India after 23 years - First impressions of Rishikesh

 


Back in India, after 23 years! For better or worse, let's see how things have changed. From what I can tell in one day, it is just as as I remembered: peculiar, mysterious, chaotic, crowded, noisy, smelly, lively, vibrant, ... amazing! And the food is just as good, and just as spicy. It wasn't part of the original plan, but with flights from Almaty to Delhi costing only a little over 100 USD, I couldn't resist. 

I arrived in Delhi very early in the morning, so I had a few hours sleep in the airport. Then when I went out after 8AM, what struck me was that you can't see the sun - the city's air is so polluted! It wasn't that bad last time. Next surprise was that the whole area in which I wanted to stay, where the cheap hotels are, was locked down due to a several-day long protest. People were only allowed with permits and the cheap hostels closed down for the time. And those hotels that remained open, outside this area, were double and triple charging. So the best option seemed to get out of Delhi and I headed up to Rishikesh, near the perhaps more famous city of Haridwar. 








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