So much has happened in one week and we have been travelling quite a bit but we are slowing down our pace here in the "foothills" (back home we call them mountains) of the Himalayas. We are in Rishikesh which is a pilgrimage site because of its proximity to the mountains, to the river Ganga and it apparently was the place where the Rishis (Sages) used to live. It has also become a "pilgrimage" for tourists from all over the world, but especially the infamous Israelis. Personally, I would like to retreat up the mountain away from all of it. It is a nice small town and the mountains and the Ganga are beautiful but it feels false, and I feel out of step. So we are going to try to do just that. I could write pages and pages about our trip to Agra, our time in Vrindavan, place of beloved Krishna's birth, and our observance of the evening puja on the Ganga in Haridwar and our early morning ablution in that cold swift river, but I will leave the rest for Mary and for the pictures to tell (she is the photographer most of the time). I hope you can all enjoy them!
Some Milking action
6 comments:
Hi Evrim & Mary, this is Abe. What is it that the Israeli's do that make them so infamous? I know, from being in Israel last May, that they go to India frequently.
So, just so you know...the hardest part (the arrival) is over. Its all down hill from here. Sounds like you are in health and thats the most important thing. Agra is a rough place, where did you stay? A memories....
Thanks for the photos. Wow, its like I am back there again through you two, my sister and brother. Shame you couldnt get into the Bhandari Cottage. Off you go, up the mountains, searching for some peace and quiet in India, eh? :-) I hear Dharmashala is great. Manali is SO beautiful but also a Bonaroo of Isreali kids....Don't forget Varanasi. :-)
Ah, a. josef asked the question I had! LOL Thanks for the fotos, Mary, and yum the list of food. I hope that you found some silence. A recent issue of Ode magazine is about silence and the absence of it in our world. I look forward to reading more about your adventures. namaste
About the infamous...
There is book (Holy Cow) I read and it describes the Israeli tourist boom in more detail but as people who have come here know parts of India have become quite a 'scene' for the Israelis. They have become infamous because in a way they have 'set up camp' here. For me this is problematic, as it is for any steady sustained touristic boom anywhere, for one main reason: the loss of genuine cultural heritage, history, way of life...etc. This is seen in the establishments that have opened up here and it is also seen in the uneasy relationship with locals, the negative looks, stares, and general regard for the non-Indian tourist.
Traditionally, Rishikesh has been a place for the sages of Indian to retire from the business of the world and contemplate life's mysteries. This has been the tradition for literally thousands of years. The pot smoking by the Ganga (in the old days it was not done often by sadhus) and techno music are out of place here. Even as a visitor I can feel that. So I guess my wish is a bit more regard and respect for the place one is visiting. Israeli or otherwise I feel like we should be laying ourselves at the feet of this place instead of treating it like a resort town that we can use...
Hello Evrim, I hope you reached safely in BohdGaya. Quite a journey you are having, all the best. I am working out of Richmond right now, eating a spinach nugget.
Lets design to meet soon sometime.
Lets have a conversation soon.
Neal
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