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Rubber balls in Rishikesh
Entry 7 of 179 | show all | print this entry |
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My turn to tell you the gory details of what we've done and how etc. (Rach is on tidbits and observations detail today).
Our overnight train journey from Delhi to Haridwar was better than expected all round. The train left Old Delhi Station at about 10.15pm sharp and we blew the dust of that crummy old town like a couple of outlaws (inspiration and credit to the Boss). Our compartment was shared by a couple of Indian businessmen, a small family of three and a mouse. We managed to get on well in conversation with one of the Indian businessmen -he worked for an oil company and seemed to spend his life on trains - but the mouse only spoke Hindi, so after a quick "Namaste" we ignored each other.
A bit of excitement as we were pulling into Haridwar: Rachel's Pacsafe travel lock combination had changed itself somewhere between Heathrow and New Delhi (a practical joke by ground crew, perhaps?) and we couldn't get it open, which meant that we would have to leave Rach's bag behind and she would have to wear my clothes for the rest of the trip. I was fine with this but as Rachel doesn't do boxers I had to cut through the grab strap of the rucksack with my Leatherman knife (thanks Jonathan - never suspected it would come in handy so soon!). Of course, once we'd irreparably damaged the good looks of R's new pack, the lock decided to reveal its secrets and open...
A kindly German called Joergen (and his travelling companion Fjor) helped us find the right bus to Rishikesh after leaving the train, and an hour later we were enjoying a good talk with them over an excellent breakfast of puri and paranthas with veg curry and curd. A four-man rickshaw (or eighteen-man if you are Indian - sorry but it's true) called a Vikram, took us to Laxman Jhula where we crossed a high bridge over the Ganges to find our hotel which at 3 GPB a night with a view of the holy river is a steal (notwithstanding the laissez-faire attitude the staff seems to have as regards cleaning between guests). Spent the rest of the day drinking fresh lime sodas and watching the Ganges slip slowly past us. Monkeys cavort on the suspension bridge high above the rafts full of adventurous travellers negotiating the rippling currents. This is what we've been looking for - a beautiful tranquil place just to catch our breath and look about ourselves. So we may stay here. For ever. (T)
Rishikesh is apparently the home of yoga in India, so there are lots of Ashrams here (from what I can gather these are yoga centres where you sleep and eat and practice lots of yoga) and therefore the town is full of hippy types who walk around wearing blankets round their shoulders. Actually this makes it a nice place to be because it's very calm and peaceful (at least compared to the only other place we've seen so far - Delhi) and there's a lovely relaxed atmosphere. There are a few coffee shops dotted along the banks of the river where westerners can be found chilling out right through the day, and the views are amazing, so we've just gone with the flow and hung out with them. We had a 5am start today (more about that in a later entry) and it's now nearly 11pm so time for bed. (R)
Latest Comments (1)
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the boss comment (reply)
Jan 23, 2007 06:39 EST by stapes
reading it reminded me of the jimmy quote and was appalled i didnt hear 'gonna shake the dust of this crummy town off my shoes and see the world!' missed a trick there sonny!
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