Holi Mahotsav - An Alternative Easter:

We'd totally forgotten all about Easter until there was something in the newspaper about 'Good Friday'. The one they have at this time of year in India is so much more fun.  It is called 'Holi Mahotsav' and was last week.  It's basically an excuse for a huge coloured water fight.  They fill water guns with every imaginable colour mixed with water, and supplement the water with small bags & balloons full of powder which they throw at everyone. It's absolutely crazy.  And it happens everywhere. As soon as you step outside you're covered from head to tootsie in multi coloured paint.  The colours are really psychedelic too.  People go really nuts. But the day after everything returns to normal (or as normal as India ever gets, which isn't at all normal by normal standards).  However, everyone I saw the day after.  Anyone who handed me change, served me juice, drove an auto rickshaw etc. has been stained pink, purple, green, orange, blue...as the colour doesn't wash off. They all look like they've walked out of different segments of a rainbow, or a Walt Disney cartoon. 

Risky Business:

I didn't venture outside though.  I had my reasons...as a Swedish guy, who lives here put it 'the Indians wait all year for Holi so they can grope western women'. And he's not joking either.  i get my bum grabbed at the best of times walking round the streets in India (and that's with my arms & legs covered).  But when the Indian men have been drinking or taking bang (a form of dope), and they have a religious pretext under which they can smear paint on you & to feel you up.  They will.  And I don't especially like being felt up by sleazy, pervy men with moustaches.  So I stayed inside. But I could hear it and it all sounded like fun.  it can be a bit frustrating being female in India though.

The long and winding road:

So we've been in Rishikesh for over 2 weeks now, just taking it easy.  We hiked to what is known as 'the Beatles ashram', as it's where the Beatles hung out in the 60s.  It's a wonderful place to wander around, especially as the place is abandoned now and the forest has started reclaiming the land.  There are about 150 stone huts; they've got one main room downstairs & a meditation chamber upstairs.  The design of them is inspired by the iconic Buddha head - with 31 knots. Oh, I'm rambling.  Anyway, it's a great place, we've visited twice already.

We've also been walking in the hills to a few waterfalls.  But that's about the extent of our days.  We're taking a tai chi course here, so we'll be in Rishikesh for the next two weeks.

BY: Jenny