Jeremy's Cool Travel Blog: The Rishikesh Express

The express train en route to Rishikesh on February 17 was not very express at all. Catherine and I left Delhi after 6:00 am and after many 20 minute stops in various towns and small villages, we finally pulled into Haridwar about eight hours later (on a real express train, the trip should take about four hours). Thankfully we were in a relatively comfortable AC sleeper car with lunch provided. There was also a mouse on board that literally kept me on my toes. From Haridwar we enjoyed a bumpy bus ride to Rishikesh, about an hour away (though the distance is only about 30 km).

Rishikesh, Uttarakhand (pop. 102,000) is located in the foothills of the Himalayas. The Beatles stayed at a Rishikesh ashram for several months in the late 60s while they were writing the White Album. Today, it is considered by many as the yoga capital of the world and attracts many yoga enthusiasts and spiritual types. Our intention for the next five days was to discover a bit of this part of Rishikesh and to explore the surrounding foothills.

A few points worth noting:

Being up near Himalayas, the nights in Rishikesh got chilly enough that I had to break out my fleece and windbreaker and sleep in my long underwear. But the days got hot enough for t-shirts and sandals.
About 99% of the restaurants in Rishikesh serve only vegetarian food and no alcohol. Only one restaurant near our hotel - Rasta Restaurant - served beer (illegally) and had a separate menu for chicken dishes. When serving the beer, they'd wrap the can in a paper towel, as if to make it less obvious. One night they said that if the cops came in, that I was to say that I'd bought the beer somewhere else.
Like many small cities and towns in India, walking around Rishikesh can be tiresome due to the honking vehicles, lack of sidewalks and garbage on the roads. This seems to be the norm in India.

Some highlights:

The view from the terrace of our 500-rupee-per-night ($6) hotel, which overlooked the holy Ganga river running through the valley below.
Hiking to a gorgeous, almost artificial-looking waterfall - the Neer Garh - and exploring the surrounding hills. On our first visit, Catherine and I were accompanied by two local dogs (and later joined by a young puppy) who kept us company and chased away any monkeys that came near.
Enjoying an hour-long Ayurvedic massage for less than $10. I less enjoyed leaving the massage covered head-to-toe in massage oil, which was a struggle to wash off.
Delicious Nepali noodle soup (thukpa) and so many dumplings (momos, typically stuffed wtih chicken, veg and/or cheese). Rishikesh has a very large Nepali population, so their regional dishes were everywhere.
The cow who regularly stands just outside the door looking into the Beatles Cafe. "She's just listening to the music" said the waiter when we asked about her.
Getting the adrenaline flowing white water rafting on the Ganga river. This is a popular thing to do in Rishikesh and it seems that every second shop offers some kind of rafting tour. But many of these operators are not qualified, which contributed to several rafting deaths last year. So we made sure to go with a reputable outfit and professional guides. For our half day of rafting, our group of eight was driven 20 km upstream from where we would paddle back to Rishikesh in a big raft. After our guides explained the basics of rafting and important safety procedures, they had us jump in the (cold!) water from the raft and then go over some easy rapids to get used to the feeling, including one portion where we 'surfed' the rapids while standing in the raft. From there we just floated the current through the valley and rode any rapids along the way. Some of these sections were pretty intense (Class III rapids, apparently); one section in particular called the Gold Course is used for international kayak competitions. One of our guides followed our raft in a kayak to help anyone that fell overboard. He was also a competitive kayaker and put on a bit of a show for us on some of the trickier sections. It was a fantastic experience.
Visiting the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Ashram where the Beatles stayed for a few weeks in 1968. The original ashram is now abandoned and largely overgrown.
Celebrating my 35th birthday with a straight razor shave; a 20 km hike up to and beyond the Neer Garh waterfall with Catherine, Roger and Jacquie from Australia, and a couple from BC; and surprise birthday cake made especially for me (thanks Catherine!)
Having Catherine along as my travel partner. We travelled very well together and it was awesome to have somebody to share my experiences with, to complain to and listen to my dumb jokes.