Blogs from Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India, Asia

ishikesh HotelsMap This holy town got its name from the Sanskrit name Hrishikesha – which means “Lord of the senses”. Several rishis and saints have lived here due to its aura and spiritual significance. The holy Ganga flows through the entire town purifying the entire town. There are temples which are hundreds of years old and yoga centers throughout the town. Apart from being a spiritual town it is also the “International Yoga capital of the world”. Being the Yoga capital, the town is filled with multinational people and yogis, and thus wonderful international food joints. ... read more

We took the night bus to Rishikesh from Delhi. It took about 10 hours, so we arrived there early in the morning. We went to a guesthouse and first slept for a few hours. The bus ride wasn't really comfi so we needed a bit more sleep. Once we woke up we went for a walk through the town. We crossed the bridge, sat on the stairs next to the Ganga river. There I called mama because it was her birthday. Meanwhile, behind me a monkey was eating a papaya and in front of me there was a calf begging food to other people on the stairs. It was pretty funny. After I finished calling her, we walked through a street on the other side. We got sugarcane juice, which is really delicious. It's super refreshing ... read more

My plan B worked out well with a lovely room, peace and quiet and a gorgeous manager! I seemed to spend hours just wandering along the shops , stopping for a coffee or lime soda and not really buying anything. Sounds great! The frustration came when each time I went to a drop in morning yoga class there was no teacher. This happened a few times. I began to think that I wasn’t in Rishikesh to do yoga. I managed 1 class. Then it started to rain and it rained for 2 days - really heavy, drenching rain. After that the ground was filthy - dirty feet, splashed trousers but oh so good to get out in the fresh air. I met up with one of the girls from the trip who stayed on like me ... read more

'...life goes on, braah. La-la, how the life goes on!' This blog could have been titled 'Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey' or possibly any of the other tracks on The Beatles 'White Album'. Most of them were composed during their encounter with transcendental meditation here in Rishikesh during March and April of 1968. But, yes, 'life goes on' today much as it was when Paul McCartney wrote Ob-La-Di... all those years ago. Backpackers still flock here in search of 'enlightenment' and the town remains preoccupied with meditation and yoga. It's a kind of spiritual Disneyland for Westerners. Indeed, some of the tourists we encountered during our short stay - and they were here in vastly greater numbers than in Haridwar - apparently thought it was still the '60s or '70s. Their ... read more

Despite the Silent Retreat having finished, we started the day out at 7 am in the morning and continued our practice of Babaji Surya Namaskar (sun salutation) and meditation. It was amazing to do it with the whole group each morning at the Ganges. The fresh air was chilly but the exercise kept us warm and we definitely woke up ;-). Our next destination was Rishikesh. The travelling began with a visit to the famous Chandi Devi Temple which is located in Haridwar but was on route to Rishikesh. The Chandi Devi Temple was installed by Adi Shankaracharya, an early 8th century theologian and philosopher. The temple is on a hill and a typical indian gondola takes you up there. Well, we all had fun to jump into the gondola and the view over the surrounding ... read more