Hot dam Amsterdam, Netherlands If you had to nominate one city where
houseboats truly belong it has to be this Dutch metropolis with its concentric rings of canals.
In 2001, OSU Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity member Sean Matsuda, 19, drowned when he slipped and fell from a
houseboat.
Abdul Rashid Kaloo, general secretary of
Houseboat Owners' Association, said, "At present all
houseboats, which were not damaged, are empty and this is peak tourism season.
The people living in this lake, especially,
houseboat owners and 'Shikarawalas' have hailed this step taken by the authorities.
Samir said he normally shared a room with her on the
houseboat, but was away staying with friends at the weekend.
A Dutch tourist Davit Rechord (43), who was staying in another room of the
houseboat, has been arrested when he tried to flee the Valley at Qazigund, 75 kms from here, on Srinagar-Jammu national highway, they said.
Sarah and the Dutch tourist were the only guests on the
houseboat and had been sitting on the deck until midnight when she went to bed, he said.
For Leen Vandaele, the owner of the
houseboat, 'O' de Squisito, is the realisation of a dream.
We look forward to seeing foreign visitors traveling on a
houseboat from this pier to Asakusa or Yokohama, sightseeing the Tokyo waterfront,'' an official of the company said.
Restaurant manager Aires D'Souza, said that the eatery is inspired by the popular
houseboats of Kerala in India where people can enjoy a day out sailing through the Kochi backwaters and taste the local flavours.
The company has offered a 50% discount on peak season rates for new 2011
houseboat reservations on fully pre-paid rentals.
She rented an upstairs apartment on an Imbaba
houseboat for much of the year, and vouches for the tranquility of life on the riverfront.
