(Catherine) We had originally planned to spend Christmas in Delhi but felt a bit 'citied-out' so we decided to re-route to Rishikesh (where - pop fact - the Beatles stayed in 1968 and apparently wrote the 'White Album'!). Rishikesh is the gateway to treks in the Himalaya so it's surrounded by forested hills which are really picturesque. The Ganges also flows through it (a nice, clean bit that looks good in photos!). There are lots of ashrams, monkeys, yoga centres, temples and, as we discovered after we'd booked our train tickets, an alcohol ban!!! You can imagine our despair at the thought of Christmas Day without a drink!!! As it was a celebration, we booked into a mid-range hotel (17 pounds a night - a fortune!) which had room service and a TV (woo-hoo!). On the
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