Rishikesh for 5 days

grass structure from train
see all photos »

Hi folks, I know it has been a really long time since I "blogged" but time passes differently here. We spent five days in Rishikesh  (Lakshman Jula is the 'neighborhood' ) a pilgrim destination and known in the past as the place that the Beatles hung out with the Maharishi.  Because it is near to where the Ganges comes out of the Himalayan mountains it is the destination for  thousands of people from all over India every year. It is also  the yoga capital of the world. (I don't know if it really is, but there sure is a lot of yoga goin' on) You can get trained by a real live yogi.  Lot's of westerner's (read: hippies) and luckily also beautiful mountains around and the Oh so green Ganges river!  The air compared to Delhi is fabulously fresh (except when a diesel car or truck zooms by). Hillary and I stayed at the Sri Sant Sewa Ashram.  It is layers of marble balconies and decks and temple towers overlooking the river and a white sand beach. Every morning we are awakened by temple bells and every evening a small band assembles on the sand below and a man chants into a mic accompanied by drums and a tiny piano. The natural beauty of the place is fantastic and add to that the seven story Lakshman Temple in the near distance against the dark misty green of the mountains with the amazing and unusual sound--to us make this place truly dream-like.  Not to mention droves of monkeys that come pounding across our deck at all hours and giant statues of blue people, like Vishnu and Hanuman. It is pretty wonderful. There are daily yoga classes which are drop in and seem to cater to the westerners. But the ashram is also a place of spiritual practice and there are Indian (men) who hang out there and chant and meditate all day.

Lakshman Jula temple
see all photos »

One thing I must say about this place, which was unfortunatley true of the parts of Delhi we saw as well, there is garbage everywhere and everywhere the smell of sewage.  I really don't mind the squat toilets at all. Toilets are good! but even up here where we are very near the head of the Ganges, you can see the trash floating by and it is not clear what happens to the waste once you flush the toilet!

Read more about the pollution here:

http://www.sacredland.org/world_sites_pages/Ganges.html

Vishnu, I think?
see all photos »

http://www.africanwater.org/ganges.htm

The ride from Delhi to Rishikesh: What I love about the trains in India  (not the sleepers, I'll explain that story later, but the 2-4 hour during-the-day trains)  is the service!  For our tourist price of about 500rs we were given our choice of Indian newspaper, a large bottle of water, tea and vegetarian breakfast.  The tea event I love.  It comes in a 'kit'---a small paper envelope holding a tea bag, packet of DAIRY creamer (powdered milk) and a packet of sugar. Each passenger is then given their own cup and a small thermos of hot water: DIY! love it! also, love  that it is so easy to be vegetarian here. nobody asks you:  Oh, are you a vegetarian? (like its a disease)  or what, you don't eat meat?  It is so normal! From the train window I saw lots of farms dotted with haystacks or also possibly little huts with pointy roofs (see picture). Very cool.  Also saw lots of garbage and  crumbling buildings and shanty towns.  Lots of very very poor people here.  The cows (and dogs!) are ubiquitous and along the road you could see neatly stacked piles of very round cow patties drying in the sun. Not totally sure what it is used for... fuel? or mosquito repellent?

view of the Ganges
see all photos »

Even though things are pretty quiet and peaceful here, there is the incessant honking that goes on.  The roads are very narrow and all forms of traffic live together on it.  the bigger and faster and noisier you are the more you rule.  People honk and people take heed!  They aren't honking to vent their road rage.. does not exist here... they honk to yell: "Get outta the way!!" We rented a couple bikes for a few days and it was nice to be one of the faster vehicles for a change. Being a  pedestrian you are constantly being called to by shop keepers "madam! madam!" or simply stared at by men or children and asked for 'just one snap!' Hillary and I have decided to start charging people to pose with us in a photo!  20 rupees please! I guess we are pretty weird looking over here. Oh, but on  a bike you are whizzing by, ringing your own bell (!) and people respect you, and get out of the way!  Ah, the beauty of the non-polluting bicycle!  They were heavy ladies frames made by Atlas, one speed with Chinese-style metal rod brakes. not too much stopping power but loads of fun.  One day I tried to find the (now abandoned) hang out of the Maharishi but couldn't and anyway the guide books all say not to go without a guide because you might get mugged.

funny road sign: warning!
see all photos »

One day into our stay in Rishikesh Hillary and I both started to feel sick! Ha, but it is not what you think, we both got a sore throat and cough that later we realized everyone in the town had. (Every store keeper was hacking!)  We spent a good part of a day in bed to recover and I noticed the fumes from the taxi stand and the generators (for when the power would go out every few hours) were really keeping my throat irritated. On the third day I went to an Ayruvedic doctor for some down home remedy.  We went back into his office just off the street and he had me lay down on a cloth covered table while Hillary sat in a chair and watched.  He checked my pulse, looked in my throat and up my nose (!) and asked me a few questions. Then we went back to the front area and sat while he made up my prescription. He came out with a little piece of white paper with some grayish brown powder on it....'You take one dose now....' he said and poured and amber syrup into the powder and mixed it with a tiny wooden stick.  I was frightened of the brown goo that I was now expected to ingest by licking off the paper! Turns out it was honey mixed into some yummy spices!  Tasted like massala chai! He also gave me some pills and a bottle of Kough Kill! (which tasted like licorice molasses.) I really think it all helped.  (tho that long over night train to Dharmasala almost did me in which ill tell you about later....)

monkey mom
see all photos »

Going up into the temples was very cool (at least the ones that don't have gift stalls every few feet)

They are like giant wedding cakes with tier after tier of balconies to walk around with bells to ring as you go!  Every bell sounded is a blessing that goes out to the world and as Hillary's masseuse told her: 'God is for everyone'.   We rang every bell! Did you feel them?

Hillary wanted to get a face/head massage and I decided to get a pedicure while she did that. After her massage she wanted to know how Asha, 'esthitician' got her eyebrows to look so good! Next thing you know we are both getting our eyebrows threaded for the first time:  only 30 rupees! See the pictures!

purty red powder!
see all photos »

ok that's all for now. Our health is much better and we are really in the foothills now at the home of his holiness the Dalai Lama! will tell you that story later! love, b