Dear friends,
Misha and I left Kathmandu over a month ago.
Our plan was to head for the southern region of India and explore the southernmost states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. This is one area of India that Misha had not visited in his previous trip; we figured it would be a perfect destination as it would be a new experience for both of us. Besides, we had gotten tired of the cold weather during our long treks, and were itching to head south to warm up and relax.
Our minds were made up. It would be too cold in northern India, we thought. Better go south and enjoy the warmth.
But India had other plans for us…
It insisted that we first make a stop in Rishikesh, a small city in northern India about 200 km north of Delhi, and if that wasn’t enough, it insisted that we stay there.
So here we have been for over a month now, with no immediate plans to leave.
How was India able to derail our plans and have its way?
How did we end up coming to Rishikesh and staying here for so long?
The road to Rishikesh was paved in “coincidences” and “chance meetings".
Some of you may remember Misha’s descriptions of Rishikesh from his prior trip. He came here three times in his previous travels, and stayed for about six months. Like many of you, I listened to Misha’s stories of a lovely, little town located right on the banks of the holy river Ganga, nestled between the narrow river valley on one side and the majestic foothills of the Himalayas on the other. A place known as the “world capital of Yoga”, where the Beatles had come to study under the Maharishi in the 60s, and where they wrote most of the White Album. I listened to Misha’s stories, and dreamed of visiting this place myself… some day…
But lets get back to Nepal for a second…
While strolling down the narrow streets of Kathmandu, we just happened to run into a man who Misha recognized from his previous stay in Rishikesh and who informed us that contrary to our beliefs, the weather in northern India was lovely and unseasonably warm this year. On top of that, he told us that Misha’s favorite yoga teacher, Surrinder, who he had studied under during his previous trip, was back in Rishikesh after a long time abroad, and again teaching yoga.
That was how India offered us the bait, and we bit into it, hook, line and sinker.
In a few days, we crossed over the river Ganga by foot via a suspension bridge and found ourselves in lovely Rishikesh. The weather was indeed unseasonably warm; it was even warm enough for us to dip ourselves in the frosty Ganga. We wouldn’t stay long, we reasoned, just a few weeks while the good weather lasted, and then head south to bask in the warmth.
We started attending Surrinder’s yoga classes, and discovered that, if anything, his teaching ability only improved in the three years since Misha’s visit.We strolled around Rishikesh and made plans for possible future visits.
A particular three-story building overlooking the Ganga caught our attention. This place was far more luxurious than out current hotel room. The apartments consist of both a living room and a bedroom, a kitchen, and a large balcony overlooking the Ganga. We were told that the place had no current vacancies, which was just as well since our hotel room was adequate for a short stay. I looked wistfully at the third floor apartments, and imagined myself sitting on the balcony of the very corner room. This balcony had the best view of the Ganga as it was the only one not obstructed by the building in front. If ever we would come here for more than a month, this would certainly be the place to stay.
But Rishikesh was not done with us yet…
After a few weeks here, a friend mentioned in passing that there was a couple living in her building looking for someone to take over their apartment. They had paid rent up until the 24th of December, but needed to leave earlier and didn’t want to loose all that money.
We quickly learned that the couple lived in that very same building right on the banks of the Ganga, on the third floor, in that very top corner room that had caught my eye. And if that wasn’t good enough, they were happy to leave us a fully stocked and furnished kitchen. We just couldn’t pass it up.
It seems that India decided that Rishikesh was the place we needed to be, and who are we to disagree? When you spend some time in India, you learn to just go with the flow and not resist. You learn that you can simply follow the road of “coincidences” and “chance meetings” and that it will not lead you astray. You even start to suspect that there is no such thing as “coincidence” or “chance”. This is the power of India. This is the power of Rishikesh. This place seems to possess certain amazing magnetic and attractive powers. Many of the people who we have met here never planned to come here, and those who did, rarely planned to stay for long. Yet here we all are, staying month after lovely month.
We will write again soon, but for now, we are just going with the flow…
~Rita (and Misha)
Misha and I left Kathmandu over a month ago.
