Dharamsala is the headquarters of the Dalai Lama of Tibet, exiled from the land by the possession and oppression of the communist Chinese govt. A very sizable Tibetan community exists here, giving it a common nickname of "Little Llasa", Llasa being the capital of Tibet. Here the Tibetans seem to coexist peacefully with the native Indians, although in observing both groups there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of interaction amongst the two groups. Several kilometers up the road and a bit higher in the hills from Dharamsala is the village of MacLeod Ganj, the primary backpacker and traveler depot of the region. Located in the himalayan Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, Dharamsala and McLeod Ganj are at about 5500 ft in elevation. The weather is a bit colder than in Rishikesh and rains for extended periods each day. Monsoon season is coming to an end soon in this area which will lessen the severity of the almost daily rainfalls. There is much incredible scenery and mountains nearby which I look forward to hiking more extensively when the rain lessens and potential of being caught in a big storm abates. It is not too much problem getting around town during the torrential rains, which can at times come down quite hard, as long as I am carrying an umbrella. It wouldn't be much fun or very worthwhile to hike longer distances in hard rain and no visibility of the mtns. All the moisture in the air makes for abundant clouds, which can be quite beautiful when they are lower in altitude and floating over the underlying valley below.
Several kilometers up one of the roads from center McLeod Gang (MG) are the small villages of Bhagsu and DharamKat. It takes about 20 mins to reach each of these villages but along the way there are some impressive cascading waterfalls which are thriving during the rainy season. Large groups of Israeli travelers congregate in these villages. India, particularly this area, is a very popular traveling location for backpacking Israelis, many having finished their mandated military duties. Beyond these villages are trails leading higher up into and around the mountains. I hope to make it to a village called Triund, about 9 kilometers away, before I am out of town. Another hr or two beyond here is snowline from what I hear. I am fairly certain about the proper trails, which don't always have proper indicators and signs, and don't wish to hire a tour guide or anything as my financial capabilities are a bit hindered at the moment. Nor do I wish to get lost.
I arrived in D/MG during the middle of the playing of the Olympic games being held in China. In the previous months various protests and uprisings had occurred in various spots throughout Asia, including Llasa and I believe Kathmandu. I'm not sure the extend to which demonstrations had occurred here in previous months, however with the large Tibetan refugee population located here there was much potential for significant protests to be held. I hear and read that protests and conflicts have occurred here in the past. While arriving in town flyers, posters, and banners were everywhere protesting the Chinese occupation of Tibet as well as the Olympics. "Free Tibet" posters, t-shirts, and flags etc are everywhere in town. It is interesting seeing how this all fits in with the Indians living here. However the Indians are a very tolerant people for the most part and I hear they have much respect for the Dalai Lama. Throughout the entire state Tibetan Buddhism is a large presence along with Hinduism, especially as one goes further north up into the himalayas and nearer the Tibetan border with India. During several of the evenings I was in MG during the Olympics the Tibetans did stage peaceful walks while chanting and carrying candles. I didn't stick around and follow the walks, which I believe were making there way towards the nearby Dalai Lama residence, but they were interesting to observe. Tibetans of all ages including maroon and saffron robed monks and nuns, and civilians along with some foreigners would be amongst those walking in the streets.
The Dalai Lama and the Tibetan gov't in exile had the choice of several locations in India during the late 50's when they were choosing where to headquarter there gov't. They ultimately chose this area and it is not hard to see why considering the areas great natural beauty. Speaking of the Dalai Lama, I had the good fortune of witnessing him in person on Sunday morning as he was making his way back to town from one of his extended trips teaching abroad. In looking at his schedule on his website one can see he maintains a pretty intense and regular schedule throughout the world. On the 24th of August he was making his way back through town on the way to his headquarters. The streets were lined with Tibetan monks, nuns, and civilians of all ages as well as other bystanders and curious onlookers hoping to catch a glimpse of him. It was definitely a charged atmosphere, waiting to see one of the worlds most admired and important spiritual leaders and teachers. I almost toally missed him as he was driven through the center of town. As him and his entourage came up a hill and into town there were about 6 cars in a row able to be seen. I had my camera ready and was hoping to get a good shot of him. I think I was expecting him to be standing in a jeep or something waving to the crowds, perhaps in the middle of the entourage of cars to provide a buffer. However this didn't turn out to be the case. I was watching the cars when my friend Dolma hollered to me too "look - there he is!" He was casually sitting in the 2nd car in the passenger seat waving to everyone with a big smile on his face. His vehicle was driven by about 10-15 ft away from me and passed by so quickly I barely had time to process the moment. It felt very surreal and powerful seeing him so close. Such a humble guy to be riding in a plain non-descript sedan without a hint of luxury. Hopefully it was at least bulletproof to protect against any possible would be assassins. I'm sure the Chinese would love to see him dead and could easily do so if they wished. Just as quickly as he was driven by the crowds on both sides of the streets dispersed and life on the streets went back to normal.
