Haridwar - Uttarakhand

I entered the train and went to my reserved seat when I was approached by a nice old man asking if it was okay for his wife to sit by the window. Obviously, I didn't mind, but shortly after, I realized that I was now sitting in the middle seat of a row of three. Well, I had to accept that. Luckily, the young man sitting next to me on the left moved to an empty seat on the other side after about 90 minutes of travel. The train journey itself went smoothly and quickly, and after almost 5 hours, I reached 'Haridwar'.

Where the next day, I decided to explore the hustle and bustle of the city on foot. And soon enough, I noticed the cable car to my left. So I decided to take it up to the 'Mansa Devi' Temple. I must say, the temple was rather unremarkable, but from up there, I had a great view of the city. And so, I walked back down to the city. When I reached the bottom, I finally wanted to go to the Ganges. After a short walk through the bazaars, the river presented itself in all its beauty.

I also discovered the ghats, where many devout Hindus were taking a bath in their holy river. I let myself soak in the wonderful atmosphere once again.

As the sun set, a daily ceremony began to honor the holy waters. I was invited to buy some flowers and, after a brief blessing for me and my entire family, it was clear that they wanted 500, 1000, or 2000 rupees in cash. I gave 50 rupees (80 cents) and put the flowers into the river. The ceremony was magnificent and moving, with loud singing and a mystical atmosphere created by various fire performances. It was a truly beautiful experience.