We left for Rishikesh on August 31st. The night before, we inadvertently crashed a birthday party for one of the trustees my mom worked with. We thought we were just going over for dinner, but it turned out his whole extended family was coming over for a birthday dinner, complete with two tasty fruity cakes and a myriad of homemade Indian foods. Also, had my first beers on the trip so far (and last, so far). They weren't Indian, but mmm. So, we got home late, and I still had to pack for our 620am train to Rishikesh.
Rishikesh is at the foothills of the Himalayas, on the banks of the holy river Ganges (Lovingly referred to as Ma Ganga, or Mother Ganges, by devotees). The town is split in half by the river, with only a small footbridge called the Ram Jhula connecting the two. There are coolies (yes, they call them coolies, which always reminds me of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) on the north side of the river waiting to take you and your bags across in carts. I, being the strong, independent westerner I am, always try to insist that I don't need a porter, but my mom decides to take advantage of the carts.
Something I like to think I've figured out about India: With a population of over 1 Billion people (3 times that of the US in a space 1/3 the size), jobs are even harder to find. So the Indians, resourceful as I've come to find they are, find jobs in every niche possible. Almost everyone making more than the cost of living has a maid come in daily to clean. Many people have cooks and drivers as well. There are people that come by my mom's apartment every morning to sell fruits, vegetables, milk, and eggs. There are porters at every train station who carry your bags and put you on the correct spot on the platform for a nominal fee. Many small shops that would normally have only one or two workers in the US have 5 or more, waiting to assist you at every turn. India is just full of people!
The train system in India is very well maintained and organized, especially compared to a lot of the other infrastructure in the country. For about $10 for both of us, we took a train similar to Amtrak the ~200km from Delhi to Haridwar, where we'd get an auto rickshaw to Rishikesh. The train even served tea and breakfast for free! Of course, there were also cheaper, non-AC cars where it seemed like people were packed in like cattle.
Morning tea on the train:
Strange juxtaposition-an "eco park" next to a stream filled with garbage:
A small tent city along the tracks:
These conical towers were all over the countryside. They were kilns in which red clay was cooked into bricks for use in buildings all around India. I saw these bricks for sale on the side of the road, like just about anything you can find in India! If you look just to the right of the tower, you can see a giant McDonald's sign in the distance:
We arrived in Haridwar after about 5 hours. Rishikesh is about 25km north, so we set out to find a bus or auto to take us. This proved to be a more difficult task than we thought, as we were swarmed by Indian women and children who wanted to take pictures with us and our smiling white faces. (This turned out to be a common occurrence.) Eventually we found an auto to take us the 45 minutes or so to the north side of the bridge in Rishikesh.
The train station in Haridwar, where people were sleeping and hanging up laundry:
A pretty tree with travellers sleeping below it:
Shades of Orange-a holy man sleeping on the platform:
Colorful chaos- from the auto in Haridwar:
Indian police talking to a holy man outside of a temple:
Bathing in Ma Ganga in Haridwar:
Shiva guarding the gates to Hardiwar:
Wonderfully colorful temple on the road to Rishikesh:
We passed a protest on the way. As far as I could tell, they were protesting for amnesty for some fellow students. A quick search also pointed me to a series of protests (including hunger strikes) to open a new university in the area.
Loved the expression of the guy on the motorcycle when he saw me taking pictures:
Another 20 minutes auto ride, a bridge crossing, and a mile walk later we made it to Parmarth Niketen Ashram where we'd spend the next 3 days. Unfortunately, as soon as we got to the office and checked in, my mom started feeling sick and ended up being in bed for the entire time. I spent the next couple days trying to occupy my brain while the homesickness came back with a vengeance, feeling even more lonely than before. Luckily, beautiful scenery, evening ceremonies on the banks of the Ganges, and a conveniently located internet cafe got me through.
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