I met a very lovely and beautiful Tibetan girl in her mid-twenties by the name of Dolma who I have been spending time with. The way in which we met is definitely the most unusual way I have ever met a girl before. One afternoon the red-tinged monkeys with a meanstreak were running rampant throughout the hill and area where I was residing. My guesthouse is located on the edge of a large hill and has 3 floors with large porch areas with incredible views and connecting to adjacent dwellings. The buildings are all stuffed together quite comfortably yet separate. The monkeys were running along the floors and digging into trash bins looking for food. I was trying to scare them off with my umbrella when I bumped into Dolma running up the steps to her floor. We teamed up and ran off the remaining monkeys, then spent some time watching them as they sat off just to the side. We also had some fun trying to instigate some of the larger monkeys into making their menacing faces and gestures. It usually doesn't take too much to get their attention and get them to make threatening faces baring their teeth, or feigning that they are going to jump your way and attack. After tiring of the monkeys were talked for a while and i found out she had moved to India 11 yrs ago with her older sister, fleeing the communist Chinese occupation and takeover in Llasa, the capital of Tibet. She has not seen her parents since then, but is able to speak with them on the phone every so often. She told me about some of the atrocities and horrors she witnessed in Tibet and says she has to be careful in even calling her parents in Tibet, particularly during the time of the Olympics. The Chinese govt is very sneaky and could be listening in on her conversation. She doesn't want to put them at any risk speaking about something the authorities may find offensive or Pro-Tibet, which includes much.
While she lives in Delhi and most recently was working in Agra at a highend spa doing massage therapy and beauty work, she is escaping the extreme heat of Delhi and staying for a while here. It has been very nice to have her to hang out with and get to know. She has a television in her room which I have found myself checking out. Its amazing how popular American Professional Wrestling -WWE - is here in India. It is on almost every day and one of the big names is a huge Indian wrestler named the Great Khali. He is over 7'3" and 350 lbs, plays a villian, and can often be seen adorning Indians t-shirts. I would never watch the stuff back in the states but for some reason I find it interesting watching here. Typically I have to find creative ways to spend my time - reading, yoga, walking, coffee shops, etc - it can be nice to be a zombie and watch tv without having to think too much. Dolma also has a cute little puppy dog to play with and we have been playing gin rummy a bit lately. One part of traveling I have found difficult is meeting and really connecting with certain people for several weeks of time, then getting to that point where you have to move on with the possibility of never seeing that person again. I will really miss Dolma as I have found her to be a very sweet and simple girl with a very big heart. At least I will be able to keep in touch with her via the internet.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Yoga at Yoga Niketan Ashram
With most yoga venues and schools closed for the summer and monsoon season and various teachers apparently out of town, there remained a number of possibilities and places to take class. My lonely planet guide listed and recommended about six ashrams and teachers in town. In addition to these there were countless flyers and advertisements for yoga classes and workshops. Many of these flyers were outdated and advertised classes from the busy period earlier in the yr. My first full day in Rishikesh I made it a point to visit as many of the recommended sites as listed in L.P. as possible, in addition to some posted on the walls around town. One such place that I visited and I previously had recommended to me was the Yoga Niketan, near the Ram Jhula bridge and the extremely lively and noisy taxi/rickshaw stand. Fortunately the ashram was located many steps up a hill, covered by fence and far enough away from the chaos of the street to insulate against most of the noise.
