Life`s necesities.

Dal Lake, Scrinagar, 04-05-1994. Dal Lake is full with boats, shikaras as the local here call them. Some are loaded with life`s necesities like soap, shampoo, toilet paper bisquits and even hashish, handy for when you do your shopping, you never need to leave the house boat even the dope is there for the buying. Like floading supermarkets, something for the Edah or Albert Heyn to consider in the Amsterdam canals, sure they would make a bundle. Other boats have a paddle wallh and a well dressed business person aboard trying to sell jewelery to foreign tourist, not too many around of these nowadays. Old men is shikaras loaded with sweets and munchies come along side your own shikara and try to sell their wares at terribly inflated prices, usually twice the price asked ashore, i presume you have to pay for their paddling to your house boat or shikara. Naturally when you do buy your house boat owner rakes off a little commision.