Rishikesh cont'd

Still on my first 3 days...

How great is that Thich Nhat Hanh pre-eating quote??
From Madras cafe, where I had my first and last dinner in Rishikesh.

Himalayan Health Pulao. Wow! Yum! At Madras.

Friendly neighbor lady who offered me some of the green beans she was eating.

Not quite as delicious as the HHP, but tasty nonetheless.

Posters and Vikrams just outside the entrance to my first guesthouse.

Afore-mentioned entrance. 

Taxi stand just a few steps away.
Missed the Krishna Das concert by a couple weeks. Thought of you, Cindy!

Road leading out of taxi stand. Main strip on this side of the river.

Rishikesh cont'd

Still from my first 3 days at Omkarananda...

 Holy cows.

 Posters everywhere for yoga, Hindi, gods, goddesses.

 More holy cows.

 One of many delicious health restos along the Ganga.

 One of the main ashrams in Rishikesh, where a couple of my friends were staying.

Main riverside road in Ramjula, area of Rishikesh where I stayed.

My first guesthouse seen from the other side of the river. Taller one on the left, middle floor, middle door between the two trees.

Ganga, foot of the Himalayas, Ramjula bridge, main road.

Cow, posters, motorbikes, knick-knack shops, temple, fruit carts: India.

Grey monkey, orange sadhu.

Ramjula bridge. Again.

Hanuman's heart.

Home in Rishikesh

Ok, starting Rishikesh today...

 Bus from Haridwar train station to Rishikesh... almost there, half hour ride!

View from my first guesthouse in Rishikesh, where I stayed 3 days. My permanent home would be on the other side of the river.

Shared balcony, great view of the river ghats.

 Mountain temple across the Ganga.

 Great room at Omkarananda. Shared bathroom and showers down the hallway. $7/night.

Ghats and orange-clad sadhus.

 Ramjula Bridge

 A 5 minute walk up the hill behind that orange temple is where I'd be living.

(That's also the temple I went to on Maha Shivratri, to celebrate the union of Shiva and Parvati, where I was the only foreigner.)

The sign that started it all...

I did it! I finally started!

Drumroll please.... the moment you've all been waiting for... Photo Blog Part 1!
Backtracking to day 1, starting with Paharganj, the district of Delhi I stayed in my first few nights.

Couldn't resist starting with a toilet. I've photographed each one where I've stayed. You'll notice wide variety!

Repacking after the terrible rushed job I did in my frantic pre-departure state.

My first yoga session in India. Late night stretch after full day jetlag recup. Haven't unrolled my mat since.

Pretty much how I'd be dressed for the next month... not what you expected for India, huh?
(At the moment, I'm in a bikini top and sarong, dripping sweat just from the exertion of typing. 
Gotta say, I kinda miss the sweater, hat and scarf.)

View from my 3rd floor room at Hotel Rak International in Paharganj, Delhi.

Another window view... this is all before I worked up the guts to actually step outside of the hotel.

Resto down below preparing for the day.

Zoomed in.

My room from the inner hallway.

5am, packed up and ready to head to the train station en route to Rishikesh.

Early morning walk down main bazaar, nice and calm before the day's madness begins!

Scene out the train window on the way to Rishikesh.


That's it for now. Next time (soon!), will be Rishikesh, my home for a month and a half.