The Peripatetic Prospectus: A Rest in Rishikesh

After a a month of long train and bus rides almost every other day we were in desperate need of a break. So we headed up north to the foothills of the Himalays and not only put down our bags, but fully unpacked them in Rishikesh. Known as the unofficial yoga capital of the world and also the place where the Beatles wrote their White Album during an ashram stay, it was the perfect place to do what we wanted- a whole lotta nothing.

Our first night there we were invited by a neighboring table to join their singalong jam session and it was the start of some beautiful relationships. Henk, Noa, Doron, Na'ama and ourselves became pretty much inseperable for the next week and a half chilling out, singing along to Henk's slammin guitar skills, all the while eating delicious yak cheese sandwiches. We also took a local yoga course and were suprised at how much of a difference a week makes in terms of flexibility and ability to hold the assanas (poses).

The highlight was Henk's birthday, which we celebrated by taking a long walk to a quiet (and actually clean!) spot on the Ganges where we spent the day in the water and capped it off with Henk's first ever birthday cake. We passed along Nick's journal and each wrote a line to the following poem:

There's no better way to celebrate Henk's birthday
Then dipping our feet in the holy Ganga
A sacred place encouraging foot fetishism
Our words flowing over smooth rocks,
Beautiful mountains and calming streams