Mr Nepal his business partner and myself could not wait to get the hell out of Agra, what a strange place, filled with strange people that look like they had been interbred a thousand times over and belted over the head at birth for good measure.
Our next destination was Rishikesh Uttarakhand in the foothills of the Himalayas but we had to first travel back to Delhi by bus which was about 6 hours as all the trains were full, collect our luggage and then travel by bus again for about 10 hours from Delhi to Rishikesh.
The bus from Agra to Delhi ended up taking about 9 hours due to traffic caused by two different traffic accidents along the way and because we arrived in Delhi later than expected that meant we had to tear through the streets of Delhi, grab our stuff and jump on another bus that was being held for us and travel all through the night without food or a shower or change of clothes.
The bus to Rishikesh was a rusty, rattling box of old tin. The driver and his guide were a pair of bad tempered miserable bastards that just shouted orders at everyone, telling people to, move, get up, sit down, shut up all that was missing was fuck off!
I don't know what scam they were operating but no one was allowed to put there luggage in the luggage area under the bus, we were all told to take our luggage on to the bus with us. So the isle was full of bags and to get off the bus to use the loo or to get fresh air you had to climb over everyone's bags. We did hear some banging coming from the luggage area so maybe they had smuggled people or drugs or both under there, I don't know but whatever it was it had made the driver and the guide very hostile towards us and I couldn't wait to get off.
Eventually we arrived in Rishikesh. We were all exhausted but it was so wonderful to get off the bus and to breathe in the fresh mountain air after being in Delhi amongst all of the dust and smog.
The mountains were beautiful and lush and green and it was so early that the sun had not yet risen so the day was fresh and new and just coming alive. I felt the cool breeze through my curls and I felt really great that I was here in Rishikesh.
This is the point that the wooded mountains of Garhwal rise from the low valley and where the Mother Ganges crashes onto the plains. This is where the yogis and sadhus start their pilgrimage north to the high Himalayas to the mountain temples and shrines. This is where I had longed to be, to swim in the sacred river and purify my soul and wash away my sins, to mingle with spiritual people and learn more of how to live a pure and honest life.
It was so early that all the guest houses and chai shops (tea shops) were still closed, no one was around, the streets were deserted so we just sat on a low stone wall and the boys smoked their cigarettes and we watched the moody cows waggling through the streets and the cheeky monkeys taking their morning exercise.
Mr Nepal organised rooms for us from his never ending list of contacts. He had worked in Rishikesh 6 years ago so he knew people there, so we stayed at the guest house were he used to work. It was beautiful and high up in the hills overlooking the village of Lakshmanjhula and the sparkling turquoise river. It was peaceful and cool and fresh. The boys were due to leave India in 4 days to head to Nepal so Mr Nepal ordered whiskey and Himalayan smokey and enjoyed 4 days of fun. I know I said I wasn't going to drink alcohol while I was here but to be honest I knew it was just for a very short time just a few days and I was sensible..... ish. I never drank in the day especially in the morning which for me is a no no as it means all day oblivion and I only drank once I had eaten a good meal and I drank at least 4 litre's of water a day to purify the effects. But because my system was so pure and toxin free I really did feel the effects. I felt tired every morning and couldn't go to yoga and I can honestly say that I'm glad I did it because it proved to me again that I really want to live my life without any artificial stimulants because there is always a price to pay and it is rarely worth it.
We saw a lot of Rishikesh together we went to the centre of the town and ate great food and found a restaurant that specialised in southern Indian cuisine because Mr Nepal's business partner was missing his coconut curries and rotti's.
We went to the local town of Haridwar known as the 'Gates of God'. This is the exact spot that the river Ganges leaves the mountains and is visited by hundreds of Hindus every day. Every twelve years there is a huge festival 'Kumbh Mela' were thousands of Hindus travel from all over India and the world on pilgrimage to pray. There we rode cable cars up into the mountains to visit 2 incredible temples that are not usually visited by westerners but Mr Nepal negotiated again with the locals and I was allowed to enter.
