Our Trip to Rishikesh
Trip Start
Jan 01, 2009
1
18
20
Trip End
Jul 29, 2009
Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India
Monday, March 30, 2009
So in the past week we've tried to keep on top of all of our recent travels. We've been from Dharamsala in the Himalayas, to New Delhi, Vrindavan, Agra, and now up to Rishikesh for the past week. Rishikesh is one of India's most interesting cities, and one of the most frequently visited by both foreigners and Indians. Within 300km from the source of the Ganga, the World's holiest river passes through the many villages and Ashrams that make up the Rishikesh area. All of the buildings are built on the banks of the river and the valley rises quickly on both sides. Mountains surround you except to the south where the river expands to the plains below. We travelled up a winding road alongside the Ganga and into the mountains to find many small villages and houses all weaving along with the river up into the high peaks where snow and glaciers feed one of the largest rivers in the world. We spent a day River Rafting down the Ganga; starting about 24km from the main city, we paddled with the quick current and met many sets of rapids. The rapids were great fun and everyone got a little shaken up and soaked. It was a hot day and the sun was beating down on us, but we cooled of by taking a dip in the frigid water, which was around 60 degrees F! We had lots of fun swimming and rafting down the sets of rapids and jumping of a rock cliff, and finished off the day with a tasty meal waiting for us at the end.
There are many things here in Rishikesh that bring people from all over the World and India. On one hand you have all of the adventure and wilderness attractions that many Indian families enjoy during their holidays, such as Rafting, Trekking, Camping, Hang Gliding etc. And on the other hand Rishikesh is known as a city of Ashrams, a place of Yoga and spiritual practice. Many people travel to Rishikesh to spend time at the Ashrams; looking for spiritual guidance, and at the more modern Yoga retreats; to study the arts of breathing, meditation, and exercise. We ourselves stayed at one of the most prominent Ashrams in Rishikesh, the Shivananda Ashram at Laxman Jhula. It is a huge Ashram whose pink buildings cover the west bank of the area. Over 300 people live there and many people come to visit and stay in the guest houses. We were lucky to be referred and recommended by Shantanu's Mother, as it is very hard for foreigners to stay at the Ashram. We were given 2 adjoining rooms in Ishwar Bhavan 1, which was at the very far top left of the Ashram grounds. This means we had to walk down and up the numerous sets of steps and hills anytime we came to and fro. We experienced the Ashram in the first few days there, including the morning meditations at 5am and the evening Satsang from 7:30-9:30, which were mandatory for all guests (although we found that not everyone showed up!). The dining was an interesting experience for all of us. We sat males and females separately in rows on the floor and they came around with rolling 'wheel barrows' from which they served the food. The food was good, especially for Ashram food, which we heard was not too exciting. It had some spice and flavour and even some variety. Shayna and Justin got sick the second day we were there and decided not to eat the food, and all of us (but Jon) joined the trend of eating outside the Ashram. We found some very nice restaurants scattered around the area, with great Indian food as-well as an assortment of great western food as well. After a couple days everyone felt better and we filled our days with fun and exciting activities, inside and outside the Ashram.
We met Swami Bill and his daughter Swami Susan on the second day and they became our great friends and helped us with all of our Ashram activities. They were originally from Vancouver, but have lived there for over 20 years! They are also some of the most Canadian people we've met, even in Canada. It was really nice to have such friends who were from our Country. GO Canada! By the 3rd day we were there, Swami Susan had talked to the head Swami, and set up a concert for us at one of the evening Satsangs. Every night, the Ashram holds a ceremony, very similar to a church service we might be familiar with at home. There is chanting and singing prayers and then reading from the Bhagavad Gita, as well as a lecture from some of the top Swamis. Swami Vimalananda, the head Swami gave up his whole lecture time for us the play an offering of music for their worship. We were quite honoured and proud to perform the Ragas which we had learnt from our Guruji Shantanu. Everyone seemed to enjoy it and even clapped for us when we finished each Raga, which is quite rare at an Ashram, especially this one! Swami Vimalananda loved it so much he invited us to perform at a special Sunday service in Dehradun. Swami Susan set up the whole day as a day of music and fun. We travelled to a beautiful guesthouse and played beside a waterfall that fell into the Ganga, then ate an amazing meal before heading to Dehradun, to Swami Chitananda's Ashram, where we performed for the Sunday Satsang. Everyone was very appreciative and grateful to us and thanked us for performing our music. It was a great experience to perform this music here in India, as the people here have a special understanding of the music and the spirituality that lies in it. We also were able to take advantage of the professional recording studio that the Ashram has! We never would have though that such a place would have a state of the art studio! They use it primarily for Audio restoration and production of Lectures and Speeches by Swami Shivananda and the top Swamis, but Swami 'Yeti' who runs the studio was extremely eager to record us and try out all the equipment they usually don't get to use. We spend a day recording a few Ragas as well as some improvised tracks that we were inspired to play from our time here in Rishikesh and India.
We also spent a lot of time exploring the town and shopping for more souvenirs and clothes to take home. We had food all over, but our two favourite places were Flavors and TipTop. We had many meals at both and specifically loved the western sandwiches, pastas and fruit smoothies that Tiptop offered. Justin, Natalie and I spent a day hiking up to one of the highest peaks nearby, to a Durga temple that overlooked the hills, the Ganga and the plains. It was an intense 14km hike up steep gravely paths, and definitely took a toll on us, as once we reached the top we decided to take a car back down and not attempt to scramble down the rocky paths. The vegetation in the surrounding hills is some of the most interesting we've seen; evergreen trees, cacti, palm trees, and plants from all different climates. Our guide, Ram showed us many Ayurvedic plants along the way. It was a beautiful hike and great to see the surrounding area from way up high.
So all in all we had a great time staying here in Rishikesh at the Ashram, and plan to return the next time we are in India, for more performances, adventures and experiences here in this wonderful city. We are now on our way back to New Delhi just for a night before taking another train, The Famous Raj Dani Express, to Mumbai. This will be the last place that Justin, Natalie and I will see here in India and we'll leave Jon and Shayna to the rest of their time here in Incredible India!
Namaste,
Andrew, Jonathan, Justin, Shayna & Natalie.
Comments
Can't wait to see you crazy mofo's
Hey Guys,
Truly amazing to follow your Journey and amazing stories. I miss you guys. Let me know when you'll be back and we'll have a sweet reunion. Jon and Shayna, well, let the journey continue and I'll see you when I see you. I hope life is grand and I'll see you all soon.
Love Shawn