A Hot Damn in Haridwar

I spent just one night in Haridwar but I could tell the city was different than the others I had visited along the sacred Ganga. It was a city for Indian tourists not their Western counterparts.

I loved Varanasi but after visiting Haridwar I learned that I loved it because the city had been tailored to western needs. Sure, Varanasi is one of the holiest spots along the Ganga and it's swarming with Hindu pilgrims, but the big city is also a haven for international travellers and it can be seen in the restaurants, the oodles of internet cafes and the inexpensive accommodation. Haridwar on the other hand, wasn't nearly as affordable as Varanasi nor was it as easy to find to a place to grab Chinese food.




I didn't have much time in Haridwar so I spent the afternoon walking up and down the ghats looking at everything for sale. It was a Hot Damn of a day so I sat myself under a tree and people watched for a bit, too.










Bathing in the Ganges is popular all along it's banks. Haridwar is an especially popular spot because it's one of the seven holiest places to Hindus. I don't get the throwing garbage everywhere thing, but at this point, whatever.



This kid swore the cow wasn't girlfriend. I didn't believe it for a minute.



Because Haridwar was my last stop before home, I decided on a little henna. If I have any advice for anyone going to India, make sure you agree on a price before you commit to something. This was the only time I didn't confirm a price and they totally took advantage of me. The henna should have cost about $4 CAD but they tried to make me pay $12. Fortunately, Indian men do not respond well to crying and I got them down to about $6.

I read five books in Rishikesh

Is it okay to say I didn't really like Rishikesh? I heard so many great things about and I love the Beatles' White Album, but once I was there I wasn't really having it. I think I'd give it another chance, though. When I got to the city, I was a bit homesick and McLeod-Ganj-sick and I'm sure I took it out on poor old Rishikesh.



I think the reason I heard so many great things about Rishikesh was because I heard things from people who attended ashrams. I didn't have enough time to spend a full week doing yoga, meditating and reading but I wish I had. I found walking around the city to be rather boring and would have liked the relaxation of an ashram.



I found myself just walking around a lot trying to avoid the monkeys. Don't let this little guy fool you, the macaques in Rishikesh were aggressive and not afraid of people. But, there were still cute from a distance, well the baby ones at least.

Other than walk around, I spend most of my time reading (five whole books in four days) or eating the most amazing grilled yak cheese sandwiches from the restaurant at the Bhandari Swiss Cottage (great place to stay).

A walk through prayer flags

Everyday I was in McLeod Ganj I took a walk around the Tsuglagkhang Temple complex. The temple itself is the most important Buddhist temple in the city and the majority of Tibetans I talked with said they go to the temple everyday. The temple itself was alright, but I only went inside once. The rest of the time I just walked through the wooded area just below on a path. It was all quite inspiring in the morning light, surrounded by Tibetan prayer flags. I took a ton of pictures of the flags. Almost too many I'd say.












A part of the walk around the temple included a whole slew of prayer wheels. You're meant to spin the wheel clockwise and each time around is equal to one "om" which is just good for the soul, really.

In Dharamsala with the Dalai Lama

As my time in Varanasi ended two awful things happened. One, I got Delhi Belly and the first of seven days of being sick began. Two, Emily flew off to Thailand and my best bud was gone.

I planned on going to Dharamsala for a few days to kick it with Dalai Lama. After fleeing Tibet, he's lived in McLeod Ganj, a suburb of Dharamsala since 1959. He was never actually in the city while I was there, but that didn't stop me from spending 12 days there.



Most of McLeod Ganj is Tibetan rather than Indian. The first stop after fleeing Tibet is McLeod Ganj to meet with the Dalai. Then a lot of the younger Tibetans head to boarding schools in the area while older people settle with family and friends in the city.



This the view from my hotel. It looks nice and sunny and all that, but really it was about 4 degrees Celsius and there's no central heating. I needed a lot of blankets and yak wool to keep warm.



The road to the Secretariat of the Tibetan Government in Exile.



Hanging out at the Secretariat of the Tibetan Government in Exile.



Outside the library at the Secretariat of the Tibetan Government in Exile.



As I mentioned before, if you don't find the most practical, "non-progressive" way of doing things, you're not Indian.



Need I say it again?




A Pony!!!



McLeod Ganj, wasn't really India at all. It was the most peaceful, clean, quiet town I visited while on the subcontintent. I'm guessing it's more Tibetan than Indian.

Learning on the Ganges: Adventures of Pinky and Sony

Like I said, I could have spent hours just sitting on the riverbank. This was especially true when there was a group of cool kids that wanted to hang out. And even more true when they gave Emily and me Hindi names. I was Sony, like the electronics and Em was Pinky, like her skin.



This photo looks rather "I went to a third world county and saved them with my Western ideals." But I didn't save anyone. I swear.



Emily on the other hand... Nah, she was just reading aloud. Actually she was reading Listening to Grasshoppers: Notes on Democracy by Arundhati Roy. Great book if you're into that whole Left Wing thing.



This pup was totally into that Left Wing thing.



So was this cow.



The kids loved posing for photos. Total magazine shoot.









This small child holding the baby had managed to climb onto a ledge, five feet off the ground and teetered about, holding the baby the whole time. Emily "Umm, I don't think the baby should be up there..." Kids "Nah it's okay."

Pennies for a Puja

We spent four days in Varanasi and it was a rather inspiring place, so this is not the last Varanasi blog post.



At night the river bank is crowded with people (mostly men because you don't see a lot of women out at night). There's singing and praying as the town puts the river to sleep for the evening.


Women and children sell small offerings to make a puja (a prayer) with. You're meant to give the river the offering.






The first full day Emily and I were in Varanasi it happened to be the same day as the Kite Festival.


There were hundereds of kites in the sky over Varanasi that day. Children and adults take part in the kite flying and cutting and running. We were lucky enough to meet Vishnu, a local shop owner who invited us up to his roof to take part in the festival.


It was great to see Varanasi from a roof top. To get away from the crowded, tourist-cramped labyrinth below, families who own shops in the city find refuge above. They eat, play and even sleep on their rooftops when the weather is right. Today especially, the whole city was out to watch the kites.


This is one of the little fellows we met on Vishnu's roof. He was wearing a Canadian tuxedo and ear muffs even though it had to be at least 25 degrees Celsius. He was quite the kite flyer, as was Vishnu. I wasn't too bad myself, either. Emily may have had a few problems, though.