Help! <BR>i am going to india in september and would like to go to kashmir for my birthday as i am told it is paradise on earth. indians say it's okay and not as bad as the news make it, others say they are so desperate for tourists' money it has become really hard to travel there freely. with the civil war in the background, i ask for your help and advice. <BR>Shall i go ro shall i stay?? Thank you in advance.

I suggest you check http://travel.state.gov/india.html and judge for yourself. As you see the State Department strongly advises against going to Kashmir. I don't think you should depend on anybody else for advice. When you get into trouble they can't help you and the U.S. Government will not be of much help either.

Don't go. being an Indian, my advice is avoid Kashmir. It isn't safe no matter what the tourist bureaus say. If you want to visit India, try southern India - the state of Kerala is truly beautiful (It's called god's own country) - also, go to Coonoor in Karnataka. September is a lovely month coz its the end of the monsoon and the countryside is green and beautiful. <BR>My last words of advice: Skip North India. Try the south.

Look at the obituary of the adventurer (Ned Gillette?) on the last page of the first section of the NY Times for today (Aug. 14) before you decide to go to Kashmir. My own opinion of Kashmir is that it is very overrated. Spend that extra time in Benares (Varanasi), the most fascinating place on earth. P

Wanted to give you advise not to go.. but you have read the other messages.. and all i can add is ...- you are nuts if you still want to go there..!!!

ITS TRUE KASHMIR IS A PARADISE. ANYWAY ITS NOT SAFE TRAVELLING THEIR WITHOUT AN ARMY CONVEY. I WOULD SUGGEST YOU TRAVEL TO LADAKH WHICH IS A PART OF JAMMU & KASHMIR STATE BUT SAFE. IF YOU WANT ANY INFORMATION, I WOULD BE PLEASED TO ADVISE YOU.