To go or not to go?

After 48 hours of agonizing and intensive research we have after all decided not to chance a trip to Srinagar. It was oh so tempting: the Shalimar Gardens, a houseboat on Lake Dal . . .

and the security situation at the moment is okay - but 2010 was a rather bad year up there and it just doesn't quite seem worth the risk. I was ready to say let's do it and then I read what the British Foreign Office says and revised my position (and Ian forbade me from going):

'We advise against all travel to or through rural areas of Jammu and Kashmir, other than to Ladakh, and against all but essential travel to Srinagar. If you intend to travel to Srinagar then you should only travel there by air, and you should check the local security situation before doing so.'

This followed by about three pages of details of grenade attacks, kidnappings, bombs etc 90% of them all in Srinagar and that was pretty much all since 2008. It has the same level of warning as Iraq and Afghanistan and let's face it, I'm not planning holidays there anytime soon.

The US State Department says simlilar but I've found in the past that they get a little over-cautious, they probably put out a travel alert everytime the Canadians have an election. But the Brits, generally, don't mess around. If they say don't go, they tend to mean it.

So we're back to our original plan. It's probably going to be about 113 degrees in Delhi, but we'll survive. I live 200 miles from the equator, how bad can it be?