My initial experience in attempting to visit Y.N. and find out more about their program epitimized the ever occurring frustrations and difficulties in speaking with Indians using the English language. While practically all Indians seem to speak English to varying degrees of efficacy, their style and manner of communicating it can be quite frustrating. Upon walking up the flight of steps to reach the grounds of the ashram, there was a guard station overseeing checking in and out of the grounds. In speaking with the attendent at the station I attempted to express my desire to learn more about the ashram and find out who to speak to about pertinent information. Repeatably he would answer that "it is not possible" or something to that effect, along with the standard Indian bobbing of the head, which I have yet to figure out. I attempted to rephrase my request about 3-4 more times in more basic and simple language but was still met with "it is not possible." Finally after almost throwing up my arms in defeat and frustration he seemed to comprehend my purpose in being there and my desire to speak with the administrators, located at a bld about 50 ft further along a pass. I think initially he thought I wanted to walk through the grounds by myself and see things, which is not permitted. However at last I was admitted into the grounds and was impressed by the well maintained campus and very nice gardens. Apparently lots of work had been put into the place to make it look impressive.
As it took much uphill walking to reach the ashram from the street, it was located high up enough to provide excellent views of the Ganges River and the distant views of the festivities alongside other side of the river. I found out the minimum stay at the ashram was 15 days at 500 rupees per day, approx $12.50 a day. This included a room with a luxuriously rigid bed, good for the back and spine, 3 meals a day, and 2 yoga and meditation classes a day apiece. We also had access to a decent library during certain hrs of the day which had a nice collection of yogic and associated literature, as well as some magazines. First bell rings at 4:30am with meditation beginning at 5-6am followed by yoga from 630 -730am, then breakfast at 8am. In the evening yoga was 5-6pm, meditation from 7-8pm, then dinner at the late time of 8:15pm. Food was decent, traditinal Indian vegetarian cuisine referred to as "Thali." This consisted of white rice, lentils and beans, a cooked vegetable mix, fresh cucumber slices, and chapati, this being a thin, flat, circulate cooked dough. It was good stuff and very filling, but tiring eating the pretty much the same stuff each meal. Fortunately if u wanted you could leave the ashram pretty much whenever you wanted, as long as u back inside by 10pm, and eat elsewhere if you wanted some variety and didn't mind spending some more money. Breakfast was some kind of rice ghoulash which I didn't often portake in, although it wasn't that bad.
When I arrived at the ashram there were approx 25 people, or inmates as we are referred to on the ashram literature. An eclectic mix from the U.S., Europe, Australia, lots of Japanese, and some Chinese. Interestingly there were 2 people other than myself from Denver, CO. One was a hippie with huge dreadlocks who said he lived in LoDo and sometimes took classes at Corepoweryoga in town. The other was an interesting native Chilean who recently earned his PhD in electrical engineering and was now teaching at U Colo Denver. His current apartment in the capital hill neigh of Denver was a mere few blocks away from one of my previous apartments. He seemed like a cool guy worth keeping in touch with. He is also a big soccer fan and player who I can find out more about pickup soccer games. Other Americans included a woman named Sunshine from the hills of Georgia, a refugee from the Evangelistic Christianity of the south. She had some shoulder issues and asked if I would do some massage therapy on her after finding out I was a therapist back home. First time I had done massage in a while. Another guy, Adam in his mid twenties from Florida, arrived in India several wks ago and plans on staying for about a yr or so, primarily immersing himself in yoga and the spiritual of India. His yoga practice was very mindful and controlled, enhanced and shaped by several yrs of Tai Chi practice prior to picking up yoga several yrs ago. I hope to keep in touch with him through the yr to see what kind of experiences he encounters and recommends, as I would love to make it back to India in coming yrs. My time in India is much too short to get around to experiencing everything I would like to. Another woman from Ireland I felt sorry for as she broke her arm walking down one of the sidewalks of the ashram, attempted to break her fall when she slipped.
