Dehra Dun was an important stop because besides having an
Enfield dealership it was a good place to top up our Rupees. Dehra Dun
has a whole cluster of ATMs that were close to our hotel. Our
hotel catered to businessmen and was really quite comfortable. Besides
it was obvious that I needed another few days off of my feet. Also,
Dehra Dun had a Pizza Hut not more than a block from our hotel. YUM! It
is funny how places where we would never eat at home will excite you
like schoolchildren when you are half a world away. We stayed away from
the meat toppings though. Their pepperoni is made from lamb. Same is
true of McDonalds burgers. There was one of them in Dehra Dun too. We
did have a McSomething made with chicken that was palateable. What the
hell, we had to try it. Another thing that they had was both a Barista and a Cafe Coffee Day, India's two coffee
chains. They are found only in big cities, and they have been our Mecca.
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Dehra Dun has a pretty vibrant market. It was not so much
that I felt up to walking around as that I was really getting sick of
sitting in hotel rooms. Here I found some nice dates, with a much
smaller, but equally curious group of onlookers. After three days we
were on our way again. Just southeast of Dehra Dun are the towns of
Risikesh and Haridwar. Both are very sacred sites along the Ganges.
Rishikesh is more of a "New Age" type vibe, and it is regarded as the
yoga capitol of the world. Dozens of ashrams offer living arrangements
that include instruction. It was only breakfast time when we got there,
so after a bite to eat and a look around we pushed on to Haridwar.
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In
Haridwar, we took a cable car up to the Mansa Devi temple. Besides the
religious experience (we got our first forehead blessing from a holy
man at the top), it provides an awesome view of the town below and the
Ganges river in the background. We decided to walk the one-and-a-half
kilometers down. That night we filmed at the Ganga Aarti ceremony
(river worship) that happens at sunset each night. They light offerings
and set them afloat on the river. Unfortunately no photos. The
faithful also take ritual baths at the ghats (steps that go directly
down into the water). I might mention that this is also done in
Rishikesh a few miles upstream which is also home to a leper colony.
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