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.