March 14, 2010

I am currently in Rishikesh and never want to leave. This is the most magical place and exactly what I imagined India to be. This whole weekend has been such an adventure, let me start from the beginning….
So we caught a Grace, Darren, Austin, Ben, Katie, Joan, Hayley, Kyle, Ayshea and I all caught a bus at 9 pm on Friday from Delhi heading to Rishikesh. Of course India being India the bus was really sketchy and overcrowded but we nursed some wine on the way so the ride wasn’t too bad. The ride seemed to take forever and I’m pretty sure we crashed into a few things along the way (once again, I didn’t seem to mind thanks to the wine). At around 4 in the morning the bus stopped in Haridwar (about 45 minutes outside of Rishikesh) and orders everyone to get off. They explain that since this weekend is a major holiday (Kumela- people come to dunk themselves in the Ganga River to wash away their sins from the past 12 years and the next 12, happens about every 12 years and we just happened to be here for it) and all the roads are closed. So what do ten American students do? Drink some more wine and catch rickshaws heading to Rishikesh. If anything I’ve learned so far in India it’s to be patient and flexible. So no problemo, we rode to Rishikesh crammed into two rickshaws singing Grateful Dead and Sublime songs along the way. We finally found our hotel after asking directions about 20 times (we didn’t know the hotel name except we knew it had the word ‘castle’ in it..) and passed out until 11 the next morning.
When we woke up we all had breakfast at the German Bakery looking across the Ganga River. It was so amazing to just chill by ourselves and soak in India on our own time. The entire area was filled with Sadhus and people from all over the world on a ‘spiritual journey’ (tons of Israelis not surprisingly). Good energy was floating all around.
Grace and I went crystal shopping and dunked everything we bought in the Ganga- so epic. Just being on the Ganga was so incredible. It was so magical to watch thousands of people- both Indian and foreign- wash themselves in what is considered to be the holiest river in the world. The fact that I was touching the same river that has been around for thousands and thousands of years really had a powerful effect on me. If I have ever felt such real strong energy it was definitely from that river.
The next day we went water rafting on the Ganga with an Israeli couple we picked up along the way and a few local rafting guys (who were quite good-looking I must admit). The rapids were a level 3 so it was a little intense but overall it was quite pleasant. At one point the guide told us to jump out of the raft and just float along the river. Disregarding the lecture we were given from Dr. Storm about how not to touch the river, we submerged ourselves and floated leisurely down the river, something I will never forget, let alone regret. I can’t even describe the feeling of being carried by the Ganga. I now know why Rishikesh is just a spiritual place for people; it just oozes a beautiful aura. I wanted to stay forever.
After river rafting we walked around and did a little shopping. There were so many Israelis that some of the signs were in Hebrew, no lie. It made me miss Israel so much. Just being in India makes me miss Israel. Here I definitely feel like the “other.” Sometimes I even ask myself what I’m doing here especially since I have no ties to this country- it’s all just pure interest. With Israel I feel like I’m at home. I’m one of them, not the other. It’s so much more comfortable and easy being there. Maybe that’s why I came here in the first place though…
Our last day we woke up super early and hiked to the Ashram where the Beatles stayed and supposedly composed some of the “White Album” at. The entire place was completely grown over which gave it an eerie feeling. Ayshea, Kyle and I were walking around and ran into a Hindu acetic wondering around. Apparently he was on his 3rd stage of life and gave up everything he had. He went to University for English literature so his English was perfect and he gave us a tour around the ashram and explained the history to us. He took us into the underground meditation cells, the giant lecture hall, and John Lennon’s meditation room. When I entered Lennon’s meditation cell I immediately felt a strong active presence circulating inside. It was such an intense feeling to be sitting in the exact spot where Lennon meditated. It was nice too that nothing was restored and everything was just as it was in the 70’s, just covered with Mother Nature. I bet in twenty years the entire ashram is going to be a tourist attraction. It was nice to appreciate it with nothing changed and the energies untouched.
Since it was the weekend of Kumela, it was really hard to find a taxi leaving Rishikesh- poor planning on our part. At around 2 in the afternoon we finally found 2 taxis to take us back. When we were leaving Rishikesh our taxi slightly clipped a motorcyclist in front of us. We pulled over and the motorcyclist and taxi driver got into an argument and the next thing I know they were pushing each other and the motorcyclist punched through the taxi windshield. Luckily, none of us sitting in the car were hurt. Of course by this time the entire village got involved and figured who was in the right and who was in the wrong. It was so intense but at the same time so India. After some time, we finally changed taxis and rode the 9 hours home.
This weekend was definitely one of the best weekends of my life. At one point Grace and I were crossing the suspended bridge over the Ganga and we had a cow on our left, money on our right, sadhu in front of us, the Ganga below us, and crystals in hand. This was the India I was looking for. This is the India I love.