Let’s go to Rishikesh – A Travelogue

“Live with no excuses and travel with no regrets” 

And that’s exactly how we must plan our travels – exploring every nook and cranny that catches our fantasy, tasting local cuisines that whet the appetite long after you’ve returned home, and much more. My travels to Ladakh in North to Ooty in South, Kutch in the West to Assam in the East, have all been fuelled by this  idea. And I try to reap even more from each trip I make. The Uttarakhand journey was no different.

After Delhi and Haridwar, it was time to travel up and grace Rishikesh.

My Haridwar Experience was very uplifting. I found that the atmosphere of the place is not only soothingly serene but also spiritually-charged. You feel a different kind of energy reverberating through your senses and it only gets better the more you soak into its devotional aura. But that was my experience of the tiny crowded city of Haridwar, which tops the list of spiritual destinations across the canvas of India.

After Haridwar, our next destination was Rishiskesh. This city also called the Yoga Capital of India is situated at about 2 hours drive from Haridwar. It actually falls on the same expressway ahead of Haridwar. We left Haridwar early in the morning, because we were truly excited about our Rishikesh trip. And soon I shall tell you why.

In part 1 of this travelogue, you’ll see a part of my Rishikesh trip and some of the places I visited, and some of the things I did. Although, part 2 will be more exciting in terms of my adventure and exploration. But before that, you have part 1 waiting below. Let’s go!

The journey from Haridwar to Rishikesh by road is about 25 kms. Ideally, it should take not more than 3 hours. But due to hair pin bends plus the construction on ghats that were causing frequent landslides, our road trip was badly delayed. We took about 6 hours to reach and by the time, we were in Rishiskesh, we were nauseous from the journey. So we decided to take rest and not involve in major adventure sports as was the schedule for the day.

Aerial view of Rishikesh just as we were about to enter the city. The view from a height of 1000 feet above was spectacular and we were lucky to have finally found some solace in the tedious journey.

Rishikesh, as is.  A lateral view of the Lakshman Jhula.

Our camp stay in Rishikesh. The Majestic Camps which felt like a world apart, atop the hill.

The dining area.

The view beyond.

The pool area we couldn’t enjoy because of extremely low winter temperatures.

Then it was trekking time. For 4 hours, we took liberty in exploring that belt of Rishikesh which people hardly know of. We had a splendid time enjoying such rare beauties as you will see in the following pictures.

Never thought rocks would look so beautiful.

A tributary of Ganga.

Some of my most favorite captures.

The Family Picture.

Some evening snacks  – tea and pakoras.

The night vibes totally lit up the place.

Bonfires in winters, the best combination ever.

It was 5 degrees but the evening felt way chillier than that.

The lawn area in the early morning.

Breakfast, the following morning consisting of tea, scrambled eggs, fruits, and puffed rice flakes.

Breakfast time accompanied by reading time. There is no joy that equals one you feel bathing in the sun on a winter morning with a book you love. That was Rebecca for you.

And then it was drone time.

Book shoots never hurt a person; especially if the environment complemented it beautifully.

A rare capture.

And finally, the locals.

That’s all for the part one of my Rishikesh experience. In my next post, I shall share the last of my experiences traveling around Rishikesh. Stay tuned.

Visit my IG page @Badbookthief for my travel stories.

✍Question of the day✍

Have you visited Rishikesh? What do you love most about the city?

Do share you thoughts in comments below. 🙂

P.S.: All images are copyright. Please seek permission before reproducing.

~~~~~

© Asha Seth

Stay in touch.
Subscribe Now: Youtube| Twitter| Instagram| Facebook| Tumblr