One day we all went down to the river and we swam and played in the water and it was wonderful. We floated a small offering into the water, golden marigolds and incense and a small candle wrapped inside a little basket made from a banana leaf. We all prayed and lit the candle and watched it float away down the river taking our prayers with it. The energy of the river is incredibly powerful. I was really surprised how beautiful the beach was I had not expected a beach I had always thought the river, though sacred would be dirty with dead donkeys and litter floating by but it was so so clean. The sand was soft and shimmered under the sun like the inside of a Crystal Geode and the water was transparent and cool and the most beautiful colour of Japanese Jade, it was more beautiful than I had ever imagined it to be.
Emerged there in Mother Ganges up to my neck I felt cleansed and pure and so close to God, it was magical and I will never forget it.
It was sad saying goodbye to Mr Nepal & his business partner. We had had a great time together and we had seen so much and done so much. We enjoyed our last supper together and drank cheep whisky and smoked the Himalayan finest but to be honest I knew the love affair with Mr Nepal had run it's course. We were worlds apart. I was 10 years older than he and he told me his family are of the highest caste in Nepal, that they descend from royalty and even though my friends affectionately call me Queen Jacqueline I most certainly do not descended from royalty.
I knew there was no future for us but we had had a great time and I had learnt many lessons from our little love affair. I learnt that I can be stubborn and childish and also that I can be wrong. I also learnt that I can love and I want to be loved and I am ready for that. I also learnt that for me I want to be with a spiritual partner someone that lives an honest life with God in his heart and I know that alcohol and drugs no longer hold any attraction for me at all.
Mr Nepal's business partner is a great man, kind, hansom, funny and caring and I will miss his friendly face.
Mr Nepal is gorgeous and funny and has a thirst for fun and life and wants to enjoy every second of every day and that its a wonderful energy to be part of.
But I knew it was time for me to get back on track. I missed my yoga, I missed waking up fresh and talking to God, I missed my chanting, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna and I was looking forward to being back on my own and cleansing myself again. It will take many dunks in the river to get rid of all this whiskey and smoke I thought.
And I knew that all I had done really was satisfy the flesh. I had given in to my desires and satisfied my flesh, but that was all that was satisfied. My soul was not satisfied and I knew it never would be with sex, alcohol and drugs, so I said goodbye and I was grateful honestly for what we had shared and what I had learned but now back on my own I was ready for the next part of my adventure and the only stimulant I needed was God.
Our next destination was Rishikesh Uttarakhand in the foothills of the Himalayas but we had to first travel back to Delhi by bus which was about 6 hours as all the trains were full, collect our luggage and then travel by bus again for about 10 hours from Delhi to Rishikesh.
The bus from Agra to Delhi ended up taking about 9 hours due to traffic caused by two different traffic accidents along the way and because we arrived in Delhi later than expected that meant we had to tear through the streets of Delhi, grab our stuff and jump on another bus that was being held for us and travel all through the night without food or a shower or change of clothes.
The bus to Rishikesh was a rusty, rattling box of old tin. The driver and his guide were a pair of bad tempered miserable bastards that just shouted orders at everyone, telling people to, move, get up, sit down, shut up all that was missing was fuck off!
I don't know what scam they were operating but no one was allowed to put there luggage in the luggage area under the bus, we were all told to take our luggage on to the bus with us. So the isle was full of bags and to get off the bus to use the loo or to get fresh air you had to climb over everyone's bags. We did hear some banging coming from the luggage area so maybe they had smuggled people or drugs or both under there, I don't know but whatever it was it had made the driver and the guide very hostile towards us and I couldn't wait to get off.
Eventually we arrived in Rishikesh. We were all exhausted but it was so wonderful to get off the bus and to breathe in the fresh mountain air after being in Delhi amongst all of the dust and smog.
The mountains were beautiful and lush and green and it was so early that the sun had not yet risen so the day was fresh and new and just coming alive. I felt the cool breeze through my curls and I felt really great that I was here in Rishikesh.
This is the point that the wooded mountains of Garhwal rise from the low valley and where the Mother Ganges crashes onto the plains. This is where the yogis and sadhus start their pilgrimage north to the high Himalayas to the mountain temples and shrines. This is where I had longed to be, to swim in the sacred river and purify my soul and wash away my sins, to mingle with spiritual people and learn more of how to live a pure and honest life.