Another dude, Paul in his 30's from Ireland and I believe another engineer by trade, I had a chance to play chess with. This the first time for me playing chess since being in the islands of Thailand. He has an amazing time coming up for himself, as he is traveling throughout Thailand, down to Indonesia and Australia and New Zealand finding beaches to surf at. One of the Chinese girls, Unki in her late twenties, was one of the most beautiful Chinese ladies I have ever met. She does some kind of modeling work back in Shanghai China and while here practicing yoga is escaping the madness of the Olympics in China.
My initial experience in attempting to visit Y.N. and find out more about their program epitimized the ever occurring frustrations and difficulties in speaking with Indians using the English language. While practically all Indians seem to speak English to varying degrees of efficacy, their style and manner of communicating it can be quite frustrating. Upon walking up the flight of steps to reach the grounds of the ashram, there was a guard station overseeing checking in and out of the grounds. In speaking with the attendent at the station I attempted to express my desire to learn more about the ashram and find out who to speak to about pertinent information. Repeatably he would answer that "it is not possible" or something to that effect, along with the standard Indian bobbing of the head, which I have yet to figure out. I attempted to rephrase my request about 3-4 more times in more basic and simple language but was still met with "it is not possible." Finally after almost throwing up my arms in defeat and frustration he seemed to comprehend my purpose in being there and my desire to speak with the administrators, located at a bld about 50 ft further along a pass. I think initially he thought I wanted to walk through the grounds by myself and see things, which is not permitted. However at last I was admitted into the grounds and was impressed by the well maintained campus and very nice gardens. Apparently lots of work had been put into the place to make it look impressive.
As it took much uphill walking to reach the ashram from the street, it was located high up enough to provide excellent views of the Ganges River and the distant views of the festivities alongside other side of the river. I found out the minimum stay at the ashram was 15 days at 500 rupees per day, approx $12.50 a day. This included a room with a luxuriously rigid bed, good for the back and spine, 3 meals a day, and 2 yoga and meditation classes a day apiece. We also had access to a decent library during certain hrs of the day which had a nice collection of yogic and associated literature, as well as some magazines. First bell rings at 4:30am with meditation beginning at 5-6am followed by yoga from 630 -730am, then breakfast at 8am. In the evening yoga was 5-6pm, meditation from 7-8pm, then dinner at the late time of 8:15pm. Food was decent, traditinal Indian vegetarian cuisine referred to as "Thali." This consisted of white rice, lentils and beans, a cooked vegetable mix, fresh cucumber slices, and chapati, this being a thin, flat, circulate cooked dough. It was good stuff and very filling, but tiring eating the pretty much the same stuff each meal. Fortunately if u wanted you could leave the ashram pretty much whenever you wanted, as long as u back inside by 10pm, and eat elsewhere if you wanted some variety and didn't mind spending some more money. Breakfast was some kind of rice ghoulash which I didn't often portake in, although it wasn't that bad.
When I arrived at the ashram there were approx 25 people, or inmates as we are referred to on the ashram literature. An eclectic mix from the U.S., Europe, Australia, lots of Japanese, and some Chinese. Interestingly there were 2 people other than myself from Denver, CO. One was a hippie with huge dreadlocks who said he lived in LoDo and sometimes took classes at Corepoweryoga in town. The other was an interesting native Chilean who recently earned his PhD in electrical engineering and was now teaching at U Colo Denver. His current apartment in the capital hill neigh of Denver was a mere few blocks away from one of my previous apartments. He seemed like a cool guy worth keeping in touch with. He is also a big soccer fan and player who I can find out more about pickup soccer games. Other Americans included a woman named Sunshine from the hills of Georgia, a refugee from the Evangelistic Christianity of the south. She had some shoulder issues and asked if I would do some massage therapy on her after finding out I was a therapist back home. First time I had done massage in a while. Another guy, Adam in his mid twenties from Florida, arrived in India several wks ago and plans on staying for about a yr or so, primarily immersing himself in yoga and the spiritual of India. His yoga practice was very mindful and controlled, enhanced and shaped by several yrs of Tai Chi practice prior to picking up yoga several yrs ago. I hope to keep in touch with him through the yr to see what kind of experiences he encounters and recommends, as I would love to make it back to India in coming yrs. My time in India is much too short to get around to experiencing everything I would like to. Another woman from Ireland I felt sorry for as she broke her arm walking down one of the sidewalks of the ashram, attempted to break her fall when she slipped.
