Rishikesh Shopping and Arti

---

We had two full days to explore the area around the ashram and the shopping nearby. The market streets are very narrow and there are cows and people everywhere, with motorcycles beeping at you as try to walk along. I bought some nice yoga clothes and a few gifts at the shops. This area is very used to having people from all over the world visit, so it is easy to get what you need if you know who to ask to get what you need. There are even monkeys along the streets where the food vendors are trying to get people to give them food.

Pesky things, those monkeys. They like to run across the roof of our block of apartments at the ashram. The ashram staff try to keep them off at night, but the first night we were there, they were on the roof running around until late into the night.

The ashram is very nice, big and busy; it is right along the beautiful and spiritual river Ganges. Every evening at sunset, our ashram (and others) have a ceremony to honour the spirit of the river and of all the souls - past, present and future. Swamiji (president and spiritual leader of the ashram) presides over the ceremony that starts with the recital of various prayers in Hindi, and then there is the lighting of the fire pit at the river. Anyone who is in the crowd may participate in the ceremony by the fire pit to make a prayer to Mother Ganga. After many more prayers, the main event is the lighting of the sacred candle holders and they are passed around the crowd for everyone to briefly hold or just pass their hand over the flame. It is amazing to see the reverence that people have for the river and her powers.

Again, I cannot upload pictures yet, but will later.

---