The second half of the trip was dedicated to Rishikesh and my entire purpose of taking this trip was to indulge in bungee jumping on the day of my birthday. Bungee jumping is an exhilarating, once-in-lifetime experience and the rush you feel as you take the plunge is nothing similar to any kind of adventure you have possibly had. Maybe giving the CA examination and waiting for the result comes close, but definitely nothing else. The steep climb prepares you mentally and being 83 metres high, it’s no ordinary adventure. As you come closer to the edge, your body strapped with the safety harness and your ankles tied together tightly with their gear, you get incredibly nervous and an attempt to look at the ground can only lead to backing out from this insurmountable task. I have always loved heights and jumping from such a high point without any side effect was such a tempting adventure to take up, I couldn’t wait to let go. But no matter how prepared and ready you are to jump, the edge takes away your entire zeal. You suddenly realise how high up you have come and what a simple mistake could lead to. But the key is in blocking out every possible negative thought, keeping your mind focussed on the jump, letting your mind and body feel the rush, the excitement before jumping and then realising what your mind is going through during the 30 seconds when you have jumped and your body is plummeting at break neck speed towards the ground. It’s insane, maddening and a little crazy. But on the whole completely worth it.
A trip to Rishikesh is incomplete if you miss out on river rafting at the Ganga. There are many groups that organise the rafting from different starting points, I have given a link at the end of the blog, of the group I went with, it costs Rs. 1200 per head which is totally worth the price for 2.5 hours and 26 kilometres of rigorous rafting with 4 + level rapids which also includes a quick cliff dive into the cold waters of the Ganga. Something that you will truly appreciate if you go in summer when the temperature is soaring through the roof!
Our trip ended with us heading back to Delhi and staying at this cute bed and breakfast owned by a French couple. We woke up in the morning to a beautiful French toast breakfast by the owner and as we sat sipping on juice, a French couple sat on the next table with an Indian girl, who looked like she was probably still in school. We started talking about India and the reason for their trip. After 7 years of struggling to adopt, the couple had finally successfully completed their family by adopting Sahana, the eight-year-old girl who sat next to them, demure and shy. They seemed intensely happy and yet there seemed restrain, a certain kind of scepticism that comes from being in a foreign land and acquainting yourself with different people. They told us about visiting the zoo on her birthday which was a day before, the way they felt as people stole curious, inquisitive glances at them and Sahana, their state of mind as they walked across the zoo, feeling more on display than the animals in the cage and their eventual resignation to the fact that people will stare, people will ask questions and sometimes it might just be out of curiosity than out of judgement. This kind of clarity is rare and dealing with the madness that comes after adoption in a foreign land, is something no ordinary human being can handle. It makes you realize how differently people are built and how narrow minded we sometimes become while dealing with our own tiny set of problems. And this is exactly why travel gives you so much more than what it takes back from you. A new perspective, a massive change in the way you view things, lesser judgement, more humility and tremendous amounts of joy.
For the Hostel Booking in Rishikesh-
River Rafting at Red Chilli Adventure-
https://www.redchilliadventure.com/collections/rafting-on-ganga-rishikesh
Bungee Jumping at Jumpin' Heights-
http://www.jumpinheights.com/modules/Thankyou.aspx#
Bed and Breakfast Place in South Delhi-
http://blog.bedandchai.com/author/coraline/
The blog belonging to the French couple who shared their beautiful story with us-
https://adoption-bacapana.blogspot.com/