Another dude, Paul in his 30's from Ireland and I believe another engineer by trade, I had a chance to play chess with. This the first time for me playing chess since being in the islands of Thailand. He has an amazing time coming up for himself, as he is traveling throughout Thailand, down to Indonesia and Australia and New Zealand finding beaches to surf at. One of the Chinese girls, Unki in her late twenties, was one of the most beautiful Chinese ladies I have ever met. She does some kind of modeling work back in Shanghai China and while here practicing yoga is escaping the madness of the Olympics in China.
The yoga teachers, three of them in their late twenties and early thirties, were amazing yogis in themselves showcasing amazing strength, balance, flexibility, and focus in their demonstrations of various asanas while leading class. While the classes were only 1 hr long and occassionally going over in time, they were very challenging and styled in a way much different than I am accustomed to. One morning the yoga asanas were ended approx 20 mins into class and we were all led outside to a patio area holding some large buckets of salt water. Here we were to be instructed in the yogic practice of nasal cleaning, the exact term escapes me at the moment. We were handed miniature looking water pitchers. With these we poured the salt water into one of our nostrils with our heads tilted, the objective to have the water come out the other nostril. This I was able to successfully accomplish , thoroughly cleansing out my nasal passages of all snot and associated debris. Breathing felt much easier. The next practice was much more challenging. This involved pouring the salt water down our throats without swallowing, then bring it up and out our nostrils. After repeatably swalling the brackish water and unsuccessfully squirting it out my nose, I frustratingly gave up while beginning to feel a nauseous feeling in my stomach from the accumulation of salt water in my empty stomach. The 3rd practice we were led into was even more difficult. Here we were to insert a stiff string into our nasal passage with the intent of guiding it down the correct passageway into our throat and up out our mouths. The yoga structor made it look so easy executring with such quickness and skill. I myself didn't come close to matching his skill. I was completely unable to get the string into the proper passageway in my nose. Instead it felt like the stiff string was being guided straight up into my frontal lobe. It was an extremely uncomfortable feeling, although I'm sure I was not near deep enough to be close to brain matter. It was very difficult attempting to relax my face well enough to allow the string into the proper passage. I had one of the teachers helping me out in trying to insert it into the proper spot, but each time I would tighten my face up preventing any success. After about 6-7 tries with help from the instructor and him attempting to get me to relax my face, I started to get a very lightheaded and nausous and had to walk away. I starting walking back up to my room and almost fell over as my head and stomach were spinning out of control. Fortunately I kept everything in my stomach.
The meditation instructor was a skinny Swami with a huge beard in his 60's or something who I couldn't comprehend a single word when he was speaking for several mins before each meditation session. Fortunately I didn't enter the ashram with the intent of learning how to meditate, instead to merely deepen my practice and hopefully calm my mind down a bit more. It would have been nice if I could have understood some of his messages which I am sure were quite instructive and wise. It can be very difficult at times understanding the English spoken by Indians with their heavy accents.
My room I had assigned was spacious enough with a single bed and my own bathroom with hot water heater for the shower. The shower didn't have a traditional western faucet allowing multiple streams of water coming out. Instead it just gushed out of a pipe from the wall one thick stream. I was just grateful to have a shower in my room and not have to venture to a shared facility which often get quite filthy. It was extremely humid and often very hot during the days, making the need to shower sometimes 3-4 times a day. It was very difficult to get clothes to dry as the air was so thick with moisture. Even though I had a large overhead fan to keep things relatively cool in my room, i would still sweat much while sleeping, when I was able to at least. This would dampen up the bed and pillow sheet, which didn't typically dry too well. By the end of the wk they were smelling like strong mildew, not exactly the most fragrant smell to rest my head and nose to. Fortunately I had lots of company in my room in the form of insects to keep me from being too alone. One evening I felt something crawling on me, in turning in the lights I discovered a rather large cockroach on my leg which had crawled up from the floor. 2nd time for me in Rishikesh I have woken up with a coachroach on or around me, the previous time one tickling my toes. I was at least wearing a pair of loose pants, which I had taken up to wearing at night to protect from mosquito and other bedbug bites. It felt like I was constantly getting nipped up by something, hence wearing a pair of pants and a t-shirt for protection even though they kept me more warm than necessary I found necessary. Applying lots of tiger balm to my ankles and feet and arms had a very nice analgesic and cooling sensation, also possibly deterring insects from the distinct aroma.
