Blogs from Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India, Asia - page 17

There is a familiar saying that goes ‘Life is what happens when you have other plans’. I’ve found this to be particular true in India, a country in which the main lesson seems to be surrender. Things have a life and pace of their own here. You can make all the plans in the world, but if Mother India isn’t ready to let you go, something will happen to keep you just a little bit longer. And sometimes, a lifetime of experiences can occur within a week or two. This is exactly what has been going on for me recently. I finally managed to leave Rishikesh on 10th May, almost on schedule and only three days late, with MJ for a week-long trip into the Himalayas. After this, I had decided, I would take a break ... read more

Rishikesh, town of ashrams, yogis, temples and meditation, has been a fantastic insight into Indian religion. Although, unfortunately, my knowledge of Hinduism and Buddhism has been only very slightly increased, I have been surrounded by the sound of mantras and temple bells throughout my days here, and been greeted by the vibrant colours of women's sarees and the clothing of sadhus (holy men) as i wonder the streets. The town is based around the River Ganga, much like Varanasi, except without the pollution, and the backpacker area is monitered mainly on two sides in the north of the town, in two areas known as High Bank on one side of the river, and Laxman Jhula on the other side (where i am staying). There are many ashrams where one can practice yoga and meditation, which i ... read more

Forget an intro, lets jump right in: The last time I left you all, I was heading up into the mountains... so at first, Wojcieck (the Polish guy I've been travelling with) and I had thought to use a guide. It was very cheap, only $30 per person per day, and that included all your gear as well as someone to carry it up for you. Then we started thinking... if it only costs 30 bucks, how much will they really do? So instead of the guide, we bought a map for a dollar and walked up ourselves. It was an 11km hike, with an altitude change of 1100 meters, no easy deal, but the view from the top was spectacular. I tried to take some pictures that could catch the feeling of the place, but ... read more

We got up early yesterday, and by 7:30 we were heading down the mountain towards the river, with the intention of climbing the mountains on the other side to see a temple dedicated to Shiva. The guidebook told us it was a 7 kilometer walk, and that it should take 3 hours. Happily, we set off, skipping breakfast but already planning where to eat brunch when we returned. Seven hours later, tired, hungry, stroppy and sunburnt, we were still walking home. Having walked 16 kilometers, we had seen some spectacular views, climbed several Himalayan mountains, made it to the temple (which I was, unfortunately, not allowed to photograph - it might be the most impressive building I've ever seen in my life!), been adopted by two groups of Indians travelling to and from the temple, fed ... read more

4 hours in 3 hours back 2 monkey feedings 2 adoptions 1 monkey attack + 1 amazing temple = Best day in India yet We woke early, planning on hiking our way out to a temple 7km away. Called Neelkanth, it refers to an incident in Hindu mythology where Shiva drank some poison from the ocean and turned his throat blue (Neelkanth means "blue throat"). The morning was cool, an the day planned to be mild, reaching no more than 95 degrees Farenheit. We had to walk a few kilometers out from Rishikesh to get to the trailhead, which was made instantly recognizable by the presence of a local businessman and a wild hilarious of langur monkeys. Langurs are large monkeys, with the males reaching 3-4 feet high, 40-50 pounds, with a very long tail. ... read more