Blogs from Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India, Asia - page 9

Blogging Away The following morning I was awake for a long time before I managed to haul myself out of bed; I was feeling a bit off and so lay around for a while. To my surprise, when I got to my feet and checked the time, it was only 8.30am. No sooner was I up and about however, than I felt my stomach turn in a way that was becoming familiar. After a short while in my room it felt safe to go out for breakfast, but I stayed close by. I went to the café I'd sat in on my first night in Rishakesh, with the seating on the floor and ordered a full breakfast of toast, scrambled egg and fried vegetables. As I waited for my food, I called the ashram I'd been ... read more

Driving the hairpin bends of the Himalaya roads is not an experience for the fainthearted. The narrow roads cling to the side of the mountain, with long sharp drops to the side. As a passenger in a jeep – without seatbelts, naturally – I clung to the seat in front as the driver casually took a call on his mobile whilst overtaking an oil tanker around a blind corner. Which was nice. We were travelling from Rishikesh, self-billed yoga capital of India. Certainly there are a lot of dreadlocked hippy types in this town by the Ganges. There's more yoga and meditation than you can shake a stick at, and someone called Nigel advertises hypnotherapy and numerology on the local noticeboards. There’s certainly no shortage of gurus. Rishikesh is famous as the place the Beatles came ... read more

Rishikesh Dev Bhoomi ( Land of God) Rishikesh 24 Kms. from Hardwar. Located in the laps of lower Himalayas, and is surrounded by scenic beauty of the hills on three sides with Holy Ganga flowing through it. The whole place is considered to be sacred as it is believed that meditation at this place leads to attainment of salvation. There are many temples-some ancient, some new along the river Ganges. Rishikesh is important not only as pilgrimage centre closely associated with the Ramayana, but also as home for many important centres of Hindu religious thought and spirituality, and as a very great Yoga Centre. There are a great many ashrams and Yoga institutes here. Rishikesh is also the gateway and the start-off point for journeys to important religious places like Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamu ... read more

Yesterday morning I got up at my usual time of 5a.m. for yoga, but when I saw the mist laying like a gossamer blanket I decided to take photographs instead. The spider webs were stunning. Yes I am still frightened of spiders but the webs looked too exquisit to miss. Although I dislike them, these little creatures are truly amazing architects. Click on the photos to enlarge them and get a better look at these works of art - the webs, not my photos! Not a lot to say, just feeling wonderful in this peaceful place. ... read more

So I'm in Rishikesh, a 'spiritual' 'town in the hills on the Ganges which has been attracting Westerners of a hippyish inclination ever since the Beetles stayed here in an Ashram to write the White album. The night train from Delhi was just fine. Purchased my ticket from the specially designated, uncrowded, blissfully air-conditioned foreign tourists information center at New Delhi station. Staff spoke English and I even paid in Sterling at the correct exchange rate. So easy! Had to mission it across town to Old Delhi station to catch the actual train, a journey made more entertaining by the fact that the Motor-Rkshaw guy let me have a go at driving. Get behind the wheel (well, handles) of one of those things and you begin to understand why people drive them the way they do. ... read more