Our plan was to head for the southern region of India and explore the southernmost states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. This is one area of India that Misha had not visited in his previous trip; we figured it would be a perfect destination as it would be a new experience for both of us. Besides, we had gotten tired of the cold weather during our long treks, and were itching to head south to warm up and relax.
Our minds were made up. It would be too cold in northern India, we thought. Better go south and enjoy the warmth.
But India had other plans for us…
It insisted that we first make a stop in Rishikesh, a small city in northern India about 200 km north of Delhi, and if that wasn’t enough, it insisted that we stay there.
So here we have been for over a month now, with no immediate plans to leave.
How was India able to derail our plans and have its way?
How did we end up coming to Rishikesh and staying here for so long?
The road to Rishikesh was paved in “coincidences” and “chance meetings".
Some of you may remember Misha’s descriptions of Rishikesh from his prior trip. He came here three times in his previous travels, and stayed for about six months. Like many of you, I listened to Misha’s stories of a lovely, little town located right on the banks of the holy river Ganga, nestled between the narrow river valley on one side and the majestic foothills of the Himalayas on the other. A place known as the “world capital of Yoga”, where the Beatles had come to study under the Maharishi in the 60s, and where they wrote most of the White Album. I listened to Misha’s stories, and dreamed of visiting this place myself… some day…
But lets get back to Nepal for a second…
While strolling down the narrow streets of Kathmandu, we just happened to run into a man who Misha recognized from his previous stay in Rishikesh and who informed us that contrary to our beliefs, the weather in northern India was lovely and unseasonably warm this year. On top of that, he told us that Misha’s favorite yoga teacher, Surrinder, who he had studied under during his previous trip, was back in Rishikesh after a long time abroad, and again teaching yoga.
That was how India offered us the bait, and we bit into it, hook, line and sinker.
In a few days, we crossed over the river Ganga by foot via a suspension bridge and found ourselves in lovely Rishikesh. The weather was indeed unseasonably warm; it was even warm enough for us to dip ourselves in the frosty Ganga. We wouldn’t stay long, we reasoned, just a few weeks while the good weather lasted, and then head south to bask in the warmth.
We started attending Surrinder’s yoga classes, and discovered that, if anything, his teaching ability only improved in the three years since Misha’s visit.We strolled around Rishikesh and made plans for possible future visits.
A particular three-story building overlooking the Ganga caught our attention. This place was far more luxurious than out current hotel room. The apartments consist of both a living room and a bedroom, a kitchen, and a large balcony overlooking the Ganga. We were told that the place had no current vacancies, which was just as well since our hotel room was adequate for a short stay. I looked wistfully at the third floor apartments, and imagined myself sitting on the balcony of the very corner room. This balcony had the best view of the Ganga as it was the only one not obstructed by the building in front. If ever we would come here for more than a month, this would certainly be the place to stay.
But Rishikesh was not done with us yet…
After a few weeks here, a friend mentioned in passing that there was a couple living in her building looking for someone to take over their apartment. They had paid rent up until the 24th of December, but needed to leave earlier and didn’t want to loose all that money.
We quickly learned that the couple lived in that very same building right on the banks of the Ganga, on the third floor, in that very top corner room that had caught my eye. And if that wasn’t good enough, they were happy to leave us a fully stocked and furnished kitchen. We just couldn’t pass it up.
It seems that India decided that Rishikesh was the place we needed to be, and who are we to disagree? When you spend some time in India, you learn to just go with the flow and not resist. You learn that you can simply follow the road of “coincidences” and “chance meetings” and that it will not lead you astray. You even start to suspect that there is no such thing as “coincidence” or “chance”. This is the power of India. This is the power of Rishikesh. This place seems to possess certain amazing magnetic and attractive powers. Many of the people who we have met here never planned to come here, and those who did, rarely planned to stay for long. Yet here we all are, staying month after lovely month.
We will write again soon, but for now, we are just going with the flow…
~Rita (and Misha)