It was so early that all the guest houses and chai shops (tea shops) were still closed, no one was around, the streets were deserted so we just sat on a low stone wall and the boys smoked their cigarettes and we watched the moody cows waggling through the streets and the cheeky monkeys taking their morning exercise.
Mr Nepal organised rooms for us from his never ending list of contacts. He had worked in Rishikesh 6 years ago so he knew people there, so we stayed at the guest house were he used to work. It was beautiful and high up in the hills overlooking the village of Lakshmanjhula and the sparkling turquoise river. It was peaceful and cool and fresh. The boys were due to leave India in 4 days to head to Nepal so Mr Nepal ordered whiskey and Himalayan smokey and enjoyed 4 days of fun. I know I said I wasn't going to drink alcohol while I was here but to be honest I knew it was just for a very short time just a few days and I was sensible..... ish. I never drank in the day especially in the morning which for me is a no no as it means all day oblivion and I only drank once I had eaten a good meal and I drank at least 4 litre's of water a day to purify the effects. But because my system was so pure and toxin free I really did feel the effects. I felt tired every morning and couldn't go to yoga and I can honestly say that I'm glad I did it because it proved to me again that I really want to live my life without any artificial stimulants because there is always a price to pay and it is rarely worth it.
We saw a lot of Rishikesh together we went to the centre of the town and ate great food and found a restaurant that specialised in southern Indian cuisine because Mr Nepal's business partner was missing his coconut curries and rotti's.
We went to the local town of Haridwar known as the 'Gates of God'. This is the exact spot that the river Ganges leaves the mountains and is visited by hundreds of Hindus every day. Every twelve years there is a huge festival 'Kumbh Mela' were thousands of Hindus travel from all over India and the world on pilgrimage to pray. There we rode cable cars up into the mountains to visit 2 incredible temples that are not usually visited by westerners but Mr Nepal negotiated again with the locals and I was allowed to enter.
One day we all went down to the river and we swam and played in the water and it was wonderful. We floated a small offering into the water, golden marigolds and incense and a small candle wrapped inside a little basket made from a banana leaf. We all prayed and lit the candle and watched it float away down the river taking our prayers with it. The energy of the river is incredibly powerful. I was really surprised how beautiful the beach was I had not expected a beach I had always thought the river, though sacred would be dirty with dead donkeys and litter floating by but it was so so clean. The sand was soft and shimmered under the sun like the inside of a Crystal Geode and the water was transparent and cool and the most beautiful colour of Japanese Jade, it was more beautiful than I had ever imagined it to be.
Emerged there in Mother Ganges up to my neck I felt cleansed and pure and so close to God, it was magical and I will never forget it.
It was sad saying goodbye to Mr Nepal & his business partner. We had had a great time together and we had seen so much and done so much. We enjoyed our last supper together and drank cheep whisky and smoked the Himalayan finest but to be honest I knew the love affair with Mr Nepal had run it's course. We were worlds apart. I was 10 years older than he and he told me his family are of the highest caste in Nepal, that they descend from royalty and even though my friends affectionately call me Queen Jacqueline I most certainly do not descended from royalty.
I knew there was no future for us but we had had a great time and I had learnt many lessons from our little love affair. I learnt that I can be stubborn and childish and also that I can be wrong. I also learnt that I can love and I want to be loved and I am ready for that. I also learnt that for me I want to be with a spiritual partner someone that lives an honest life with God in his heart and I know that alcohol and drugs no longer hold any attraction for me at all.
Mr Nepal's business partner is a great man, kind, hansom, funny and caring and I will miss his friendly face.
Mr Nepal is gorgeous and funny and has a thirst for fun and life and wants to enjoy every second of every day and that its a wonderful energy to be part of.
But I knew it was time for me to get back on track. I missed my yoga, I missed waking up fresh and talking to God, I missed my chanting, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna and I was looking forward to being back on my own and cleansing myself again. It will take many dunks in the river to get rid of all this whiskey and smoke I thought.
And I knew that all I had done really was satisfy the flesh. I had given in to my desires and satisfied my flesh, but that was all that was satisfied. My soul was not satisfied and I knew it never would be with sex, alcohol and drugs, so I said goodbye and I was grateful honestly for what we had shared and what I had learned but now back on my own I was ready for the next part of my adventure and the only stimulant I needed was God.
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