The Glasshouse On The Ganges Rishikesh

... bears and dinosaurs. Amy was 'petrified'. We later found out that the above animals were actually little insects making really loud noises. At the top of the hill we were invited in for tea at someones house, who told us that the waterfal was about an hour and a half downhill. We walked back to the main road, took a dip in the waterfall on the way and bought some stuff off our new friend. We then walked to ...

... out the first signs of rain were in the air. Ten minutes later and we were in what felt like a monsoon. A donkey was hauling our heavy stuff up ahead and our waterproofs etc. were sitting on his back. We battled on in our shorts and t-shirts in the cold and driving rain in the dark with a spectacular thunder and lightning display going on all around us through the mountains. The streaks of lightning helped light up the path for us at least. We arrived in near pitch ...

... sacred river. The Ganga has a reputation for being a polluted, more like a sewer than a river, but here at Rishikesh it's still young and fresh from the mountains. We made the most of this opportunity and took a dip, well, more of a paddle really, without running the risk of infection, and watched as the less timid locals took the plunge. Haridwar is an hour from Rishikesh and the place where thousands of people gather every evening at dusk to worship at the ...

... I'm forgetting. The lectures are very interesting, although I don't necessarily buy into it all. Some of it is a bit too much for a western girl like me, especially one who has grown slightly cynical after teaching in the Bronx for the past 5 years. I never knew how cynical I could be until I came here and was surrounded by all of this positivity and desire to be good and pure. But, I do find the teachings interesting and will take from it what I can. 9:30 pm: After the lecture I ...

... the hunt was fun! The park was really cool too...in the morning it was really foggy and added a nice safari feel as we searched. The next day was white water rafting! We got to the rafting place at 9am to find out we were the only two on our raft! So us, the guide, and the safety kayaker headed up the mountain to our trip's point of origin. We were equiped with wet suits and helmets so it ...

... ride is yet another experience unlike that in America. Though I was booked with a private berth that doesn't necessarily mean I had privacy. My berth was a space big enough for a single sleeper of small to medium size like myself but on these trains the compartments are crammed so close together that real privacy is a bit of a joke with only curtains to separate you from your neighbour. There were times when I did get some sleep ...

... in the morning then sweat our knackers off during an hour and a half of Ashtanga yoga at 12pm. Our teacher (Manoj) seems to think me sweating buckets is hilarious and enjoys pushing me deeper into impossible positions as my body screams but he has really helped my practice. We then break for lunch and after a quick shower go to our philosphy lesson at 3pm with Buddhi Prakesh. The lessons are really interesting learning about indian/hindu thought which is not ...

... feels almost like being at a resort since there are the same familiar faces of guests and workers every day. There is a mix here of Indian, Tibetan, and Nepali workers and hotel owners and a mostly Israeli, French, and Indian tourists although we did meet one couple from Canada. Our simple days run into each other punctuated by a few small adventures. We took a hike toward ...