Woke up this morning, came out of my room and was face to face with a large monkey who was going through the bin. This seems quite normal now. I'm staying in an ashram, its a bit like a cross between a prison compound and a cheap guesthouse. There are a lot of other travellers staying there so the main thing is I'm able to meet a lot of new people, which was a problem in some other places as the standard guesthouses (basic hotels) can be quite antisocial in design.
Current location is Rishikesh in the north of India. Very scenic, the ganges flowing past, blokes dressed up in orange robes (most pretending to be holy men on the run from the law), monkeys and cows everywhere. I've been doing a lot of yoga, there's not a great deal else here but I've found a good ashtanga teacher (Kamal, teaches at Tatvaa yoga by ram jhula). I'm happy. Had a wash in the river today after class then had a huge bowl of fruit and muesli for 75 rupees (just over a pound). Shame I have to leave tomorrow, it would have been great to have another month.
My three months in India have flown by. No wonder they give out 6-month visas. And I've hardly spent anything. The next week has a lot of travelling for me, first to Haridwar tomorrow, then Delhi and on to Mumbai (a long train journey, I managed to get the last seat booking a month in advance) and finally flying back to snowy old blighty. Can't complain though, I haven't had to get up for work for over a year (apart from a few weeks in Christchurch).
om shanti shanti!
