Ganges River - Rishikesh & Varanasi 17 - 23 April

Getting to the holy river wasn’t an easy feat. There was a Kumbh Mela event (occurs every 12 years) in Hariwar where an expected 70 million pilgrims will be there to take a dip in the river as they believed that it will absorb their sins, making them karma free and liberate them from being reincarnated. 

We were supposed to catch a train to Haridwar, a few days after the event, on 16 Apr. Due to the massive crowd, the train network to Haridwar was jammed. Therefore, our train was delayed for 4 hours then to 12 hours leaving us to sleep at the train station or check-in into a nearby hotel.  We took the latter option to ensure that we have sufficient rest for the journey there...

The train was further delayed by an hour or so the following morning and the 8-hour train ride took 12 hours instead due to frequent stops. It was an eye-opener when we arrived at Haridwar train station at 11pm.  There were thousands of pilgrims sleeping and cooking everywhere around the train station. The smell of human wastes was overwhelming!

It was midnight when we finally got to Rishikesh by Vikram (bigger version of Auto-rickshaw) and the guest house that we had a booking chased us away! Luckily, we had a kind and helpful Vikram driver who drove us around to look for another accommodation. It did not seem promising as there were pilgrims  sleeping on the streets and the next guest house we went was fully booked.  Finally, we found a nice hotel and the only room available was 6 times more than the room we had booked at the other guest house. Exhausted after a long day, we took the room after they gave us a 20% discount.

Haridwar is famous as it’s the beginning of the Ganges river down to Varanasi. River water is revered by the Hindus to be holy. We had the opportunity to ‘bathe’ in it as we rafted along the meandering Ganges river rapids.

After 3 nights in Rishikesh (the place to learn Yoga in Ashram), we moved on to Varanasi – cremation ground for many Hindus. 

Arriving in Varanasi on week 7 of our travelling in India was rather overwhelming. It was searing at 44 degree Celsius when we arrived and it felt like we were in a pressure cooker. Jeff had difficulty breathing once out of our room. It made me wonder what the maximum temperature a human can withstand is and at what temperature my skin will start to burn. We felt lethargic and had to stay indoor most of the time. 

The heat probably played a huge part as it totally cloud the beauty of the place. I begun to wonder how my life would be living in hot Sahara desert and if I would be able to survive and also how much global warming has escalated the situation in Varanasi at this time of the year. The locals shared that it gets up to 50 degree Celsius in June and we really marvel at their ability to adapt! So if you are ever considering a trip to Varanasi, do it during winter (Nov – Jan).

After 12 hours of wait, it just wasn't enough. The boarding platform was changed several times and carrying our backpack climbing steps and steps was no joke!

and the train kept stopping for hours!! HOT HOT HOT!

Look closely at the Pilgrims sleeping at the train station..

Our most expensive stay in India after a grueling 24 hours journey to get here...

Views of Ganges River from our balcony!

Worth our money? hehe

View of the Ghats and people bathing along the river..

Rafting in the holy river!

Our best rafting trip so far.

brave as a tiger...*roar*

having cold feet after reaching the end...chicken!

(minutes before, i was still laughing at those cowards who hesitated for so long before jumping..*yawns*)

Streets of Rishikesh..

Start of Ganges river in Rishikesh - Clean and unpolluted

We bought a croissant that was so hard that even calf did not want it!

Numerous tents in Haridwar for Pilgrims

Our taxi had a punctured tyre on our way to Varanasi.

(obvious who's the one with the extra weight..hehe)

The mountain tortise me has never seen how a tyre with inner tubing can be repaired and re-used! Every product is exhausted to its limit.

Varanasi - Daily prayer to the river by the Ghats (temple)

Huge number of devotees praying along..

View of Ganges river in Varanasi

Locals bathing in the river..

Varanasi Ganges river by the night..

We were not sure if it's the cremation or holiness of the place, it is always hazy..

(we did not take pictures of the cremation as it was rude and inappropriate so u have to visit Varanasi at the right time of the year on your own...)

The witty and humourous guest house staff who shared his life story with Jeff. He even said "Namaste" to our parents when we were on Skype with them. He's very cute!