Rishikesh & Haridwar

I’m on a houseboat somewhere in the backwaters of Kerala. We’re docked for the evening and the sun is setting over a beautiful field of palm trees. My list of accomplishments for the day include eating lunch and finishing a novel.

It’s funny because I am surrounded by such beautiful scenery and good company, so by most standards one might call this paradise. But for me, something just isn’t right. It doesn’t feel like it should, like something is missing. I feel like this is the sort of thing that can only be fully enjoyed when you’re with the people you care about most. I’m not sure if it would be better with the fictional man of my dreams or my family, but either would be really nice right about now.

I have fallen behind on my blogging due to my crazy work weeks and a severe lack of sleep. Traveling every weekend is starting to wear me out. I planned to catch up on the plane yesterday, but the thought of opening my computer was too much to handle. I opted for my book, A Thousand Splendid Suns. I think the writing is annoying, but the storyline was escapist enough to hold my attention.

So, to backtrack, I spent last weekend in Rishikesh, a cool hippie town on the Ganges River in the foothills of the Himalayas. We arrived in Delhi on Friday evening and packed four people into an Indica (Remember the famed trip to Agra? Same car, more people). It was supposed to take 5 hours, but took a little over 6. The drive was awful, partially because the roads were under construction and partially because our driver was a banshee. Since my mother is one of my most loyal readers, I’m opting to spare the details. The important thing is that we arrived in one piece.

The next morning we were picked up by the rafting company and taken to a place where we changed into wetsuits. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen your coworkers in wetsuits, but we were all pretty amused. Apparently the Ganges is pretty cold from all of the glacier melt this time of year, but it didn’t feel any colder than Lake Michigan during the summer.

It was my first time river rafting and I absolutely loved it. The very first rapid we went through was called The Wall. It was only after we made it through that the guide admitted that he was shocked we didn’t flip. We got a late start and the water level was high, but we managed to travel 36 kilometers down the Ganges and come out unscathed. I ended up in the front of the raft, not because I was worthy of the position, but because no one else was really interested in facing the rapids head on. I, on the other hand, loved it.

Toward the end of the trip they gave us the option to hop out of the raft and body surf a small rapid. It seemed to me that everyone was getting in, but it wasn’t until after I was flailing around in the water that I realized I was pretty much on my own. To be fair, there were two other guys that jumped in, but they weren’t anywhere near me. Swimming in a life jacket on top of a regular jacket on top of a wetsuit in class II rapids turned out to feel less like surfing and more like a lesson in survival. By the time I got back on the raft I was so exhausted I could hardly move.

As if that weren’t enough excitement for one day, we stopped a little further up for a little afternoon cliff jumping. I made sure to watch enough people go first before I decided to take the leap. It was slightly higher than a high dive, but nothing terribly impressive. I just remember hitting the water ass first and feeling the twinge of pain. I did not opt for a second jump.

Exhausted, we headed back to the hotel to clean up for dinner. A gigantic disgusting spider showed up at our table, so we followed our guides from the rafting trip to a place that had beer (Rishikesh is a dry city). At some point the option to go kayaking the next day came up. I said I needed to sleep on it, mostly to see how sore I was when I woke up.

After much early morning debate, I decided to try my hand at kayaking. About midway through the safety briefing I started having an ‘Oh Crap’ moment. I imagined myself flipping over in the kayak and not being able to escape. The most terrifying part of the day was the deliberate test flip. The rest was just extremely counterintuitive and a hell of a lot of work. I did flip once while practicing a turn and had to bail, but it wasn’t as bad as the trial because I didn’t see it coming. Ironically, I traversed the rapids without any issues. Of course, I was supposed to follow the guide, but my inability to steer made me fly past him and take on the Ganges solo. Terrifying, but awesome. Definitely worth another go at some point, perhaps in a place with more easily accessible healthcare.

On our way back to Delhi we stopped in Haridwar, one of the holiest cities in the Hindu religion. It’s a vibrant town known for its colorful temples, filled with all kinds of disturbing images. I felt like I was in a carnival funhouse out of some cheesy horror movie. My favorite was a life size diorama showing a man with a sword standing over a bloodied woman who just had her nose chopped off. It reminded me of a story my mom once told me about how scared she was of a stained glass window at her catholic school depicting the devil biting off some man’s bloody foot. As a marketing professional, I must say that both Catholics and Hindus have a lot to learn.

In addition the terrifying temples, pilgrims travel from all over to honor loved ones and commemorate the deceased by floating diyas down the Ganges. These are basically tiny floats made of flowers that carry oil lamps and incense. I bought one that had four sticks of incense and sent it down the river with a prayer for health and peace of mind, washing my hands clean in the holy water. It was really special for me and I’m really glad I had a chance to participate.

The trip concluded with an equally hair-raising drive back to Delhi. Actually, it was worse, but again, my mom censor is in full effect. I managed to drag my severely sleep-deprived sore bones out of bed the next day to work out of our Gurgaon office. It reminded me a lot of the early days in Ann Arbor, which was kind of nice. We spent the evening shopping in Delhi and dining at a fancy schmancy tapas restaurant. I could barely keep my eyes open to enjoy the meal, but nevertheless it was the perfect ending to a perfect weekend.