Blogs from Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India, Asia - page 24

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Asia » India » Uttarakhand » Rishikesh September 2nd 2007

Well, here's a few of the photos from Ladakh. It was an incredible month. Photos are slow to load, so I'll upload in batches. Look for more in the near future. Enjoy. ... read more
Our sturdy ship
AAAAGGGGHHHHH
Shanti Stupa

Asia » India » Uttarakhand » Rishikesh September 1st 2007

Independence Day, etc. After having lived in Than Gaon for the past month, I've certainly developed an affinity towards it. So much so that I look forward to returning there after every weekend, and I suspect I'll miss it once I leave. Things are just so simple there, without all the distraction & interference I've experienced in more populous, urban environments. I've still got two weeks left up there, and they'll be quite different from the previous month, as I'll (most likely) be alone. There's a slim chance that a couple med students might rotate up there, but probably not. All the other volunteers are gone - last goodbyes were said Friday night. The prospect of living there alone is a daunting one. There will be a couple people to talk to, though they're non-native-english ... read more
Up in the Clouds
A Than Gaon Sunset
Mother India

Asia » India » Uttarakhand » Rishikesh August 26th 2007

I have to dedicate an entire entry to this place as it is so incredibly close to my heart! Nahdi and I didn't really know where to head next after Amritsar.....I was thinking either Varanasi or Udaipur.....but then after talking to a few locals in the know, we decided to make Rishikesh our final destination in India....and boy did we make the right decision!!! Rishikesh is said to be the Yoga Capital of India (yes, India in general is the home of Yoga...but as we came to find out, Rishikesh in particular!). It's where the Himalayas meet the Ganges....so it's an incredibly beautiful and serene place filled with peace, love, tranquility, delicious food, chai tea, groovin sounds, yogi gurus, books, interesting travellers....and just everything you could want for totally chillaxing! And that is exactly what we ... read more
Lord Shiva Statue in Haridwar
The Ganges in Haridwar
Our 'family' at our favourite cafe for dinner

Asia » India » Uttarakhand » Rishikesh August 22nd 2007

Yesterday afternoon went to Swag Ashram, which the book suggests is the funkiest place in town. Wasn't overly impressed, although a couple of the ashrams are quite nice to walk around. I'm staying up in Lakshman Jhula, which has a much nicer atmosphere, I think- certainly more of a laid back vibe. This morning I crossed the bridge, and went to the Shri Trayanbakshwar temple. It's one of the two seven storey jobbies that looks like the castle in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and is one that Rishikesh is particularly famous for. Inside the entrance hall, the walls are lined with display cases bearing certificates from institutions that have something of the correspondence course about them - send us $350 and we will, in turn, will send you an MBA, a Diploma in Psychology, a wife....These ... read more

Asia » India » Uttarakhand » Rishikesh August 21st 2007

Everyone reads the paper in India. Even people you wouldn't expect. In Haridwar, my first proper morning, I watched as a boy delivering papers handed one to a girl selling puja on the pavement. They exchanged a few words, it was obviously a regular occurence, and then he sped off on his bike, and she spread the paper out on the pavement and started to read- perhaps the business pages, the sports news or maybe even just her horoscope. Neelambar Badoni (or maybe it was one of his associates) was reading the paper in the office on Mussoorie's Upper Mall, when I finally found it after half an hour of dwadling up and down Picture Palace. Poring over the paper at the desk, it looked as though he hadn't moved in hours, although when I'd tried ... read more

Asia » India » Uttarakhand » Rishikesh August 18th 2007

India - Another World First of all, my apologies to those of you who've been awaiting my first post. I know I promised a blog, and here it is, but I admit it took a long time coming. I have many excuses that I'll refrain from detailing here, so just enjoy. My first stop was Delhi, which was a bit rough. More accurately, I despise that city. Initially, I was staying with a local I'd met through Couchsurfing. He was an excellent host, and my negative impression of the city had nothing to do with him. Rather, Delhi is ugly, dirty, polluted, expensive, and everyone wants your money. I haven't met a single traveler who's enjoyed it, and most of the Indians I've spoken to have insisted it's full of dishonest cheats. My very first ... read more
Worker Slums
Gateway to Humayun's Tomb
Humayun's Tomb

Asia » India » Uttarakhand » Rishikesh August 17th 2007

i wish i could post all of them.... read more
more of our long walk
trees
naggar

Asia » India » Uttarakhand » Rishikesh August 16th 2007

i might as well be on another planet. if it weren't for certain reminders, i might be convinced space travel has been involved. but then of course, it has. i respect india. there's so much to understand. after several decided and then abandoned decisions on our next move, we're in rishikesh now. we left manali a week ago. we headed to chandigarh on a sleeper bus. we were on the second floor of the bus, in a bed, lounging, watching the green pass into a black sky with shooting stars. we were so happy on that ride, yak cheese sandwiches, farewell cookies from dylan's. but we were also sad to go. we almost missed the bus, of course, and on the richshaw ride there we both confessed that we kind of hoped we would. we made ... read more
naggar
manali
manali

Asia » India » Uttarakhand » Rishikesh August 13th 2007

In the end, it was not the flooding or the mudslides or the leacherous men or the suicidal drivers that put me incommunicado - it was a simple, recurring message on my screen, "Travelblog.org is down". Not only was it down for days, it was busy deleting our previous blog entries. Finally, 2 weeks later, I have managed to restore most of these, but some are just partial. Meanwhile so much has happened that I'm not sure how to catch you up with it all - but I want to! I also want to have a full record of where we've been already. So two things: 1) Are you still reading the blog? Do you want to read more? If so, comment here and let me know. If friends and family still want to read this, ... read more

Asia » India » Uttarakhand » Rishikesh June 27th 2007

After one of the worst bus trips of my life so far, we took off from the bus at a place that looked like a bus station. It was so hot, we seriously regretted leaving the cool temperatures behind us, but the next task was to find a place to stay. It was quite calm afternoon, no clouds, sun burning on us, and we didn't know where we were. Typical. After a short walk we reached the "main road" of the city I guess. Decided to take a rickshaw, and after some heavy bargaining (we've started to be really good), asked the driver if he knew any nice hotels/hostels. This time it was worth listening to the driver (other times the scenario has been different), because the place he took us was just fantastic! It's called ... read more
Henna-stuff
Henna-hands
Corn -exellent!




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