The Shifting Sands

The trusty Mahindra Maxx Mumbai to Rishikesh was easier than I remembered.   My delayed flight out of Mumbai connected perfectly with the flight to Dehradun where I was met by Puran, my driver and Laxman, one of the guides. In under an hour after arriving at Dehradun I was sitting in Laxman Julla enjoying Dahl Makhani and Dum Aloo before returning to my hotel for a well-earned night’s sleep. The confluence of the Bhagrathi and Alaknanda, the two tributaries to the Ganga at Devaprayag The next day involved a quick run down the Ganga above Rishikesh to test my sore ribs.   I had damaged the cartilage in my ribs kayaking at the white water course in Al Ain three weeks earlier and I was still sore.   My condition had improved,   I could now cough and sneeze without it feeling like my ribs were breaking but I was still worse for wear.   Somewhat surprisingly I was initially able to perform my al...

Us loaded up at the De-N-Ascents shop with Zed, Liquid Logic and Wave Sport kayaks with good decks and Werner paddles I have been drifting back into white water kayaking for the last few months.  I am not sure why I haven't done more but it has been hard to maintain skills to a level that allows you to paddle most Indian rivers comfortably. The Ganga valley Brendon and I had been so focused on trying to get out sea kayking that we hadn't research the white water options. A couple of runs on the Kundalika, a river south of Mumbai, reignited the flame and soon we were looking for some more opportunities. Ashram central at Laxman Jhula near Rishikesh After some research we decided on Rishikesh as a location for getting on some slightly harder big volume white water.  Rishikesh is one of the holiest places in India and is the epicenter for yoga and associated spiritual practices and and is set on the banks of the Gange...

Yesterday we had another day off.  Not sure how a day off with  a 6 am  start works but that was how it was.  We left  at 6 am  for Vasishta Guha ( cave), the caves locally famous for being the site of where a Rishi meditated.  Rishi's are ancient Sages, and Vashishta is one of seven most revered and known Hindu Sages.  An Ashram is located at the site and the glimpse into the reverent life of the inhabitants on the edges of the Ganga was a lovely way to start our day. There were a lot of rules. A view from the cave over the Ganga. On the Way back our teacher, Prasad, saw a man bicycling, we stopped, he talked to him and offered him some support. The man was on a well known pilgrimage route having travelled already far from his home in Maharashtra, our home state, to Rishikesh. He was to visit four holy places spread across all of India.  Him, his bike and the donations of food and money from others who...