To Delhi Then Agra

ack on the road again. We left Rishikesh at 3 and spent the night in Delhi before heading on to Agra.
I took this picture just minutes after being on the road. After relaxing in Rishikesh all day it was back to curves, animals and trucks.



Another villager delay, this one lasted only a couple of minutes. They were playing the dhol and dancing around. We were told they were celebrating a Muslim holiday.


This is a picture of the India Gate we saw on our way out of Delhi on Friday morning.





We had a pit-stop at this interesting tourist spot. They sold all sorts of things that Agra and Rajasthan are known for, and they were all literally 10 times the prices elsewhere. Even the food was 10x the price. When I say "literally" I mean that a parantha which we got earlier for 15 rupees was being sold here for 150 rupees.



I had to get at least one picture of these messages which are written on every truck. "Blow Horn" and "Use Dipper At Night". This one had a bonus phrase, don't get confused and think they mean collie (like the dog) they mean "coolie", which is a name used for porters and sometimes generally for any unskilled laborer (some consider it a slur, so don't go using it willy-nilly).

How many people can you fit on a rickshaw? More than this, I assure you.

Rishikesh

We had most of the day Thursday (September 3rd) to spend in Rishikesh. At this point we were feeling like we'd been racing around, so it was nice to slow it down and just take it easy in a spot that caters to tourists. We still spent time in the car this day but we didn't leave until 3 pm.There are many popular mandirs and temples in Rishikesh this is the view of one of them from the outside. We didn't end up going in any of them as we spent most of our day eating, wandering around and getting on the internet for the first time in almost a week (we each had over 50 new emails).

I liked how these Gods are depicted playing the shakers. I bet some people believe you can attain divinity through percussion.

This monkey jumped out at me in an aggressive manner just before i got this shot. I think he thought I was going to mess with him, then he realized I just wanted a close up so he posed for me.
One of the beatific "Jhula's" or temples in Rishikesh with the Ganges and Sita in the foreground.

This bridge is busy all day with foot traffic two-wheelers and monkeys.


Dipping in the Ganges

1. 

Based on a description we received of the location, we thought one of these two places (pictured in the next three photos) was where the Beatles stayed when they came to Rishikesh, but we couldn't confirm this with anyone. Now that I've done an internet search I don't think these are the place, but they're certainly of that era.



The view from the spot where we ate breakfast.






Food that caters to tourists is awesome. We were ready for a change from paranthas, pakoras and other fried food for breakfast. This meal only cost us a few bucks.

This is the place where we ate lunch. It's right along the Ganges and we saw kayakers and rafters while we were eating. We had just been wandering around and getting soaked in the rain that's why we appear wet.


I ordered "onion rings" and I got this. They're basically pakoras with just onions on the inside. In this picture you can also see the "Guacamole" in the upper left. It was basically smashed avocado with masala in it.

From Gobind Ghat to Rishikesh

We left Gobind Ghat the morning after visiting Hemkunt Sahib. We got up before 5 am and left around 5:30. It was raining and foggy that morning so we felt content with our decision to not stay an extra day to visit the valley of flowers. We had to wrap ourselves and our bags in plastic pullovers to keep us dry.

We literally ran down some of the way and moved at a brisk pace when we weren't running. These next three photos are seconds apart.





About half way down the rain stopped and we had to ditch the raincoats because they were keeping us hot, even the the morning air was cool.
As you can see I took the bigger backpack down as well as up, but if you think Sita had it easy, think again, she was as sore as me at the end of this. I think the way down is what left us sore as we had to use all our leg muscles to resist against gravity and allow ourselves controlled steps. It was atually so gruelling that I'm still slightly sore 5 days later.


Back at the car we left Gobind Dham around 9 am. It took us only 2 hours to get down from Gobind Ghat to Gobind Dham.
After about an hour and a half on the road we had to stop and wait for an hour. The delay was a protest by local villagers to the urge the government to improve their conditions.

One can't complain much about being delayed anywhere in this area as they'll still have great views of the beautiful Himalayan mountains.



I made sure I got at least one photo of one of the many protruding rocks we drove under on this route.
A few more pics on the way to Rishikesh.



The view from the veranda next to our room at our hotel in Rishikesh. It just got dark as we arrived in Rishikesh.