Peoplescape of Rishikesh

Location: Rishikesh (city), Uttarakhand (state), India

Hana Vanova
Hana is very attractive but a few minutes into the conversation and her distinct personality takes center stage. She speaks her mind, perhaps callously to some people which can make her intimidating. She described me as manic and when I said I eat slow, she quickly rebutted that I actually talk too much while I eat - all within the first hour in our conversation! Call me a masochist, but I welcomed it.

We know ourselves through our self-image, which could be a far cry from how other people see us. It's not everyday you get to know yourself through their eyes because the culture does not allow it. I see a glimpse of my other self through Hana's lenses. Either she doesn't care, or perhaps, she just can't help herself calling attention to the elephant in the living room.

coffee talk with Hana at Shambala Cafe (picture by Leif Ryd)

I felt a certain connection to her and I think there was a veiled reciprocity to it - as I get the feeling she's an arms-length kind of person, a carapace perhaps. We both agreed to put our budding friendship on a radical-honesty basis. It's a relief for me to speak my mind too and not have to walk on eggshells. She treated me to breakfast twice instead of donating money to the yoga class I conducted - I found that sweet. I'd rather have her across the breakfast table than loose change dangling in my pocket - true to character, she was quick to tell me I was a flatterer! We didn't hang out much, but every moment was golden. I miss her as I write this.

--- TheLoneRider
YOGA by Gigit | Learn English | Travel like a Nomad | Donation Bank

Peoplescape

Helena

Vanja

Baba Jay

Madlén

Hana

Greg

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Rishikesh (city), India

hotel

• RAAHI The Travellers Nest - backpacker-friendly, dorm rooms, central location, tours & rafting, motorbike rental, great place to meet people
  Paidal Marg, Laxman Jhula, 249192 Rishikesh

Travel Tips for Rishikesh

1. climate-wise, best time to visit Rishikesh is from October to February when temperature is cool. This is also the high season for foreign travelers.
2. May to June (my time of visit, before the monsoon rains) is HOT and DRY. Temperatures can reach beyond 40° and your skin/lips dry up. Great to go rafting or a dip in the Ganga River for respite. There are mostly Indian devotees and Indian tourists flocking to Rishikesh. Westerns tourists are few, but Rishikesh gets crowded specially while crossing the 2 bridges, Ram Jhula and Laxman Jhula. Lodging prices can be negotiated down to INR 300/night for a bunk bed in a dorm room as this is low season.
3. During the cooler season when any of the hugely popular gurus or babas visit to give a satsang, eg. Prem Baba, Mooji Baba, all rooms are fully booked from Rishikesh to Hardiwar!
4. short power outages frequently happen during the day

How to get to Rishikesh from New Delhi by bus

1. Bus - take the Metro Yellow Line and get off at Kashmiri Gate. Exit the station from Gate 7 and enter the ISBT building - this is the bus terminal. Go down one flight and go to Platform 14. This is where you buy the bus ticket and board the bus. A/C bus, INR 454, 6 hours. You can take the 10:30pm bus and arrive 5am in Rishikesh.
   
   scam alert! - over the ticket counter, the guy may verbally charge you INR 765 - this is usually the online price of the bus ticket. But I looked closely at the printed ticket, and found the price at INR 454. I demanded more change! The guy knew he's been discovered and gave me back the rest of the change.
   
   You will arrive in Rishikesh at Adarsh Gram. To get to your hotel, travelers usually share a tuk-tuk (called Vikrams) for INR 10-20/passenger if shared. Since I arrived 5am, there was no one to share so I ended up paying a negotiated INR 150.

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