I wound up ultimately staying for 17 days. Would have been nice to stay longer but felt like it way time to get moving along. By the time I was ready to leave there were few Americans or other westerners left at the ashram. Mostly Japanese and Chinese. It was still nice to be around others speaking clear English and I could get to know some during the course of several wks. Feels like the past several wks or more I had spent much of my time alone, although I am always meeting curious Indians and Nepalese while in Nepal. My yoga practice definitely felt like it was strenghened while at the ashram. I went to a few other classes and teachers while in Rishikesh but didn't feel too compelled to continue to stick around with them. I look forward to heading up north to Dharamsala and Mcleod Ganj, the headquarters of the Dalai Lama and a large Tibetan community.
I wound up ultimately staying for 17 days. Would have been nice to stay longer but felt like it way time to get moving along. By the time I was ready to leave there were few Americans or other westerners left at the ashram. Mostly Japanese and Chinese. It was still nice to be around others speaking clear English and I could get to know some during the course of several wks. Feels like the past several wks or more I had spent much of my time alone, although I am always meeting curious Indians and Nepalese while in Nepal. My yoga practice definitely felt like it was strenghened while at the ashram. I went to a few other classes and teachers while in Rishikesh but didn't feel too compelled to continue to stick around with them. I look forward to heading up north to Dharamsala and Mcleod Ganj, the headquarters of the Dalai Lama and a large Tibetan community.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Rishikesh India
Rishikesh is often referred to as the yoga capital of the world with its abundance of ashrams and yoga programs. The ganges river flows through town and hindu holy men - sadhus - are walking around everywhere, along with hordes of errant holy cows rummaging for food. Two different types of monkeys are seen in different areas of the city, the mostly white with black face langurs, plus another common red tinged Indian monkey. The langurs are larger and more easy-going and quite graceful moving around. They almost look like mini kangaroos jumping and swinging through the trees and environment with their big legs. The red tinged monkeys, some species of macaque I believe, are smaller, stockier and have much more attitude. They love to growl, threaten, and show their teeth and can be fiercly protective of their clan, as I found out one time when I mistakingly was caught in between 2 young ones and their clan.
At the moment it is off-season for tourism and most of the yoga schools, so much fewer than normal tourists and travelers are in town, making my foreign presence stick out that much more to the Indians, who often look at me as though I am an alien. In recent wks the city has been besieged by tens of thousands of Hindu pilgrims making their way to Rishikesh and onward to some Shiva temple outside town. Most of the pilgrims are in their twenties and teens and in large groups, all wearing all orange attire shorts and t-shirts, emblazened with different images of Shiva. The first several times I passed them in I found them a bit threatening walking in their groups often with fierce looks on their face. However I have found out they are all quite friendly inspite of their occassional intense demeanor and constantly coming up to talk to me and find out where I am from and my name. Also constantly getting requests for photos, which sometimes can getting irritating. During the several wks of their pilgrimmage the town was absolutely swamped with pilgrims and difficult at times getting around through the crowds. Pretty noisy too as they are often chanting names of Shiva and other words I find incomprehensible. It did often sound like they were chanting words like "Bum Bum" in reponse to a leader in the front chanting some other words. This chanting and racket could often be heard late into the night as the pilgrimmage apparently didn't slow down for many during the nighttime hours. During the daytime many people take to the streets, the temples, near the river, and pretty much anywhere relatively flat to sleep and rest their bodies.. Can't be too comfortable sleeping on the asphalt over night, at least cardboard and other paper is often put down on the ground to lay upon, providing cover along with protection from the everpresent cow feces on the streets
The city is located right at the base of the himalayas, so some picturesque mountains form the backdrop of the city. Like every other Indian city, the place is noisy as hell with endless horn honking from the over abundance of cars, motor bikes, and rickshaws driving the streets and working their way through all the pedestrians and cows. Street signs and lights are relatively non-existence, with the exception of seeing some non-working traffic lights at a major intersection in the middle of the city. The vast majority of the ashrams, yoga centers, gnats, and tourist areas are several miles north of the actual city of Rishikesh. Two large suspension bridges, about a mile apart from each other, cross the Ganges and lead to separate sections of Rishikesh. Lakshman Jula is located at the north bridge, while Ram Jula is at the southern bridge. Monkeys can often be seen climbing the wires leading high across the bridge. Often they come down low to the side railings and attempt to steal peoples food. One time I put my camera up to within 3 or 4 feet of one of the agressive macaque monkeys and almost had it swiped.
