It's Holi today. Holi is one of North India's most exuberant and playful festivals; Hindus celebrate the beginning of spring by throwing gulal (coloured powder) and coloured water at anyone within range. This sounds fun, I think, and despite the doubtful looks of my fellow ashramites, I decide to throw on some old clothes and brave the mayhem. 'Put some oil on your hair and body before you go out', advises a concerned Yogi Vishvketu in this morning's yoga class, during which he falls in with the festival's joyful spirit by having us perform a whole lot of loud 'mieuws' during cat pose, whilst laughing uncontrollably. I dutifully borrow some coconut oil from Ram Ji, our long-haired and equally long-bearded, robed receptionist and slap a handful onto my hair. So far, so good. I go out ... read more

For the first time since I have left Amritsar, I feel like I am actually in India. I have taken an overnight trip to Haridwar with Heike, an acquaintance who is on her way to South India. Haridwar is located at the point where the Ganges emerges from the Himalaya and is Uttarakhand's holiest Hindu city. The city is remarkably different from Lakshman Jhula/Rishikesh, which is about an hour's drive away. True, Haridwar is chaos and noise and features the usual hustle and bustle of most Indian cities, there is hassle from rickshaw drivers and salesmen and beggars and just about everyone else, but it's refreshing to be amongst Indians and experience actual Indian culture, something which is very dilluted in Rishikesh. There are very few foreign tourists and no foreign restaurants. As we walk through ... read more

There is a saying which alleges that when people first come to Glastonbury, they spend the first few months dealing with their 'stuff', and if the place does not like them, it makes sure they leave sooner or later. I have the same feeling about Rishikesh, and perhaps India in general. It’s one of the places that gives you what you need, whether you like it or not. The energies of Rishikesh are quite strange and volatile. It’s as though half of the time you're in bliss, and the other half in darkness. Like many ‘initiatory’ power places, it seems to magnify everything you feel and experience. It also has an uncanny way of pushing all your buttons. Lessons you could take a lifetime learning can be accomplished here in days or even hours. You experience ... read more

The next morning, I rise before the crack of dawn and start my seven hour train trip to the foothills of the Himalayas. The previous night, I bought some bread and fruit for the journey. I needn't have bothered: a constant stream of sales people snakes through the train. 'Chai! Chai!' 'Brrrrrreakfast!', 'Tomato soup!', 'Chips, biscuits, cake, water!', they cry in a continous mantra. It is never-ending. As soon as I only tentatively glance into their direction, they stop and try and place a cup of tea in my hands. Two Indian soldiers with turbans sit diagonally across from me and play with their guns. I am pursued by the same cockroach for the whole journey. Every time I flick it away, it magically re-appears on the same spot a minute later. Eventually, I give up ... read more