Note: Rishikesh is near New Dehli and I thought, mistakenly, would be cooler as it is in the foothills of the Himalayas.
Impressions of Rishikesh: Actually, Rishikesh is composed of 5 small towns -
two smaller towns of which are on the other side of the Ganges and connected
by two suspension foot bridges. I’m across one of the suspension footbridge
in the Swarg Ashram part – ie where there are LOTS of temples and ashrams.
Called the “yoga capital of the world,” Rishikesh is also the starting place
of the Char Dam yatra (pilgrimage). The Char Dam circuit includes 4 major
temples that “mark the spiritual sources of the four sacred rivers of
Hinduism.” Like the Muslims want to go to Mecca once before they die, many
Hindus feel they must take a pilgrimmage to the Char Dam area. Two days ago,
a big Hindu festival in nearby Hardwar just ended, so the massive influx of
pilgrims has slowed down a bit and people aren’t sleeping on available open
spaces at night. Even still, May to October is the Yatra season so I get to
see people from all over India in just walking around my little part of
Rishikesh. Absolutely fascinating people watching but, at times, I’m being
stared at just as much.
Holy men: If you have ever seen pictures of Indian holy men with their wild
hair or turbans, their wildy painted-with-ash faces atop a very thin, half
clothed body, then you know the type I see at least 50 or more times a day.
They hang out on the street, in the parks, on the Ganges, everywhere but
restaurants it seems. Except for the “monkey man,” who hisses at you when he
tries to put a red dot on your forehead, they seem pretty harmless and don’t
beg very much. Apparently, many of them spend the winters in caves outside
of Rishikesh but come down to interact and get money from the pilgrims.
Bathing in the Ganges: Very much a part of the pilgrims’ visit to Rishikesh
so there are lots of concrete steps down to the river where people take a dip
or swim there. They also do their laundry, shave, bathe, and hang out. The
women go in fully clothed but the men can and do strip down to their
underwear. Very young children seem to follow a clothing optional policy at
times. All in all, it’s a great people watching to watch the dynamics of the
group, etc. I’ve yet to bathe in it but I know many foreigners who have.
Food: Since Rishikesh is a holy city, meat, eggs and liquor can not be sold
or consumed in town. There aren’t really that many restaurants here as many
of the ashrams feed their own residents and pilgrims so I’m a bit limited on
my choices. The food is much cheaper than in Dehli though. I think the most
I’ve spent on one meal (with a mango lassi) was US$2.10.
Animals: Just to continue the theme from the first travelogue. I still have
yet to see a cat but I still see the sacred cows, scrawnier horses and the
stray dogs many, many times a day with an occasional monkey hanging about. I
will never forget the countless flies everywhere though but, luckily, there
are very few mosquitos and no flying cockroaches.
Walking in Rishikesh: The cows can be quite a road block down in the bazaar’s narrow one road which parallels the Ganges – even more so when they go to the bathroom. A wide variety of feces can be
found on the street and walkways. I don’t worry about walking around alone
in the evening but I do worry about taking the wrong step if you know what I
mean… Did I mention that I’ve only seen one trashcan and about 5 street
lights on the street the whole time I’ve been here? Needless to say, I’ve
bought a tiny flashlight already.
Power Outages: I’ve yet to go one entire day and night without at least one
power outage that lasts at least a half hour. When it is above 98F or 39F
every day, it is hard not to groan aloud when the power outages stop the fans
or the water cooler. Air conditioners are few and far between here. So, be
grateful for a regular power supply. I know I always will be in the future.
On a personal side:
My hotel: I pay an additional $2 a day (for a total of $4) to have a swamp
cooler in my room and well-screened windows. Luckily, the hotel has its own
generator which will crank up after a 1/2 hour or so. Otherwise, it is
self-serve hotel – you have to ask to get new linens and they only clean the
room or fill the swamp cooler when you ask. “Standard issue” for a budget
hotel in India, based on my VAST experience of two hotels, seems to be a very
firm bed, a hard small pillow, a big neon strip light, a table, a chair, and
a ceiling fan – so no phone, tv, toilet paper or towels…just like a hostel
in Europe really. The staff is extremely nice and friendly although only
three speak more than basic, broken English. The hotel has a nice patio too
where I drink my coffee around 6:30 in the “cool” of the morning and look at
the Himalayan foothill mountains that edge Rishikesh around 3 sides. Amazing
how many people are up and moving about so early but the sun rises around 5
and if you are sleeping outside, there’s an incentive to get up early.
The effect of the heat: If you haven’t figured it out already, let me just
tell you flat out: it’s bloody hot and very humid here. Both conditions
together are extremely zapping to the energy. Most afternoons find me in my
room by 1:30pm (after checking and responding to email) just cooling off and
reading and resting. I think the temperature drops down to the mid 80s at
night. Obviously, I was indulging in wishful thinking when I told you
earlier that Rishikesh was higher up in the mountains….it turns out it is
only 285 meters above sea level. The monsoon is due by the end of June and
we have had two storms since I’ve been here – the temperature drops, briefly,
to livable conditions.
I plan to head for a hill station or two shortly after that where the weather is much cooler. At some
point in early/mid July, I’ll do part of the Char Dam by going on a 10 hour
bus ride north to Gangotri and trek to nearby Gaumukh which is the source of
the Ganges. Then, on to Dharmasala (where the Dalai Lama is) and some more
trekking maybe in the Himalayan rain shadow (ie monsoon).