Coming straight out of the mountains and likely from the glaciers, the water is cold and relatively clean, free of the pollution and sewage runoffs further along its path, particularly the Varanasi portion which is supposed to be quite filthy. Gnats are set up in many spots in the city, these being steps leading down to the river. Here many pilgrims and Indians go to bathe and clean themselves, swim, as well as fill up containers full of the holy water. During the early mornings and evenings there are ceremonies going on with singing, chanting, instrument playing and the setting off of flowers with incense and flame to the Ganges as prayer and offering. One particular substance within the flame is camphor, which is supposed to symbolize the burning of one's ego. There are actually some locations in various areas of the city with decent sized beaches to lounge at and go swimming. I took a walk one day down to one of these beaches, littered with huge boulders and errant cows with the possible intent of taking a dip into the Ganges. However, this became infeasible within minutes as small crowds of Indians started coming over to stare and talk with me. At least I was able to walk in the Ganges for a little bit and get some good pictures. Next time I will have to find a more remote spot further away from the masses.
Food on the streets is pretty good, particularly the chai tea. Although it is cooked up in filthy dark pots crusted over with old tea grinds and other residue, it pretty much always comes out tasting delicious and is super cheap, typically the equivalent of paying 10-15 cents a small cup. Ingrdients are basically black tea, cinnamon, cardamon, skin milk, water, sometimes some anise and ginger, as well as other possible ingredients tossed into the typically filthy pot, heated up, and then strained into a small glass. The pot doesn't seem to be ever cleaned and is put right back up on the stove, usually covered. It's also nice getting cups that u just watched the cooks cleaned out with their fingers.
So far I have been fortunate and haven't gotten sick at all during my time in India, about 1 month and a half. I was sick once in Nepal for several days with awful diarrhea and fever, and Thailand several times. I better tap on some wood be4 I jinx my luck. So far in traveling over 7 months I believe my body has started to acclimate itself to the bacteria and other microbes in the environment no present in the US. Doing lots of yoga has also helped to detoxify, cleanse, and protect my body against sickness. Has also been over 2 months now that I have eaten meat, with the exception of one time in Nepal. Rishikesh is a holy city and hence it is vegetarian and alcohol free. I do hear that there is a restaurant and Inn on the far side of town owned by some Pakistanis that offers meat, although I haven't been there. The mangos sold by the street vendors are incredibly juicy and delicious, usually costing me 25 cents apiece. Also available for cheap are potato samosas, which perhaps aren't the healthiest being that they are deep fried, but they are delicious and fill me up.
