In yoga paradise and waterfall (Day 19 of the world trip)

23.09.2019

The first night in India was super relaxing. Rishikesh is far enough north to radiate a bit of peace, but apparently there are also opportunities to go out after dark (around 6 pm). Maybe Jonas can convince me to try it ;-)

I woke up at 6:30 am and we remembered that there is a yoga class on the roof every morning at 7:00 am. The yoga teacher is Ajay, who is also our host. At 6:40 am I nudged Jonas to see if we wanted to go to the yoga session now or not. Since we had Wi-Fi at the moment - which is not a given here - he was on his phone looking for a hiking route for today. At 6:50 am I asked if he also wants to go to the bathroom and at 6:54 am we actually got up. We'll do it! :D

At 7:01 am we went outside and met Ajay, who was already looking for yoga enthusiasts. There were no other guests from the guesthouse right now, so it was just Jonas and me. No problem. Ajay got two mats, a pink one for me and a blue one for Jonas (what a cliché ^^) and then we went up to the rooftop terrace. The sun was rising and it was the perfect setting for the yoga morning greeting. Ajay mentioned that he teaches Ashtanga (which meant nothing to us since we had no experience with yoga before...) and that it is the most demanding one. We mentioned that we are both complete beginners and he was somewhat surprised. But no big deal. We'll do it! :)

In vocational school, a classmate once conducted a yoga session during physical education class and we made it through. However, there were almost 20 other students, and today it was just the two of us. That means we got a lot of attention :D So, Jonas was diagnosed with not straightening his back and he had to do the exercises differently (it's great that Ajay noticed that!!!) and my hips are really immobile^^ We somehow managed to do the sun salutation, first standing, then starting in a squat. Since I'm the least flexible in the morning, it was much harder for me than a stretching session in Taekwondo, for example... But it was a lot of fun and Ajay seemed to enjoy watching us. Most people probably come here when they already have yoga experience :D When we walked around here yesterday evening, it became clear.

There are many yoga enthusiasts here, every other house is a yoga school, there are vegan restaurants and organic stores, and people wear loose pants and are super relaxed ;-) In the restaurant where we ate yesterday evening (I had a mega delicious gnocchi dish with homemade gnocchi in pumpkin, carrot, zucchini sauce and garlic bread for 200 Rupees = around €2.50. Really tasty!), there were some Americans sitting there, talking about their spiritual experiences. One of them said that her teacher told her to try Ayurveda and she is really excited about that experience.

As I said, Jonas and I are not really into this world, but observing it is really fascinating. Oh, and when we came to a bridge over the Ganges, a small Indian boy with his father approached us and asked if he could take a selfie with us. We kindly agreed. I had read about that before. As a white person, you can be popular for photos, especially in a place that is not very touristy (we suspect that the boy was just visiting here and actually lives in a small village or something ^^).

Well, back to yoga - the session lasted just under an hour and since the sun had risen, it was already hot and I was glad to have a sip of water and breakfast (toast with chocolate spread and bananas, which I bought on the street for 10 Rupees <3). So, we were wide awake and already sweaty for the first time... :D We tried to upload the blog but no chance. Either we try it later in a cafe (there is free Wi-Fi there) or the reports will be collected like in Nizip and then uploaded all at once. Two are already finished :)

Ajay also brought us our first Indian Chai, tea with sugar and milk. It was... interesting. For me, it was too sweet and it didn't taste like tea anymore, but I think Jonas didn't mind it. And the gesture was nice. You should never refuse tea, as we learned in Wales and tried to implement in Turkey^^

Since we had the terrace, we decided to do some laundry, the classic way with water in a bucket and a piece of pressed detergent. Just put the clothes in, scrub and hang them up - a second sweaty task in the blazing sun on the terrace at about 30°C. But luckily our room is really cool. The kitchenette and bathroom face north and there are insect screens everywhere, so we can leave the windows open for a draft.

