~ A dive in serenity (part I)

Rishikesh, this place has got my heart and soul, well not just mine, people from around the world, visit this place to get detached from everything but nature and the divine power of oneness.

Also known as Yoga capital of the world, known for the meditation and yoga schools and not to forget the source of its prime beauty, the Ganges.

There is more to this immensely peaceful city, it has got to offer much more than you are willing to take from it.

From my perception, before I visited Rishikesh was that its close to Haridwar and its all about the ghats, the Ganges and Prayers in the evening but what I witnessed was far from what I lived.

It has got everything we cherish, the serenity, the vibe, the sunset, the breeze, and the power to just be. You can add any thing after the word 'be' and you'll witness it.

The very first visit to this city was back in the year 2018, it was the month of October, one of the best time to be there. You'll witness a little hot but breezy afternoons, to calm and chill windy weather at night.

So, I wasn't really aware of the place I would stay, since this was again a budget travelling for me, right after my college got over and my job began. So, I booked a stay at Rishilok Garhwal mandal - a guest house as feasible as they have rooms starting from Rs 500-1000.

It was a short trip for weekend getaway but when I left I just had this in mind that I have lot yet to explore.

On the first trip, had a very small itinerary because it had a day of Rafting in it.

Trip 1 - day 1

After we arrived, got freshen up, and had one of the delicious breakfast - Aloo Poori, Aloo Parantha with varieties of tea. Oh! Just imagine an overnight journey from Delhi to Rishikesh, a little sleep deprived and when one rests and wakes up, the thing that calls for is to get the belly refilled with energy and so, breakfast really did a thing for us.

We hired a scooty which was available for hire after just 2 minutes walk from the guest house where you can also do booking for Rafting, and headed to Bhoothnath temple, not exactly as it sounds.

Vehicle goes till a certain place, and rest of it is a trek, a small trek and god, it has got numerous steps, praying at the temple, you can move to the top of it and you get to view landscapes of Rishikesh. Sit there for a while and feel the breeze and the aura. The road to this temple is surrounded by green cover. You can add it to your early morning trek, one can trek to this place, it very near to Ram jhula but a sloppy path.

So, after witnessing the landscapes from the temple top, we headed to the Ganga beach, yes, its a beach. Not very known but its a place from where one can witness the most beautiful sunset, sit on the beach with legs dipped in water or walk on the beach, its your choice. Feel the beautiful and majestic colors of sunset with a pleasant weather accompanying it.

Its a walk to the left of Ram Jhula as we move towards Swarg ashram road. You keep walking for half a kilometre until you find this way. This is a rocky and sloppy path. Be very careful as you walk down.

Once you be at this place, make sure you follow cleanliness and take care of your belongings. You can bring a small sheet to sit here or get a tan. Its one of the finest place to be in the evening before you join Aarti at Parmarth Niketan.

After joining the Ganga Aarti, we headed to the very famous Beatles' cafe / 60's Delmar located near Laxman Jhula, Paidal marg, where the sunset looks even more soothing, you see the rafting boats coming from Shivpuri in your sight. The aura of this cafe cannot be explained in words.

They serve varieties of food and beverages, all vegetarian and has got Vegan options too. Incase, If you want to have north Indian food, there is another cafe, very near to it, just as you climb back to the main road, you carry on for 500 m to the left and a small trek of 200 m, you'll see cafes like Cafe Nirvana and Road House Bistro. You can make use of Google maps to find them.

So, after a fulfilled first day, we headed back to the guest house and was really excited for the next big day of adventure - River Rafting which we booked from a shop in Muni ki reti, many shops are available which do booking for the same.

You get multiple options to choose from in terms of distance of rafting, all the arrangements from taking you to the starting point, all necessary instructions and precautions are given.

Trip 1 - Day 2

Day 2 was majorly devoted to Rafting. It was the first time I went for Rafting, swam in the river, did cliff jumping..jumped twice, first to overcome fear and second time to witness the thrill.

So, in the month of October, there wasn't much crowd and our timings were in the start of the afternoon, so we started this journey of thrill and excitement, to overcome everything we had in mind regarding the rush and fear of rapids.

After the major rapids passed, the rafting people asked to jump in the river and feel the chilling water, I did, I thought it was worth the shot and I swam and carried the boat forward with me. Life jacket was there, of course, so i did let myself be in the moment, a moment of joy.

And this was the second and the last day of the trip. It takes nearly 4-5 hours for the rafting to be over with. After which we got ready and had some evening snacks and left for the bus station.

We often think about things that would go wrong or about the things if they don't turn out as expected but what we need to think of is that everything we do, will leave us with lessons and experiences and its the way of taking steps.

"You conquer things and finally yourself. You take this journey and you are half way there."

Think of life as river rafting journey, you've got your confidence and will as life support, you face problems in form of rapids, you have got paddles as your skills or intellect which drives you through and you conquer one rapid at a time.