Blogs from Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India, Asia - page 28

I've now spent more time in Rishikesh than in any oth part of India. There's not really a whole lot to see, so i won't really spend a lot of time writting on it. I did however find a place with a trully chilled out vibe relaxed atmosphere. Th train ride up was itself something special (as they often are). This time we were booked on the Shatabti express, one of the all AC trains that runs from city to city through the day. This was crazy, we were treated like we were on an airliner. People in uniforms would come and offer drinks and give us bottled water free. Every stop there would be an anouncement in English and Japanese explaining what the town was known for - quite something for the tourist who was ... read more

You'd assume from the title that we attended an Indian wedding, but we didn't actually manage to do that... On our first day in Rishikesh Dave and I rented a motorbike and went up to a nearby temple. As often happens on trips like this the destination itself was less interesting than the small things on the way. The view from the temple would have been beautiful if it hadn't been so misty (we should have gone to see the sunrise like the guide recommended), but we didn't manage to see much. Yet on the way we stopped at an amusement park / circus in a small town. There weren't many attractions (for the locals we seemed to be the biggest attraction there - a whole flock of them followed me the first time I went ... read more

Air gach taobh dha'n a Ghanga, far an robh sinn a campadh, bha beantan mora a dol suas agus suas! Gach oidhche, anuair a bha sinn a suidhe timicheal air an teine, bha sinn a coimhead suas air na soluis a bha tighinn bho na coimhearsnachdan beaga a bha fuireach shuas. Cha robh dealan aca, 's leis a sin cha robh moran soluis ann airson na daoine a bha fuireach as na beantan. Aon latha choisich sinn air an drochaid a bha dol thairis an Ganga agus chaidh sinn suas an rathad cas. Bha torr dhaoine ag obair gu trang ag ullachadh an rathad agus bha iad uile cho deonach agus toilichte a bhi g'obair comhladh. Bha na nigheanan a togail na clachan mora agus a coiseach leis air a cheann agus bha na gillean an ... read more

In the Aquaterra camp at Silversands on the bank of the Ganges, there are dry pit latrines. These toilets are pits dug in the ground. A wooden box with a toilet seat is placed on top of the hole. There is a pile of sand and lime behind the box with a scoop on top of the pile. You use it just like home but when you are finished you scoop some of the sand/lime mixture on top of your "job"! This kind of toilet is new to me; it feels Ok after a while but still a bit weird compared to toilets at home. It seems to work well if a bit smelly! Around India they have either normal "Western Style" toilets or "Indian Style" toilets which are just a hole with foot pads either ... read more

well i've spent the last here in rishikesh... a spiritual place on the ganga in the foothills of the himalaya's... beautiful... the beatles came hear and stayed with maharishi mahesh yogi and consequently wrote many of the songs found on the white album... now it has become quite touristy but still charming none-the-less... it is called the yoga capital of the world and i can see why ;-) i did some yoga and appreciated it... hatha and pranayama while learning many asanas (positions?)... i must admit i dont see myself being a yogi but i will take what i learned and hopefully incorporate it into a daily routine of healthy living... the weather during the days here is beautiful but at this time of year there is a cold wind that blows down through the valley... ... read more