Rishikesh, India. March 2023
I have always loved India. Ever since my Mum took me to Goa in 1989. I was too young to truly experience the hippy scene that was going on then but I loved it all the same and ever since, I have been going back whenever I can. I had to cancel two trips to India recently, so this time it was third time lucky for me.
I had never been to Rishikesh before but had wanted to visit due to it being the birthplace of yoga. Its situated at the foothills of the Himalayas and was just what I needed after working from home for so long and not going abroad.
I flew to Delhi and then took a connecting flight to Dehradun, where I was picked up in a taxi and taken the 40 minute ride to my hotel. I stayed at Seventh Heaven in the heart of Tapovan and it was perfect for me. Spacious, clean, comfortable, well located and ran by a charming Anglo Indian couple; Kalam and Charlotte.
I had 5 days to myself and then I joined a yoga retreat with the lovely Laura Freeman who I met by chance as she walked into my local pub The Fox after navigating the Hanwell flight of locks on her canal boat. It was meant to be!
My five days were spent wandering around Rishikesh, cafe hopping, drinking chai, eating delicious vegetarian food, meeting new people and attending kirtans and satsangs. One day I went to one of the biggest ashrams called Parmarth Niketan which was hosting in International Yoga Festival so I fully immersed myself in the ashram experience.
The ashram was quite beautiful set amidst lush gardens and adorned with fairy lights at night. A really magical place. Its right on the banks of the Ganga and I attended it Havan and Aarti rituals which were really special.
Parmarth Niketan has a real life guru and I even got a ‘Namashar’ from him after having my evening meal on the table next to him. It was quite and experience.
Ganga Aarti at Parmarth Niletan.
The evening ended with a hair raising rickshaw rise back to my hotel where I could then prepare for my next day where I was doing a cooking workshop with Cooking Masala.
This was a wonderful experience where I learnt to make five different dishes and then eat them! I was feeling a bit delicate after my day at the ashram so it was a struggle to eat the delightful meal that I had just created.
During my stay in Rishikesh I attended the Hare Krishna ashram where we went to for the Holi celebrations. It was a lovely place and they had a Kirtan festival happening during my stay. In the evenings there was a meal which was made by the Buddhist monks which was free and one of the most delicious meals I ate during my stay. The head of the organisation was serving the meals too. They made a desert which was a white chocolate halwa which was the most delicious thing even thought it looked quite uninteresting.