Oh, and there are many monkeys here. During the yoga session, we heard a woman shouting and running across the neighboring terrace. A monkey had settled there and apparently scared her... Later we innocently spotted said monkey sitting on the wall, happily munching on something from a bowl. Since then, I have been keeping an eye on our laundry. I don't want him to steal it and run around with our clothes^^

Update in the afternoon: The laundry is still there^^ Although Ajay mentioned that young monkeys like to steal a few pieces of laundry and then play with them or even manage to put them on. I think the latter is more of a rumor, but okay^^

Until 12:00 noon, we just took it easy - well, I did. Jonas was diligently training with a therapeutic band. Luckily our room is more like a bungalow and we have plenty of space. I lazily lay on the bed and took advantage of the Wi-Fi :) In the end, we decided to hike to the waterfall.

The path led along the main road, which is usually boring and annoying, but since we are in India, it is also somehow exciting. The monkeys and especially the cows lying or standing on the road, while the cars honk their horns and try to drive into the oncoming traffic and then all have to brake and honk even more... :D Honking is a really important thing here. Some vehicles even have "Blow Horn" written below them and in general, they honk before every turn. We suspect that it is a signal for oncoming traffic so that they are not so surprised? Or maybe there is a cow waiting on the road after the turn, so you can warn the others. Oh, and motorcycles even honk at pedestrians on completely empty roads. Generally somehow. Fortunately, we don't have a rental car here. We wouldn't honk enough and confuse everyone :O

After about half an hour (or longer?), we were completely drenched in sweat and then came the turnoff for the path up to the waterfall. It was uphill all the way and luckily we had two bottles of water with us! At the entrance, we had to pay 50 Rupees per person, which is a little over 50 cents, so completely reasonable :) And when we started, I was in slightly better shape (despite the heat!) than usual (is it because of yoga? :p). After the first hundred meters or so, there was already a small path to the lower riverbed, where we cooled our heads and necks with water before continuing. In addition to a road that leads to the "main square", a pool of the waterfall, there is also a footpath and of course, for Jonas, there was no other option. Granted, the path was much nicer and even shorter! However, it was also steeper -.- But we managed it quite comfortably, thanks to the shade, to reach the first mini-pool.

There were a few Indians there besides us, but they were just getting ready to leave, so we could take the first photos and have a (for me) vital cookie break <3 Unfortunately, due to the weather, they were not chocolate cookies, but after breakfast, a chocolate abstinence was justifiable ;-) Afterwards, we went higher to the spot where all the cars and motorcycles also stop. An inconspicuous looking Indian guy sat on a stone and approached Jonas. Since we know that from countries like India, Jonas politely waved him off with a "No thank you". The Indian guy asked again and Jonas declined again. Then I arrived and he asked me for the ticket. :D Jonas hadn't understood it properly or just hadn't listened because the guy looked like he wanted to sell something :D I called for Jonas and he stopped so that I could clarify the situation^^ The guy made a tear in our ticket and then we were allowed to go further. In hindsight, we wondered if he might just be a con artist who lurks around for visitors who are uncertain and then maybe pay the entrance fee again a second time. It would be a nice way to earn some money ;-)

There were already a few tourists at this main pool, including Indians who were swimming there or using one of the snack stands or the café. Since we don't really like crowds, we continued further up. The steps were sometimes waist-high, but we were wearing hiking shoes. And I knew that we still had more cookies in the backpack just in case :p At the highest point (that's not quite true, but I like to think so. Actually, it goes even higher up to the summit and over the ridge, but well... it was really hot and I had done enough with the climb :D), we took off our shoes and went into the water. While Jonas had his swim trunks on, cleverly anticipating the situation, I was wearing long leggings to protect myself from possible mosquitoes, so I only went in as far as I could roll up my pants. But Jonas could splash around, climb, slide, and frolic :) I also climbed a bit, which was cool, although sometimes a bit slippery^^

At one point, where Jonas could climb up and then SLIDE down, he caught the attention of two Indians. One of them filmed Jonas sliding and later proudly showed me the video on his phone. The other Indian even tried to imitate Jonas' climbing and also had fun sliding! So, overall, the waterfall is definitely recommended ;-)

At some point, we headed back, fortified with chocolate cookies purchased from a snack stand, which expired one month ago but were still delicious <3 So, our craving for chocolate was satisfied after all :D

Back at the guest house, it was time to take off the laundry, shower, and write the blog. And then there will be dinner, probably at the same café as yesterday because it was so great! We're already looking forward to it :)