Hotel Natraj Rishikesh

... quite appropriately they were smoking a joint in the Beatles old room. Nice folks, we chatted a bit before wandering the rest of the Ashram grounds.

We finished the day off walking back along the Ganges. A small group of Hindus were taking part in a ceremony, and as they finished, Teri and I decided we too should float diyas down the river. As I placed mine in, I washed my face in the cool river water, and I believe I thusly washed a few of my sins away...

... my stomach. (I ended up not ordering a single Indian dish the whole time I stayed here - especially with feeling sick, I started to get a little tired of Indian food and wanted to eat something more comfortable for a few days, so it was nice to be in a place that offers pizza, pasta, salads, and even burritos.)

Saturday morning, we decided to attempt yoga. I woke up still not feeling well but decided to go for it anyway and make the most of my time here ...

... would chime in with amusing comments every now and again, and overall I thought they were cool people and a well suited couple. I also wouldn't have found the awesome Hotel Ganga View without their help, so another positive point in their book there. Yuga: Yuga, quite simply, was a bit of a dude. An Indian in his late 20's, he'd grown up in Rishikesh and clearly knew the place like the back of his hand. He was also quite unlike any other Indian I've met here, in that he ...

... pur' selon les criteres yogiques; sans oignon ni ail ni trop depices parce que ca echauffe le corps et deconcentre lesprit et aussi parce que ca cree une reaction tres acide dans lestomac, sans viande, rarement de produits laitiers, beaucoup de fruits et legumes...ctait vraiment bon, quoi. Certains se tanneraient de riz, chapattis, lentilles et legumes tous les midi et soirs mais moi jai pas eu le temps de me tanner.
Et avant chaque repas on chantait une petite ...

... sad.

After the blessing, I had probably one of the most surreal experiences ever. The Swami said that we came (we being the ashram group) to represent the world and give them our blessing. Then he told us to go on stage with the bride and groom for pictures! We all clammered on and for about at least 10 minutes everyone stared at us and took pictures. It was weird I tell you.



It was now time to leave. Some teenagers came up to us and asked ...

... s very small, the food is nice and there's a nice balcony where I can smoke (no smoking in the ashram is allowed). I had some nice chats with a few people, everyone is very friendly. This is also where I met a lovely french girl named Isabel. She is my age and also traveling on her own. She's also a kind of social worker and we have a lot in ...

... by Shantanu's Mother, as it is very hard for foreigners to stay at the Ashram. We were given 2 adjoining rooms in Ishwar Bhavan 1, which was at the very far top left of the Ashram grounds. This means we had to walk down and up the numerous sets of steps and hills anytime we came to and fro. We experienced the Ashram in the first few days there, including the morning meditations at 5am and the evening Satsang from 7:30-9:30, which were mandatory for all ...

... endless hassle from touts but on the bright side we found our first falafel in India and ate some scrummy houmus, chow mein and chocolate balls too! When we were refuelled we were off again after only 14 hours in Agra... We hit Haridwar after a chilly cold climb onwards and upwards. It's still sunny by day here but temperature's drop in the evenings and public transport gets f-f-f-freeeezing! We stayed at an Ashram that was kind of cool and away from the chaos of the town. Once we'd ...

... we exited Rishikesh we took a winding mountain road up towards the Ananda resort and on the way we passed two things that cracked me up...1) lot's of monkeys just hanging out as if they were waiting for a ride and 2) signs on the side of the road to encourage safe driving. Some examples of the signs include "Whiskey is Risky", "Rum is the Bomb", "Mountains are pleasure, if you drive at your leisure," "Be gentle on my curves", "If you drink bourbon, you ...

... over ma Ganga from the roof of the ashram. Not only was the sunrise breathtaking but it was interesting to see the morning rituals of the ashram. I had a professor once explain the morning rituals of Hinduism and it felt like I had come full circle as I watched it all unfold from the roof. I sat there and realized "this is why I am here, I am experiencing religion and culture and people that are all different from what I know, this is real." I feel at home as a visitor in India.