The Road to Truth

“There are two mistakes one can make along the road to truth...not going all the way, and not starting.”- Buddha

This quote was shared to me by my wonderful colleague and friend Alica. As much as I'm tired after this 6 1/2 weeks away, I am so glad that I decided to extend my trip and visit Rishikesh. I would have regretted traveling so far and not going all the way. This is an amazing town in India, and many flock here because they are searching for something...

I'm ready to leave tomorrow because I don't need to search any longer. Everything I need is back where I started... looking forward to seeing my husband and family in the United States.

At the Ashram

Rishikesh is known as the Yoga Capital of the World. It made it's mark in the 1960s when the Beatles settled at the Maharishi Mahesh Yoga Ashram. Yoga facilities are dotted along the main streets, along with the many cows and motorbikes that fly by. The town is filled with hippies and backpackers. I'm not sure where I fit in the mix, since I'm by far not a hippy, although I haven't yet showered in 2 days... so maybe I blend in a bit :)

This is my first true travel experience by myself, and in a way, it is nice to have the time to decompress and reflect upon my experiences from the past 6 weeks. I've taken a couple of yoga classes so far, then spent the morning / afternoon just wandering the town. Dinner was spent with four Brits traveling India. It was really nice chatting by the water with them, although they are all on the beginning part of their journey. We're meeting up tomorrow for yoga, then swimming in the Ganges before my train ride to Delhi. I'm sure I'll have to be fully disinfected once I return home :)

Rishikesh

At 5:50am I said goodbye to the Taj Mahal Hotel in Delhi, grabbed a cab and headed to the New Delhi train station. Luckily, being a New Yorker prepared me for the journey. The station is laid out pretty well, and I was able to locate the correct platform and find my coach and seat. After 4 1/2 hours, I arrived in Haridwar, only to have an hour taxi ride to Rishikesh.

Next, I walked across the narrow Lakshman Jhula pedestrian bridge packed with people, motorbikes (which shouldn't be there), and of course a resting cow. The bridge spans the Ganges River, and you definitely can feel and see the bridge move, swaying precariously above the river. My destination was the Sant Seva Ashram... I paid extra for the deluxe air-conditioned room, but when I entered I realized I would be in the exact opposite of the 5-star accommodations that I've been accustomed to these past 6 weeks. The one bright note is that I have a balcony that overlooks the roaring Ganges River, filled to the brim with monsoon water. The view is spectacular and worth the trip. And at least I packed toilet paper (there's none in the room) and extra hand sanitizer.

Last Day of the Fulbright Program

August 5th we had a debriefing about the Fulbright-Hays program at the USIEF office. Afterwards, the group was interviewed about our experience from a reporter at the Hindustan Times.

Then Debbie and I were off to visit Vidya, the non-profit organization I had the privilege of volunteering with 2 years ago. We headed to the metro, and were pleasantly transported ew York style to Dwarka, Sector 13. The next part of the adventure was the Cycle Rickshawalla ride to Pappankalan. At last it was wonderful to see Indu again after two long years. The best surpise was to find the beautiful space Vidya is now renting. Growing out of the 3 rooms scattered in the town, a beautiful white building, 3 stories tall stands in the town. I was amazed to see familiar faces of the wonderful teachers in the rooms. There are great rooms set up for the women's sewing group, which produces pieces of work for sale in the market, along with fantastic rooms for students to learn. Art is adorned on the walls, and it was nice to see a photo of myself on the wall, along with the Flat Stanleys (known as Flat Bharats / India) on the wall. We chatted over a cup of chai (the most delicious cup of tea ever), but had to leave rather quickly to attend to our other tasks.

In the evening, I headed to a former colleague's apartment near Humayan's Tomb. Michael's new place is as beautiful as ever. It was fantastic to see him after 2 years, and was great to catch up over a delicious vegetarian meal. Michael is a wonderful soul, and a model educator who cherishes culture and travel.

After a great night, it was back for a final night at the Taj Mahal Hotel. Tomorrow, I'm traveling solo and have an early morning train to Haridwar, then taxi up to Rishikesh, the yoga capital of the world. I'm staying at the Sant Seva Ashram, which overlooks the Ganges. Should be an adventure.

The Taj Mahal - Round 2

Bill Clinton said something similar to 'There are 2 kinds of people in the world. Those that have seen the Taj Mahal, and those that haven't.' On August 4th I was one of the fortunate in the world to see the Taj Mahal in Agra for a second time. It is still as magnificent as ever.

P.S. Flat Stanley finally made it to see the Taj for his first time. He was quite excited :)

Saturated

The first of August was spent visiting Ashadeep Vidyashram (Lamp of Hope), a non-profit school designed for impoverished kids in the area. The major difference between this school and other schools we’ve visited was that this school had small class sizes, and was only comprised of poor children. The hope is to obtain a larger building for school use, hire excellent teachers, and have a mix of students from diverse socio-economic backgrounds.

Later we saw the Birla Temple, which is a large temple complex that houses seven temples – one for Shiva, Narayan, Durga, etc. After lunch we saw Sarnath, which is renowned for ancient remains of Buddhist stupas, monasteries and temples. I had to jump on one of the ruins to do a yoga pose :)

In the evening we were treated to a Sitar concert and dinner with the USIEF staff and friends. It was a lovely night, but I'm getting tired... not sure if it's the heat or the pace of the past 5+ weeks. Looking forward to getting back to Delhi tomorrow evening.

Shopping in the City

For our free Sunday, Debbie, Katie, and I headed to town to shop. Again, it has been extremely hot in the city, so we stopped along the way to hydrate with sugary lime-sodas and cookies enjoying the store’s simple fan cooling system. We snaked through the side streets, avoiding the group of orange people chanting, who were set to carry water to the Shiva temple. We stopped by the ghat to view the Ganges and take in the sights.

In the evening, after cleaning up, we enjoyed a nice meal at the hotel restaurant. I do love the hakka noodles, and the wine wasn’t too bad as well. It’s all about having good company.