Rishikesh
The arrival
of spring weather to Delhi was fleeting, and after only a few weeks of
heavenly temperatures, we were back into the heat and humidity that lasts
until winter. To escape this early heat we joined a group of mostly
Americans (it was the kids’ spring break from school) to go river running on
the upper Ganges in Uttarakhand. This trip was less for the history of
India than for an appreciation of its natural beauty. Even so, we stopped
briefly in Haridwar, another city holy to Hindus where the Ganges descends
from the Himalayas into the Gangetic Plain. Above Haridwar is the city or
Rishikesh, which is the gateway to the steep Himalayan valleys where the
Ganges flows with cold, (mostly) clean water from the Gangotri Galcier.
Mostly for
the get-away value, scenic beauty, and enjoyable river rafting, I highly
recommend this trip to Rishikesh in the lower Himalayas. The only
detractions we had on this trip were the behaviors of some of our fellow
Americans (sadly), but so long as you go with a reputable rafting outfitter,
you will have a great time. Most packages provide riverside tent
accommodations that include all meals and rafting. I repeated this trip to
Rishikesh in May of 2008 with a group of mostly Indian young men (from our
church group), and our outfitter was not as well run or equipped. But in
any case the river rafting is not overly challenging (up to level 4 rapids),
but still exciting enough to be a great time for everyone. Since I would
never bathe in the intense pollution of the lower Ganges, this was our
chance to say we have been blessed by a dip in India’s most holy river.
