So we’ve survived an 18 hour jeep ride down the Himalayas, 17 hour public bus ride across the Himalayas, 7 hour train journey taking us even lower and now a day on a moped through Rishikesh valley where the river Ganges flows! So far.. It’s been one hell of an adventure.
We spent a few days in Amritsar which was unbelievable. We stayed in the Sikh Golden Temple , the holiest place in the Sikh religion. They cater for around 80,000 people a day and we were two of them. We didn’t wear shoes for almost two days, we embraced all sorts of funkiness in our toes, we slept in a dorm with 15 camp beds in a row, we ate lunch on the floor amongst thousands and we watched the sun set over the golden temple… It was magical.
We also visited the border closing ceremony between India and Pakistan. It was a real treat. They each have stadium seating on either side and its basically a competition who can sing louder, chant louder, which soldier can march fastest, kick highest. It does nothing for neighbourly love but it was a great spectacle to watch. It was also reassuring to see so many snipers and machine guns protecting us!
We’re now in Rishikesh. A gorgeous valley town in-between the Himalayas with the holy river Ganges flowing through its centre. This is yoga and meditation Mecca, Fran and I have hoofed ourselves into a few yoga classes. We’re all vest tops and leggings nowadays! Today we took a moped (my 3 months as a Vespa owner paid off!) Yes parents I drove very slowly and cautiously. The best bit was we got to travel to the most insane waterfall. It was an intense climb, including going the wrong way, but the result was worth it. Pics to follow on the waterfall.
So here’s a little video we (Fran) captured whilst being my very relaxed moped passenger. You can also see photos including golden temple here
gingersburnt 