Subeena

I went to visit Kashmir with G a few years ago. One of the things I wanted to do most was float around the Dal Lake in the calm of dawn and see the floating vegetable market. We managed to talk to my BnB host and arrange for a rarely requested 3 a.m. Shikara ride. We stayed up all night to make sure we reached on time for this experience.

It was pitch black when we started. Couldn't tell where the sky ended and the lake began. I will list a few things that happened during this ride.

They gave us blankets so we could be warm! We lay back and looked at the stars, listening to the sound of the water as we rowed across.

After a while the shikara driver started singing Kashmiri folk songs. The lake carried his gentle voice across the space, creating an atmosphere in what I can only describe as ethereal.

Midway, he offered us his hookah to try.

We parked on the side as we waited for the floating market vendors to arrive carrying fresh produce on their boats. A variety of greens, turnips, potatoes, radish and such. Someone was selling kahwa and flowers from their shikara. Clearly meant for tourists because no locals were buying them. I drank some Kahwa and bought flowers.

Floated by a Kandur making fresh tsot for breakfast. The dim light from the bakery was the only thing illuminating the horizon. Bought a couple and ate them right there. Without any cha to wash it down, it felt a little dry, but there is nothing quite like freshly baked bread.

Our Shikara driver stopped for a walk at the shore. We found out later that he was visiting his daughter and decided to take us along. We sat awkwardly on the carpeted floor and observed the happenings of the busy house complete with screaming kids as he waited for his daughter to arrive.

Saw the most beautiful roses through the partly open gate of a house. A woman walked by, into the gate I was looking through. I couldn't help but smile at her. Next thing we knew, Sabeena invited us for nun cha. We went and had nun cha and Hookah with Sabeena and her daughter Haseena in their house. I had nun cha at two other cafes in Srinagar that came highly recommended. Safe to say the nun cha at Sabeena's house was the best.

None of these are things I hoped would happen during our Shikara ride, but I couldn't have imagined anything better.