Hrishikesh

Some related random memoirs....


- cerulean green, serene,pure Ganga water.
-magnanimous hills, mighty waterfalls, rocks abundant of rapids and streams of water here and there.
-water spider, small visible fishes, 6" long crab that I spotted and cried out,"see octopus!"
-Laila,majnu-pair of dogs, [God ! some people considered them cute!I was scared!]

-our cottage[amidst jungle it was more like ancient 'jhopdi' ], but a lovely one,because it reminded me of my home. No electricity, no mobile network connection, no basic amenities , still we loved it! It was like a sigh of relief after Delhi's polluted environ.

-moonlight trekking 5kms uphill, little tiring, little scary ,still we loved it. Although guides tried to frighten us saying, there may be elephant, tigers in the jungle , still our spirits were high.
-things observed in jungle- 'peacock's hoarse cackling sound, innumerable green lights from"jugnu"[fireflies], some monkeys, clear stars in the milky way, we could actually count, polar bear, saptrishi etc.
-bonfire and the ghost stories, everyone was so scared after that, even to go to the washroom alone.
-At night we were served sumptuous dinner, but my fault I over-ate, or somehow, water didn't suit me, I had indigestion, vomited many times next day. Whatever! I can survive on curd-bananas and nimbu-pani , and I did that, after all I was ought to have had the run for my share of fun!

- Next day was meant for rafting. We were shifted to a guest house on the suburbs of Laxman jhoola. It was a lovely place.Rafting was synonymous to overdose of adrenaline rush. It was exciting, rejuvenating, encountering, adventurous and fun simultaneously, It could only be felt, not expressed.
-Rapids had some interesting names: gold spot, 3 blind mice etc... Facing them gave us feeling of "conquering something!"
- Way back, I could literally see my legs shivering and teeth clattering, Cold seemed to numb all our senses. Nevertheless, enjoyment was too great to be humbled by such petty inadequacies.
-Next day, Y and me, explored the local markets. Although we were astonished to see all sorts of goods , from Lucknow chiken Kurtis, to Tibetan wool and yak horn's accessories, to metal figurines from central India,to harem pants and brocade bags at double their original price. Quite obviously, they were meant for foreigners. We could see many awe-stricken,truth searching,solace seeking firangis attiring like locales and moving on rented royal en field bikes, throughout Hrishikesh.
- I tried out Mushroom cheese pasta and American choupsey ,it tasted delicious! In the evening we went to Tulsi Restaurant, it had a strange ambiance. On the 2nd floor, we were supposed to open our slippers, climb on to a pavement and sit casually. A small cat wandered freely and people could smoke inside the AC room. Ridiculous and Suffocating, we preferred to walk out soon after having ginger-tulsi tea, which was good. The manager/waiter was a blabbering fellow, who spoke as though words being similar to coins out of torn pocket.He refused to take some dinner orders merely because it was 7.30 and he had less staffs to cook.
- Nonetheless, the journey approached the near end , Bus was meant to leave at 10, So, we also went to a gurudwara ,R and K told us many things about guru granth sahib and Sikhism.
-That's the end and we are back to daily churning and grinding.

- On the whole, the whole experience was a tantalizing one and we are left alone to crave for more and more of such pleasures. But, but , but... life is not meant for hedonism. We can only gasp and want more. Future is always destined!