Day 107 - Into the Clear

Rishikesh is a smallish town nestled between the Ganges and the foothills of the Himalayas. We decided to join up with the fellows we met on the train - one English, one American, and one Vietnamese-born German. Together we found the right bus (a challenge since all bus signs are written in Hindi) and made our way to the town center. From there, we hunted and haggled until we found a tuk-tuk driver who would agree to our price and take us further up the mountain above the town.

Up here, the air is clear, and we are surrounded by trees. We had breakfast, then English, German, and I went to scope out places to stay while Cz and American stayed at the restaurant to watch our packs. We settled on a family-run guesthouse with fine mountain views, and large comfy rooms for 200Rs (about $5 US) a night. We like it so much here that we are ditching our train ticket to Lucknow (everyone we talk to says its not worth seeing anyway) and staying in Rishikesh for a few extra days.

The vibe here is totally different from anywhere else we have been in India. It is a yoga, meditation and massage center. Most visitors are long-term, and everyone is very friendly and laid back. I spent the afternoon wandering around with English. We meandered through the town, stopped by the Beatles' Ashram (the yoga center where they wrote the White Album), and in generally puttered about enjoying the calm and friendly atmosphere. Cz enjoyed the calm by taking a big nap and reading his book on our porch with the aforementioned spectacular views.

Tomorow we might rent some motorbikes, or maybe horses, and the day after that we might go on an overnight rafting trip down the Ganges. Perhaps not the holiest of pursuits on the holiest of rivers...

We are feeling free and easy with our time, sort of letting whatever wants to unfold to unfold. This is how I imagined traveling in India would be; spontanious, laid back, and exciting. That is not to say I didn't enjoy our tour of Rajasthan, it's just not how I imagined exploring the country. Now that we are on our own time, with our own schedule (or lack thereof), we will probably see fewer places, but get deeper under the skin of the places we do.