Blogs from Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India, Asia - page 11

I left Shimla by bus, and endured a cramped but beautiful 11-hour bus ride through the hills and down to the relatively low-lying state of Uttaranchal. I was heading for Rishikesh, a small town on the holy Ganga river. Rishikesh is a major pilgrimage site for Hindus, being near the source of the Ganga and therefore home to several major temples. It is also known in the west as the place where the Beatles came when they went all weird and spiritual, and today attracts western tourists in their droves, who come to meditate, practice yoga or simply soak up the vibe. As a devout athiest, I wasn't here to do any of the above - I just wanted to enjoy the fresh mountain air some more and kayak in the clean, cool waters of this ... read more

Started a 4 week, 6 days per week, 6 hours per day yoga course. lots of theory. very nice!... read more

Good Day Following on our journey from Delhi, we arrived at Haridhwar at 1600 hours about 8.5 hours by car. On arrival we checked in at the Sun Hotel about half a kilometre from the River Ganges. Haridhwar is at the base of the Shiwalk hills is a town of temples,ghats and ashrams.Its location at the point where the Ganges leaves the Himalayas to begin its journey across the plains, makes it a particularly holy place. Every 12 years the kumbh festival attracts millions of pilgrims who come and bathe in the river. Our purpose for this trip was to participate in the Ganga Arthi on the river Ganges which is performed every day in the evening about 19h00 in front of thousands of devotees and tourist. We left our hotel at 18h00 hours and assebled ... read more

… SPIRITUAL WALK IN THE HIMALAYAS From 25th September to 10th October 2009 A two week 200 km spiritual walk in the Himalayas to the source of the river Ganga, Gomuk and a beautiful trek along the old pilgrimage route from Gangotri to Kedarnath. This Spiritual Walk is being organised by the Buddha Smiles(India) from 25th September to 10th October 2009 This journey will combine travel by bus/car from Rishikesh upto the motorable base camps/villages and further distances will be covered by walking in the high mountains. In all likelihood we would be required to walk at least 200 km during this two-week period. We will begin our trek from Gangotri (3,048 metres) to Gaumukh (3,892 metres) to the source of river Ganga and further towards Tapavon (4,500 metres). Visit to Tapavon depends on weather ... read more

Please imagine yourself waking up tomorrow in the international airport of New Delhi, India. If your anything like me your used to at least having the availability of such comforts as air conditioning, seatbelts, and being able to understand what the hell everybody around you is saying. Well, all of the sudden all that good stuff is gone. You are in a different world now. You really start to realize this a few minutes later as your cab driver casually speeds directly towards oncoming traffic and lays on the horn. This is it, you think. Your about to die already, trip is over. As you raise your hand over your eyes to block the sight of impending doom, the cab driver ducks into a gas station at the last moment, and you fake like you were ... read more