Rishikesh, Spirituality vs Sanity

---

I have spent 11 days recently in a meditation center which was not at all what I have expected. I ended up sitting in lotus position for 13 hours a day while obeying very strict rules and learned how to observe my breath... It was very informative and taught me a lot of things and made me interested in spirituality and how the mind works. After suffering from severe backache, I decided to visit the nearby Rishikesh, famed by its ashrams. I think it was the Beatles who put the small town on the map. They have spent some time here with a famous guru seeking enlightenment but finding Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. At the end they too, became disappointed with the Guru and I do wonder how come, that the same guru is now teaching in Switzerland how to levitate….
Rishikesh is where all the foreign pilgrims make sure to stop and the holy Ganga flows, I am trying to not to step in the frequent holy cowshit while on the roadside people smoking hash...Here every sadhu ( holy men) are stoned or preparing a chillum…
But I am not looking forward to enjoy the bliss derived from plants,
I am here for the food, the great, vegetarian, nonspicy, yogic food, and because I can pay a relatively cheap rent on a room in one of the ashrams. ( and get the same amount of cockroaches as if I would pay five times the price in any of the big cities...)
I am also here because people comes to meditate to Rishikesh, and when you meditate, you need silence.... so the Ashrams of Rishikesh can offer me what only ashrams can in India : Silence and solitude...
I thought it would be an ideal place to get in touch with spirituality and to tell you the truth I was in need of a break..

---

Photos

the people who used to live here
"When Nothing Doing, Nothing is left undone????"

How many in a backseat?
I invited some ladies to share my taxi. as they were walking uphill. they were very cheerful and I love their sarees.