Dehredun, sounds so pretty, doesn’t it?

We travelled in our trusty car from Rishikesh on to Dehredun. It was a short but absolutely beautiful drive, through the Himalayan foothills. If this was only the foothills, I can’t even imagine what places like Mt. Everest must look like! We were up so high one moment, then we would travel down through a small town nestled in the valley, then up again on beautiful roads which had the most amazing views. Unfortunately the roads didn’t appear to have any guard rails which are everywhere in Australia, but it made for great sightseeing as there was nothing between you and the cliff edge! We had what had become the obligatory Chai tea stop and as usual I wasn’t disappointed. Indians are so good at making Chai and it always tastes delicious. The views from the tiny little Chai shop were brilliant! We sat on the steps and sipped our refreshing brew soaking in the enormity of these mountains and the views below. We reached Dehredun quite early in the afternoon and travelled on to a town called Shastradhara. It appeared to be a tourist area for Indian people and had a real holiday feel to it. Shastradhara was nestled in a valley, with a very pretty river running through and surrounded by more mountains. It was lush and green and so much cooler than Delhi, still warm but not uncomfortable. People holidayed alongside the river and there was a damned area which was used for swimming. Alongside this area we saw some brightly clothed Buddhist monks travelling home, they seemed a little out of place and I suppose there must have been a Buddhist monastery somewhere closeby.   After all we are not too far from Tibet here! I spotted a cable car and knew I had to check it out. It lead up to a Theme Park at the top of one of the hills. It was quaint, a little tired, but the views down the valleys were awesome! It had a little bit of a Disney feel to the park area and I am sure little children would have loved it. It wasn’t very busy though and I had the feeling it had seen better days. This area had a really playful and peaceful feel about it, there were young couples and families all seemingly on holidays with time to enjoy the warm weather. Next we went to our hotel, it was so quaint and had the most panoramic views out the back, our room had a 180deg view, we left the curtains open overnight so that the next morning we would be greeted by the sunrise. It proved not to be disappointing. We also had a gentle thunderstorm rock us to sleep that evening later on, a God made sound and light show, always a winner in my eyes.

After we had checked in, Tarun and Lehku knew of some falls that we had to visit. Again up a questionable road with no guard rails past ‘to die for views’ (literally) and arriving at a place that looked as though no one had seen for a few decades or more. Maybe it had once been a tourist attraction? I am not sure how Tarun finds these places, but I do love them! Barely any other people, definitely no other Europeans! We follow the trails to the top of the falls which were nice, dotted with a little rubbish which did spoil them and the track was a little tired too but still pretty and well worth the visit. Of course at the end of the trail next to the falls, there was a tiny kiosk, Tarun said they made great Chai, and, of course they did! Once again we were in the middle of nowhere enjoying a refreshing drink, a place which I don’t even know the name of but it was another one of India’s little mysteries.On the way to the falls we passed a very big and very red Hindu temple, it had an interesting sign I thought….please no donations! 

Back to the Rajpur Heights Hotel for a quick internet session followed by some Australians teaching some Indian guys how to play cards, with a very picturesque souvenir pack of cards from Rahjastan! Sometimes its hard not knowing the language, however it is always fun trying to teach and learn new things! We followed with dinner under the stars and yes chicken was back on the menu, we had left the spiritual vegetarian centre of India and so we were no longer devout vegetarians any more. Although from memory Lehku didn’t eat chicken on Tuesdays, but I am not sure why? Personally I found it good to eat chicken again!

The road to Shimla. Haridwar, happy and hard working

We leave the busy, hazy city of Delhi and head north to Shimla, Our destination tonight is Haridwar. We are going ‘off road’ according to Tarun, which I think equates to, we will be using a back road,  basically not the main highway! We meet the Ganges for the first time of this trip. It is green and in this area only about 15 metres across, it is banked by vegetation and quite slow moving, definitely peaceful.

We come across some young boys carrying sticks, with some oxen (I think, I don’t think they would be prodding sacred cows). They were playing in the water and keeping the animals in check, some were dressed some were naked. Their skin was really tanned and they were very friendly when they caught us stopping for a pic. Beautiful white teeth and big smiles!                                      Old style trays pulled by the oxen are constantly on the road, some carrying the crops, some carrying the family. As we pass them, we each stare at one another. We must almost  look like we are from another planet, so white and touristy, I feel far from home and so different to these people. I don’t want to be so different, I like it here.  Life in the rural areas is much simpler and much slower.    There is heaps of mounds of cow paddies drying out on the side of the road waiting to be used for fuel, great example of recycling and thumbs up for a greener environment! Although is there methane in cow poo??

Late afternoon we arrive in Haridwar and go straight to Taruns family village. The village is just out of Haridwar, it is called Dandi,  it  consists of maybe 8 houses with a laneway in the middle. Around the homes is some farm land lined with Poplar trees, the families grow veges, the soil looks quite good and they had a watering system in place. The hay was nearly ready to cut and Tarun told me the neighbours would all help and be paid in grain. In India they still use the old method to cut the hay with a scythe, then they gather it into bundles. We are given some Chai when we arrive and conversations gathers momentum the longer we are there. Tarun has an obvious fondness for this family and teases his cousin Jyoti and plays with his smaller cousin Manny. Jyoti is inquisitive, she asks lots of questions, I love her,  she is quite a spirited young lady! She works hard, cooking and helping to care for the family and she still studies full time.  It is quite hot here and I wonder how they sleep in the evening? There are day beds outside and out of the sun and a fan to help cool things down. Jyoti wants us to stay but we had already made arrangements to stay at a hotel in Haridwar. We decide to go back the next morning and visit again. The hotel we stay in is in Haridwar, a holy city Lehku says. The Ganges is across the road and I could see the foothills of the Himalayiasn the distance….wow we are definitely in India!

Next morning we head back to the village to visit the family again. Jyoti is excited to see us and little Manny, who was unwell last evening, was much better and being a normal little boy. I played a little cricket with him, they certainly love their cricket here, it has been such an icebreaker , as the World Cup had just been played. Jyoti painted some beautiful henna decorations on our arms and hands. I liked having henna, it made me feel more like a local. We had some great girl time discussions with Jyoti, it was another special family time that I really enjoyed.

Later on that day we went for a walk around Haridwar down by the Ganges. We went passed beggars and priests all looking for donations! Across the bridge by the Ganges was the Ghats , where people were bathing and worshipping. It was similar to Southbank in Melbourne, Australia. Except(!) add on thousands more people, sacred cows and other animals everywhere, all splashed with the most amazing colours. It was beautiful! We browsed the market place and we were stared at constantly..this was definitely not a tourist area. I tried Mango lasse at Taruns suggestion. It was delicious, we sat in the tiniest of cafes and the bazaars were just out the front, full of trinkets and vegetables, bustling with people and flies! Yes, we were still in India!