Day 16: Beatles Ashram (07.02.2017)

Rent a scooter for about 5 euros, in order to plunge into the adventure of traffic. I got on the scooter and headed upstream to the Neer Garh waterfalls. It didn't take long for me to get used to the honking and the low safety distances. Of course, I rode without a helmet and in shorts to fit in with the other road users.

When I arrived at my destination, I could hardly believe my eyes. The waterfalls were one of the most beautiful things I had seen in a long time. Clear water splashed down the mountain at 30 degrees in the shade and invited me to refresh myself. Not just once did I dare to jump into the icy cold mountain water. I could have spent hours at this place if I hadn't planned to visit the Ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the place where the famous Beatles practiced transcendental meditation 49 years ago. Today, the Ashram is nothing more than an abandoned place consisting of artistically painted ruins and has been left to the wild. Small, lovingly built houses once housed the mushroom heads overlooking the Ganges. In the center, there were large temples for meditation.

Since the entrance fee of 10€ was very expensive for Indian standards, we tried our luck on one of the footpaths. We had to climb down a slope and over barbed wire, but we also saved a lot of money. The Beatles Ashram was really worth all the hassle.