Over the Ganges

We woke up around 7 am---our first actual night of sleep. We wandered into the bright Indian morning to find some breakfast and take in one more look at Clement Town. No shops were really open at this point, though we did stop at a small store to grab some drinks (I picked up some Maaza mango drink). We strolled to the other end of Clement Town and found another beautiful stupa. Behind it was a beautifully and elaborately detailed Tibetan medical center. A huge tree sat near the pathway, shading most of the area. The morning was still; the most active members of the world included lizards and dogs.

As we walked back toward our hotel, a vegetable vendor slowly made his way up the street, shouting “vegetables!” in Hindi. Slowly, women eased out of their gated homes to purchase the day’s meals.

By the time we made it back to the other end of town, the travel shop across from our guest house had opened. We asked if we could get a taxi to Rishikesh. The man behind the desk made a few calls and told us our taxi would be there in 20 minutes. I was impressed by his ability to transition fluidly between English (talking to us), Hindi (talking to drivers on the phone), and Tibetan (talking to women coming into the shop to buy rice noodles). We went over to our hotel and packed our bags quickly, and waited for him to call.

Twenty minutes later we were on our way. Bumping through narrow Dehradun streets, dodging vikrams, cars, buses, and more. We travelled up the forested mountains on a narrow, curvy road, barely dodging the huge tourist buses that came charging through. Once we reached Rishikesh, our driver had to call the hotel owner to find it. We became slightly lost and had the misfortune of having to turn around. It was Sunday morning and the thousands of visitors who had come for the weekend were leaving. Thus, traffic was backed up to the end of the city. However, we finally made it to our hotel. A beautiful five story building painted a pastel sunshine yellow, with balconies attached to each room and a rooftop restaurant overlooking the mountains and river.

Our room here is incredible. It’s big enough to be a small apartment. It has a bed, a desk, a lounging area with two chairs, and a beautiful bathroom. It is perfectly decorated in red, white, and black, and our balcony directly overlooks the Ganges. We settled in, ate some lunch (spiced spinach, cucumber salad, and rice with mixed vegetables), and then took a nap.

Apparently we were exhausted. We both crashed into a heavy sleep for five or so hours. We awoke around 6 pm, and the world was slowly becoming dark. We hurriedly dressed and headed out the door.

A ten minute or so walk through narrow winding streets, past all sorts of street vendors and shops, led us to the Lakshman Jula----a narrow swinging bridge of about half a mile long over the Ganges river that led from the hectic bank of hotels, restaurants, and shops, to the holier side of the city with ashrams, yoga temples, and access to the bank of the river. We took pictures of the beautiful landscape, the Ganges, and the multitudes of temples, as well as the monkeys, as we walked across the bridge. On the other side we met with a statue of Shiva sitting in a fountain surrounded by several wandering cows. We walked down to the bank of the Ganges and watched the calm waters flow steadily onward. Boats were beginning to make their way back to shore for the night, and the sun slowly drifted behind the mountains.

We returned to the main street and visited a few shops on our way to food. We finally spotted an extravagantly decorated building on the bank of the river—the Little Buddha Café. We ambled up the stairs, into a dark shop, and then headed for the rooftop. The lighting was low---small lit-up paper stars and repurposed straw hats with light bulbs in them were strung across the room. The restaurant had no outer walls---just railing and ledges---so that anywhere you sat you could look out at the surrounding scenery. The roof was thatched and low.

We headed to a shared table right at the edge of the building. We took our shoes off and climbed up the concrete ledge to sit, legs crossed, at one of the tables (separated into three parts). From here, we could watch the sun sink into night over the bridge. We accidentally ordered far too much food (I ordered vegetable fajitas, Cindy wanted grilled vegetables), which came out on two huge plates with heaping portions. We also purchased strawberry and mango shakes (which are not made with milk or ice cream—shakes are more of a yogurt smoothie concoction in India). Incense filled the air. It was perfect.

After finishing our meal, we headed out. The men sitting at the table across from us commented that I was dressed like a nice Indian girl (I had my shawl draped around my shoulders the proper way). We chatted with them for a second, laughed, and moved on our way. At the shop downstairs my aunt purchased a beautiful door hanging and the shop owner kept trying to give me an elephant purse. We headed out into the cooling night, where we strolled down the streets back to the bridge. We walked over the Lakshman Jula, taking in the glittering Ganges beneath us, and crossed over to the more city-like side of Rishikesh. As we walked up the stairs to the road, a huge cow with even larger horns was on his way down. After wandering around narrow paths, past people lounging in their homes, past tourists eating at late-night cafes, we finally had to call the hotel owner to come pick us up. Surprisingly, we had made our way within about 100 feet of our hotel---on our own, with no map, in the dark (well, we had Cindy’s very bright phone flashlight). We came back to our room, showered, and made it to bed---only to wake up at 4 am the next morning.

After lounging around in the dawn darkness, we left our hotel at 5 am to see the sunrise over the Lakshman Jula bridge. There were more cows than people out in the early morning, and several cows nosed their ways up to us, asking for treats. We made it to the bridge and stood over the Ganges, watching the sun rise over the mountains as our skirts blew around us in the wind. The morning was peaceful; sounds of morning prayer and bells filled the air from a distance. Tea boiled in large metal pots as people yawned themselves to life.

We made it to the bridge as the sun rose over the mountains. The Ganges rippled a golden reflection as a strong breeze blew over us. We paused for pictures on the bridge, stopped for passing cows, and laughed at the monkeys. On the other side, we decided to go left (we had went right last night).

A row of small shops sat on either side of the road. At the end of the street was a beautiful somewhat abandoned, slowly decaying white temple. As we neared it, we could hear the sounds of morning prayer and bells coming from inside. We paused for a few moments, then turned the other way.

After walking completely through town, we found a small side road that led to houses along the bank of the river. It was narrow, with stone walls rising up to either side. People were beginning to make their way into the morning as we explored the area. After some time, we came upon an ashram. It had a small gate that opened on to white concrete stairs---leading to the bank of the Ganges. A sign read “This is a religious area, please keep silent.” We followed some cows into the gate, and walked down the stairs.

A small yogi cave with religious images painted around it sat at the end of the stairs. To the right were several temples honoring various Hindu gods and goddesses. To the left ran the unadulterated Ganges—a silent beach free of boats or people. Rocks shaped the shore line, and in the distance we could hear the prayers of yogis from across the river.

We walked down to the edge of the river, our feet sliding in the warm white sand. A yogi walked passed us and silently eased into the river. We moved further down to give him privacy. We sat on some large river rocks and watched the world around us. Despite the distant prayers, the world was silent. A breeze blew over us. Cows licked salt blocks near the temples nearby. A distinct peacefulness overtook the air.

After some time, we finally decided to head back up to the road. It was still early---just 7 am---but the sun was high in the sky. More people had made their way into town, and the streets were beginning to bustle. We walked back over the bridge, where we met with a group of Indian tourists who wanted to have their picture taken with us. About eight women and two men crowded around us while another man snapped several photos. They chatted excitedly, held our hands, and thanked us profusely. We are still getting used to being so different. Everyone stares at us, we take several photos with random strangers per day, and nearly everyone wants to talk to us. It’s quite interesting.

Anyway, we made it back to our hotel, where we ate breakfast (a very delicious porridge and fresh fruit salad) and had the hotel owner call us a car to Nainital. Unfortunately, our car couldn’t get there until 11, so we packed and took a small nap in the room.

Looking forward to our next journey!

 

Until then,

Namaste