At the moment it is off-season for tourism and most of the yoga schools, so much fewer than normal tourists and travelers are in town, making my foreign presence stick out that much more to the Indians, who often look at me as though I am an alien. In recent wks the city has been besieged by tens of thousands of Hindu pilgrims making their way to Rishikesh and onward to some Shiva temple outside town. Most of the pilgrims are in their twenties and teens and in large groups, all wearing all orange attire shorts and t-shirts, emblazened with different images of Shiva. The first several times I passed them in I found them a bit threatening walking in their groups often with fierce looks on their face. However I have found out they are all quite friendly inspite of their occassional intense demeanor and constantly coming up to talk to me and find out where I am from and my name. Also constantly getting requests for photos, which sometimes can getting irritating. During the several wks of their pilgrimmage the town was absolutely swamped with pilgrims and difficult at times getting around through the crowds. Pretty noisy too as they are often chanting names of Shiva and other words I find incomprehensible. It did often sound like they were chanting words like "Bum Bum" in reponse to a leader in the front chanting some other words. This chanting and racket could often be heard late into the night as the pilgrimmage apparently didn't slow down for many during the nighttime hours. During the daytime many people take to the streets, the temples, near the river, and pretty much anywhere relatively flat to sleep and rest their bodies.. Can't be too comfortable sleeping on the asphalt over night, at least cardboard and other paper is often put down on the ground to lay upon, providing cover along with protection from the everpresent cow feces on the streets
The city is located right at the base of the himalayas, so some picturesque mountains form the backdrop of the city. Like every other Indian city, the place is noisy as hell with endless horn honking from the over abundance of cars, motor bikes, and rickshaws driving the streets and working their way through all the pedestrians and cows. Street signs and lights are relatively non-existence, with the exception of seeing some non-working traffic lights at a major intersection in the middle of the city. The vast majority of the ashrams, yoga centers, gnats, and tourist areas are several miles north of the actual city of Rishikesh. Two large suspension bridges, about a mile apart from each other, cross the Ganges and lead to separate sections of Rishikesh. Lakshman Jula is located at the north bridge, while Ram Jula is at the southern bridge. Monkeys can often be seen climbing the wires leading high across the bridge. Often they come down low to the side railings and attempt to steal peoples food. One time I put my camera up to within 3 or 4 feet of one of the agressive macaque monkeys and almost had it swiped.
Coming straight out of the mountains and likely from the glaciers, the water is cold and relatively clean, free of the pollution and sewage runoffs further along its path, particularly the Varanasi portion which is supposed to be quite filthy. Gnats are set up in many spots in the city, these being steps leading down to the river. Here many pilgrims and Indians go to bathe and clean themselves, swim, as well as fill up containers full of the holy water. During the early mornings and evenings there are ceremonies going on with singing, chanting, instrument playing and the setting off of flowers with incense and flame to the Ganges as prayer and offering. One particular substance within the flame is camphor, which is supposed to symbolize the burning of one's ego. There are actually some locations in various areas of the city with decent sized beaches to lounge at and go swimming. I took a walk one day down to one of these beaches, littered with huge boulders and errant cows with the possible intent of taking a dip into the Ganges. However, this became infeasible within minutes as small crowds of Indians started coming over to stare and talk with me. At least I was able to walk in the Ganges for a little bit and get some good pictures. Next time I will have to find a more remote spot further away from the masses.
Food on the streets is pretty good, particularly the chai tea. Although it is cooked up in filthy dark pots crusted over with old tea grinds and other residue, it pretty much always comes out tasting delicious and is super cheap, typically the equivalent of paying 10-15 cents a small cup. Ingrdients are basically black tea, cinnamon, cardamon, skin milk, water, sometimes some anise and ginger, as well as other possible ingredients tossed into the typically filthy pot, heated up, and then strained into a small glass. The pot doesn't seem to be ever cleaned and is put right back up on the stove, usually covered. It's also nice getting cups that u just watched the cooks cleaned out with their fingers.
So far I have been fortunate and haven't gotten sick at all during my time in India, about 1 month and a half. I was sick once in Nepal for several days with awful diarrhea and fever, and Thailand several times. I better tap on some wood be4 I jinx my luck. So far in traveling over 7 months I believe my body has started to acclimate itself to the bacteria and other microbes in the environment no present in the US. Doing lots of yoga has also helped to detoxify, cleanse, and protect my body against sickness. Has also been over 2 months now that I have eaten meat, with the exception of one time in Nepal. Rishikesh is a holy city and hence it is vegetarian and alcohol free. I do hear that there is a restaurant and Inn on the far side of town owned by some Pakistanis that offers meat, although I haven't been there. The mangos sold by the street vendors are incredibly juicy and delicious, usually costing me 25 cents apiece. Also available for cheap are potato samosas, which perhaps aren't the healthiest being that they are deep fried, but they are delicious and fill me up.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
