A Holiday in Paradise

Last weekend, I had the chance to do something, which I've never done before and that if at the beginning of my time here in India, someone would have told me I was going to get to do, I probably wouldn't have believed them. I went river rafting.

A group of friends and I took a seven hour car trip to a place called Rishikesh, which is known for its river rafting since it's right on the Ganges River. It's quite a small town but has fashioned itself quite well to cater to all the Indian and foreign tourists it receives every year. Above you can see the foot bridge to the other side of the river where there is that temple that towers over everything else. It's quite a site.

On Saturday morning we walked across the footbridge and I decided to do like many others and give my offering to the sacred Ganges River which is used for countless purposes by Indians from the Himalayas where it starts all the way to Kolkata where it ends.

It's actually quite a serious issue as Indians use it for nearly everything you can possibly think of. This includes bathing, washing dishes, clothes and food while it is also the sacred place to put the remains of dead relatives.

For all of you, on our way back from the other side of the bridge, I thought I'd get my picture taken next to one of the "cute" and "friendly" monkeys that sit on the cable all along the footbridge. It could have maybe been my second photo in a row for Grandma's wall!


Now many of you may be surprised, but this actually WASN'T a very good idea, as the monkey kindly showed me all of it's teeth and claws and even faked jumping on me! The above photo was taken in the seconds following this near-end-to-my-trip-in-India occurance. If you can't tell, I'm reciting the Lord's Prayer.

Later in the day we got our chance to river raft - all 26 km. What a fun experience. Here's all of my friends (left to right: Maria, Saray, Gordon, Jose Luis and Raquel)


After river rafting we made it to our camp for the night. This place was amazing. Right on the river. The common eating/hanging out area is to the left of the tents in the background. The cover is actually a parachute.


This is my "new" favorite roommate picture for Jose Luis and I. We were able to go swimming, relax in the shade and enjoy the non-polluted skies of Rishikesh. During the monsoon season and winter most of these camps are not available because the river level is so much higher.

Sunday was our hiking day, and we went on this pretty short, but really beautiful trail up to a double waterfall. There was one right at the end of the trail, but then Jose Luis and I climbed up to the top where there was a second waterfall that we had all to ourselves. It was paradise. It reminded me of the waterfall from the movie "Cocktail" except instead of being there with Elisabeth Shue, I shared it with Jose Luis. That's okay, Jose. You'd be my second choice.

What does it take to get on Grandma's wall?

Some might call this an unusal assortment of things to include on one blog post. Instead, I ask you to think of it as a work of art, a post-modern journal entry, even a masterpiece of Salman Rushdie-esque randomness.

First off, I have been growing a beard, despite the increasing temperature that hovers over 100 degrees almost every day. You see, I started to notice all of the men in India with these extremely long beards (not to mention almost every Sikh male, who all have beards also) and I would ask them, "How can you stand to have a beard in this heat?" Well, the two I have spoken with personally on this topic thus far have told me, "I haven't cut mine in 25 years, so it's really not that big of a deal." I figured, heck, if they can do it, why shouldn't I try. We'll see how long I last...

Above is a shameless attempt to get my picture up on Grandma's wall with all the other animals and add one more photo to Doris's fridge. I know all of you don't personally know my Grandma or Doris, who has adopted me as another grandson, but trust me...it's shameless. And by the way, if you think this photo may have been dangerous to take, you're seriously wrong. The cows, bulls and water buffalo that roam the streets of Delhi (illegally by the way) are more domesticated than the gravel-eating, doggie-door fearing mutt that resides at my Mom's house.

Next, I have a new roommate for the next four months: Lauren from New York City! My roommate Ashok is dog-sitting and while he's gone, Lauren is crashing with Jose Luis and I. Lauren is a freelance journalist starting out here in Delhi and she's awesome.

She's already making herself comfortable in our house. Enjoy this pic while it's here. When she gets back from Kerala (south India) next week she may push for its removal.

Finally, this one goes out to my amazing friend, twin sister, and fellow toothpaste snob: Sarah Reiman. My supply of Aquafresh that I had brought with me from the US just recently ran out and I have had to do something Sarah and I have refused to do ever since we were old enough to have a say in the grocery shopping: use a different brand of toothpaste. Aquafresh apparently hasn't made it to the Indian toothpaste market yet, so recently I had to take the plunge and try a new brand. My Colgate is okay, but you know, it's a weird green color, tastes funny and well, it's just not the same.