Purify the Colors, Purify My Mind

• Gleckelgirls's Profile
• About this blog
• Entry from Haridwar

Trip Start Dec 04, 2005 Previous
Entry Trip End Jun 16, 2006 Next
Entry

  Haridwar, India
Tuesday, May 2, 2006

J: So we (Missy, Tricia, and I) took the easy way to cross the hot plains of India by hopping in a plane from near Darjeeling to Delhi and then hired a taxi to drive us to Haridwar, about five hours or so. Tricia had too many of her own horror stories about the crazy long train ride lasting over 20 hours more than scheduled, plus other crazy adventures. Flying was, well, easy. But we also went from near perfect weather to more typical India heat for this time of year. (M: Actually, word on the street is that it's 8 degrees Celcius warmer than usual - gotta love global warming!)

Haridwar is a small city with a big rep, especially at this time of year, when folks from all over are making their pilgrimages there. So after wandering around the first afternoon/evening we were there, we headed past the bazaar and to the Ganges Canal where the makings of the nightly ceremony were coming together. It was slightly overwhelming and incredibly captivating. I cannot even begin to guess how many people were there, thousands I am sure, and they were all sitting along the sides of the river waiting patiently for the ceremony to happen. In the meantime there were people bathing as part of their evening rituals. A really great guy from Delhi, standing close by, approached Missy and started telling her more about what was going on. He explained about what looked like "the wave" at a pro-sports game -- a pledging of allegiance to the goddess Ganga. Many people were selling and buying small offerings of flowers in what looked like banana leaf boats.

Bangle Party!

And then there was this whole bit with fire. This part was a little confusing and for some reason we didn't really get clarification on it. But it was pretty much the main focus of the ceremony, so yep kinda embarrassed that we didn't really take that bit in. I was definitely a bit distracted by the event overall and all the people around us. It was definitely a sight and completely captivating. (M: The SUPER nice guy from Delhi with excellent English hung out with us the whole time, telling us when to move away from these guys who were heckling us for money and when to leave to avoid the crowds. Plus he offered insight. He was fab.)

After the ceremony we had a delicious dinner before heading back to the hotel. On the way there we heard music coming up the street, so we went in search of its source thinking maybe oh maybe it was a marching band (be fair, that was totally how it sounded M: I concur, that was how it sounded.). In reality it was part of a wedding celebration. And as we got closer some of the partiers noticed us and one guy quickly started pushing Tricia and me into the procession telling us to dance and join in. Not knowing what else to do and being completely psyched we did as we were told, dancing with a group of Indian men and a couple of women in the midst of some serious celebrating. Don't worry, it is all on video...with the bride and groom in Haridwar. The best part was that the brother of the groom was so excited and so proud and kept saying, "I love my India!" And his wife went and fetched their two-year-old son to introduce to us.

Big Brother Mintoo and Missy

She was so excited for us to see him and for him to see us. Sorry not to be describing this adequately, but it was definitely in my top five moments of this entire trip! (M: I tried, obviously not sufficiently, to capture these moments on film.)

Returning to the hotel Missy and I were chatting with the owner, who then introduced us to his wife and four-year-old daughter. They are all amazing. He invited us to dinner the next night (which unfortunately didn't pan out as his bitty was sick), and we again were struck by how amazing people are about opening their hearts and homes to us, total strangers. The hotel owner, Mintoo, continued to be an incredible resource for us throughout the time we were in Haridwar, sending us with his driver to a great tailor, buying train tickets for us, and getting us safely on the bus to Rishikesh (where we are now). Amazing! So when he and his family travel to the States, don't be surprised if you get a phone call from us saying that he will be in your neighborhood and would you please take him out for dinner or something for us.

M: Our last morning in Haridwar, we said goodbye to Tricia, although we're hoping to see her again as she lives in Montana. We then attempted a visit to a national park that supposedly had monkeys, anteaters, elephants, etc. When we got there, they were charging exorbitant amounts of money and we decided against going in. Instead, we walked along the bank of the Ganges that faced the pink buildings of the town. On the river bank were people from all walks of life: men in work clothes pausing for spiritual reflection, women doing laundry on the rocks at the water's edge, children rushing to say hello to us, older men dressed in orange. And opposite the ornate buildings, behind the river, was a "tent city." Makeshift dwellings of tarp and pieces of wood. As the sun rose and everyone started their morning rituals, including the morning bathing in the Ganges, it was a beautiful festival of colors.

Mintoo sent us to his house to see where he and his wife live with their daughter and his mother. We looked through the gorgeous pictures of their wedding, as well as family vacations and photos of their daughter. He really couldn't have been nicer to us if he had tried. We were so appreciative of his time and energy. And we gleckel on...

Post your own travel photos for friends and family More Pictures

Colors of the Ceremony	Dancing with the Wedding Party	Flower Offerings	Huge Vat Of...
In Love with Jessie	Morning Clapping	Overview of Haridwar	Pink, Pink...
Pledging Allegiance to Ganga	Trail Mix Anyone?

Slideshow Print this entry Share Haridwar hotels

Previous Entry Next Entry