Rishikesh: The Sticky City

A new term I've picked up through my travels is ‘sticky places'. I've listened to other travelers use this when describing a place they just couldn't leave. Whether it's the food, the environment, the history, the culture or the people, some places are just magnetic. Rishikesh is magnetic. Hindu people say that you don't just come to Rishikesh, Rishikesh calls you to it. I'm so gald I found this gem of a place in the world.

Rishikesh is the "Yoga Capital of the World''. The ancient practice originated here. The city sits along the right bank of the Ganges River, or the "Ganga". The Ganga is the most sacred river in Hindu mythology. Rishikesh is recoginized as the birthplace of the Ganga making it a Hindu pilgrimage town as well. This place is very spiritual, to say the least. Sadhus and Sannyasins from all over the coutnry and the world come to Rishikesh. Cows are considered sacred and roam the streets (they also have the right-of-way), meat isn't served anywhere and the Aarti ceremony, a type of worship that involves offering light, goes every night as the sun sets along the river. I actually didn't know much about Rishikesh before arriving, that's how I've been traveling. Learn as I explore. But I knew there was something special about Rishikesh after my first day out of the Triguna ashram where I was doing my yoga teacher training.

A group of us left for Rishikesh on our first day off in the ashram. A tuktuk brought us through the city and into the mountains. We left early in the morning, I got to sit in the front of the ride and it felt like I was watching a movie. The city was waking up; children walking to school, storekeepers sweeping their front steps, milk being delivered to homes via motorcycle, cows walking through the streets completely oblivious or maybe just unaffected by the traffic flying past.

Once we arrived at the mountains, we hiked up to a waterfall that leads to a stream and meets the Ganga. We each took turns standing under the powerful waterfall. I had enough energy after to feel ike I had 10 cups of coffee. We were in search of breakfast so we continued to hike up the mountain. At one point we had to move aside for a funeral to pass, they were carrying the body of a passed loved one down the mountain as a community, quietly singing and leaving flower petals in their trail. This was one of those "how in the world did I end up here" moments. We eventually found ourselves in a small village of 17 people where we were greeted by two brothers, one in his late 70's and another in his mid 90's, both so excited to have visitors. They insisted we stay for chai and invited us to a rooftop of one of their homes. We met their wives and they gave us necklaces made of wild seeds. We also received a little tour of the village. The community has been living completely off the land for generations. Their homes are made of cow dung which keeps the heat out. Families came out of their colorful homes to greet us as we walked through. They showed us their gardens and ways of cooking. Each so proud of thier community. We somehow stumbled upon this little slice of paradise. Simple, beautiful, living. They were so generous and welcoming to us, not wanting or expecting anything in return. Their slow pace of life allows time for guests and I wondered what the world would be like if we were all this grounded and big-hearted.

There was another day off at our yoga teacher training where our entire group left the ashram at 4:30am to see the sunrise over the mountain range. We waited for so long that when the sun peaked out we were cheering and singing. I could see the Himalayas in the distance. A ride was offered back to the ashram but a small group of us decided to take the long way down, by foot. Another magical hike. We found a small rock pool above another waterfall where we all went for a swim, I can't share those photos on the internet though.... when in India I guess.

My time at Triguna ended and some friends from my yoga teacher training and I decided to spend some extra time in Rishikesh. This was perfect because I was so involved in our program that I didn't take time to really think about where I'll go next or when. Rushing from place to place is tempting because it allows me to see a lot in a short amount of time but it can be so exhausting. Triguna taught me the art of slowing down and just going with the flow of things.

Francis, Nina, Ryan, Michael and I became the Rishikesh crew. Francis, my roommate from Triguna, is a photographer/creator from the Netherlands. Nina and Ryan are a digital nomad couple. Nina is from Spain and Ryan is from Canada but they've been traveling the world together for years. Michael is from South Africa but knows India like he's lived here his whole life, our teachers called him "baba ji'', which basically means "wise one". We booked a hostel in Tapovan, Rishikesh, a neighborhood on a hill, away from the main road. We arrived to find out that we were the only people in this hostel, so we had an entire dorm room to ourselves. We spent the next week exploring the town, although the majority of our time was in cafes eating amazing local food, drinking chai and hanging out (shout out to Ravi at Chillout Cafe in Laxman Jhula). My favorite cafe, Sacred Cafe, located below the "secret waterfall" past Tapovan, is woman-owned and family operated. I spent a whole afternoon there doing an impromptu art class with the sweetest, kindest little kindergarten girl that lives in the village above.

We also attended yoga classes, workshops, went for hikes, dipped in the Ganga and found live music shows. The five of us made such an awesome group, we couldn't get ourselves to leave this place or eachother. I couldn't stay in Rishikesh forever though. You’d think by now the goodbyes on this journey would be easy but they’re not, and I don’t want them to be.  Yes, Rishikesh is a sticky city but these people are stickier.

My next adventure involves renting a jeep and heading to southern India. Don't tell my mom though.

At the moment...

Reading: Siddhartha Hermann Hesse