Impressed by Agra’s beautiful fort and the Taj Mahal, we continued our road to Delhi, mentally preparing for India’s huge and crowded capital. Despite the heat of more than 40 degrees we visited the Red Fort, dating from the very peak of Mughal power, and the tomb of one of India’s great islamic Mughal rulers, Humayun, which is a smaller antetype of the Taj Mahal. However, both could only be disappointing after the magnificience we’d seen in Agra.
We relaxed in the park at the centre of the three road rings of Connaught Place and went with the very modern Delhi metro to see the Bahaì Lotus Temple. Worried about a potential tooth problem, we went to a recommended trustworthy dentist who said everything was okay after a five-minute examination – lucky day.
In the evening we immersed ourselves in Old Delhi’s vibrant muslim quarter and tried some tasty chicken, mutton and grilled fish. India’s biggest mosque, Jama Masjid, was impressive, floodlit in the dark. However, the male stares, stupid smiles and attempted touching were worse in this part of town.
The next day, we spent te
n hours on buses going to Rishikesh, India’s ‘Mekka’ of yoga and meditation. On the way, due to the driver’s stubborness, the bus got litterally stuck in dense traffic. Unfortunately, we stood right on railway tracks, which kept us rather nervous for 20 minutes.
Rishikesh lies on the banks of the holy river Ganges, which is still clean here, and is surrounded by green hills. It is busy with pilgrims, but has cool air and is quite easy going for foreign tourists, who mostly come for practising yoga and meditation in hotels, yoga schools, or one of the ashrams, like we did.
