It’s common for Delhiites and people living in the NCR to escape to the mountains on extended weekends and during holidays. I hail from Himachal so I understand the anxiety to go to the cool mountains and the charm of the hills. But from Delhi or Noida, the closest hill station where everyone wants to be is perhaps Rishikesh. We never had the chance to visit the hill station despite living so close to it for the last 15 years. Now was the moment, though.

During this long weekend, we tried to make arrangements to visit the place. However, our purpose was to stay in one of the riverside camps and enjoy the fresh breath by the riverside. River rafting was on our agenda, but a little down the list. We began to search the booking websites for a camp. It was difficult to get one on one of the busiest weekends. After a long struggle, a camp was found. We picked up our vehicle and cruised to the destination on Saturday. As we reached closer, we realized that all the Delhi people had arrived in Rishikesh with their long, wide, bulky cars and clogged the streets like we see in Delhi. We hated the traffic and cursed the timing to visit the city.

Somehow, as we drove past the Ganga river finding our way to the camp on serpentine roads, we started liking the crystal waters that flowed down with a roar through the valley. The sound of holy water moved me so much that I wanted to jump into it right away. After our struggle in traffic, we managed to reach the camp. We took some rest, changed our clothes and sought the nearest bank. Closer to the camp was the current of a tributary of the Ganga. Since it was sunny and hot, we jumped into the flow as the water was shallow and slow. Every member of the family, including my friend’s, spent the evening that way. Later the evening was followed by dance, music, food and drinks.

The next day was important. We came out of the tents lazily and drove to the Ganga a little down the road. It was a point before the city. A lot of rafts were floating through its waters. It was quite a sight. All of us went down to the river bank. The feeling of sacredness hit me inside. The water was far too fresh and clean than I had thought.

I wouldn’t write too much and leave a few pictures from the visit: