Chandigarh was unlike any other Indian city, the streets were wide, the roads on a grid system so generally straight, a lack of people for the space, it was just weird. It's India's first experimental city that was designed by Le Corbusier who was a renowned painter and furniture designer, before attempting architecture. The city was very green and after wandering through many 'sectors', as they were called, you could see it was a city for rich Indians. Le Corbusier's influence was massive on the style of architecture and he even incorporated tapestry of his paintings on the walls of buildings such as the High Court almost spanning entire walls.
The other highlight was an Indian version of the Terracotta Army, a rock garden designed by a guy called Nek Chand. The garden was a fantasy world made from recycled materials containing tree sculptures that looked real but were made from concrete. People and animals were also sculpted in concrete but decorated with materials like smashed china plates and bangles.
Haridwar was just a stopover before Rishikesh but it turned out to be well worth a visit. It's another holy city on the Ganges, similar to Varanasi with less burning bodies! It was a complete contrast from Chandigarh, beggars everywhere, pilgrims bathing and splashing around in the river, the hustle and bustle, it's what's so interesting about India. We saw puja on the river which is a daily offering to the gods where flowers in a leaf bowl are sent floating down the Ganges. The funniest part was, wandering down the river away from the crowds, we saw a young boy stood on rocks trying to catch some of the bowls incase people had put a few rupees in so he could pocket the money!! We watched him, unaware of us, from a bridge above and he didn't seem to be getting much joy. We know it's wrong to do but we appreciated his entrepreneurial spirit and gave him some rupees for the sheer audacity. The hotel we stayed at was half decent but you know you’re doing budget travel when you wake up during the night itching!!
The hotel in Rishikesh was quite the opposite and it felt like a second home, the owner was a spiritual man who couldn't do enough for us. This was the case when we left 5 days later as his personal car dropped us to the bus station free of charge. We were in the home of yoga and meditation which is known worldwide and you could sense it by the amount of the hippie types. The place made us feel the most relaxed we have been the whole trip. Jo managed to get on an Ayuvedic Massage course after doing some research and endured the best massage we have ever had!! It was that good, Jo signed up for a 3 day course and we went back for another bout of research 2 days later. One of the days, we hired a moped for an exploration of the surroundings which were perfect for biking, winding roads hugging the Ganges. After seeing the Ganges on our last trip in Varanasi, we never thought we would see it with beaches, let alone a colour that actually resembles a river.
The capital of India welcomed us after a horrible overnight bus journey that didn't involve much sleep. We thankfully booked ahead and it ended up being a pretty nice hotel for a good price considering we were in Delhi. The owners were Sikh and seemed to be a common characteristic that they are incredibly friendly and it was much the same this time. Our time in India was looking to be cut short due to only a 3 month visa granted in Pakistan when a 6 month is granted as standard in the UK. A fake itinerary and a slight amendment to our online flight booking to Mongolia and we were ready to take on the Indian buearocrisy. Our hopes kept getting dashed with people on forums and in person telling us that extending was near impossible but we had come prepared and they granted the extra 2 months required to finish our trip with a month in the Andaman Islands and a flight home on 26th Feb.
Our meeting with Alex’s friend’s, Adam & Chitra, was sooner than anticipated. In between sorting our visa, we had a stroll near the Gateway of India and Jo spots a couple who pull their camera out simultaneously and take the same photo, to her amusement it was the two newbies fresh off the boat. They literally landed hours before, just embarking on their sightseeing tour and we bump into them in a city of 13 million, it was surreal. We met later that evening for dinner and a few beers for an update of gossip back home.
The Gandhi museum was a lot to take in but the most interesting part of our Delhi experience, there was a quote that rang true with both of us:
“Death is a highway which all of us must tread, whether we wish to or not. And though countless travellers tread it, it ever seems deserted. Hence this is also the path of supreme peace. He who is afraid to take it, feels agitated, he who remains fearless enjoys the bliss of peace”
On that uplifting note about death, we will try and give you some more news soon.
Alex & Jo xxx
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