Day 3 - Rishikesh

The weather looked gloomy with an overcast sky as we woke up. We had breakfast at the hotel and decided to visit Rishikesh today. Again we headed back the way we came yesterday and after crossing Rajaji National Park the road divides and one goes towards to Dehradun and one to Rishikesh. The drive was pleasant, as we opted Laxman Jhula as our destination google map smartly took us via highway bypassing the main city.But at the end the roads started to get narrower lucky for us we found a parking lot packed yet as we early risers ;)

The weather was little cold compared to the planes of Dehradun with lots of breeze coming from Ganga. We walked to Laxman Jhula to cross it. Oh boy! We have no idea what local authority allows two-wheelers, cycle to cross the hanging bridge which is meant for a pedestrian. And top of it you even have some cows standing in the middle.

I am sure the people coming all the from abroad to Rishikesh for peace, meditation and self-purity do get a complete shock with this madness. Once crossed the bridge we spent a good amount time seating on a ghat and enjoying the beauty of Ganga. There were many rafting boats and other boats with tourists For lunch we decided to try our luck with Ramana’s Organic Cafe as suggested by Tripadvisor.  We walked the Ganges to reach and only to realize we are at the back of Raman’s Cafe. The final part of the back road was absolutely no road so it involved little tricky.

The place is quite interesting. They have on floor seating arrangement. As there were many kittens I was not comfortable to sit there. So we opted for the floor above with chair and tables. All the vegetables they produce at their farm. They are an NGO with a school for village kids where they are giving education not only with books but with sports and working small work here and there.there are many expats who are living for a couple of months all together to help this community and managing the hospitality part of the center.

As we settled for lunch with our food came rain drizzle came and forced us inside. Oh God, it was tough on me I HATE cats and have fear cats , I do not like them. I suffer from Ailurophobia. But the truth is the food was delicious which took away a lot of pressure for me to enjoy the situation.

While exiting the property we thought we will proper path this time. So we exited from the front gate but after many twist and turns ended up again on the back side from we entered.

Walking back Laxman Jhula we thought of taking a tuk-tuk and visit another ghat where Ganga Aarti happens. But At The end, we opted to take our car. The journey was through narrow lanes but being the second day we are getting used to the same. Reaching Triveni Ghat we were not so impressed and it looked like we had to kill another 3 to hours. So after a lot of deliberation, we decided to rush to Haridwar. So we get back to our car and headed to Haridwar.

Google map tried to be funny again and put us through narrow lanes. But as we had enough time today we did not panic As soon as we parked our car at the hotel we rushed for Har Ki Pauri. We got a premium location today but which also means we were facing Sun for a longer time. After 2 hours of waiting the Aarti started and we got an undisturbed view. Of course, there was some mean last-minute entry who tries every kind of tricks to squeeze in. So we had to accept that :(

After Arti I decided to take a dip in Ganga after all. It was an experience with chilled water and you really need to hold onto the chains for your own safety. After that, we visited temples nearby.

We opted to have dinner at Big Ben just opposite Railway station. While we were waiting we found our rickshaw-puller at the window. I was not sure why he was there but soon I realized he was there to return the lens cover of my lens. Sometimes this kind of big acts by our daily hero puts a smile that no money can buy. But out of my joy, I forgot to take a selfie with him. 

The delight of yummy food in a comfortable seating with Aircondition was really worth the value. The place is little expensive in Haridwar standard but would recommend it any day.