mop top india head

coming upto rishikesh by train I sat on the train
and realized how much india had changed.
the wealth from the top has trickled down
and reached the masses in many ways.
my train was busy with middle class Indians and
a few travellers. it was along cry from my early days when
I took me a day of wrangling to get the ticket issued and
then a hard wooden seat as I had invariably been given
the wrong class.

on this occasion I had decided to go with the middle
class Indians to get back amongst them after delhi's 'scene'.

it's my favourite way to travel the train. the transience of everything mirrors back so
much of my life and experience. fun looking out at the affluent new houses
staring down at the effluent new houses by the riverbank
awash with plastic and crud. This really is the land of opposites and extremes.

having got to haridwar in the night
it took a little mad conversation to realize
that we cant go in one taxi as that's against the rules.
i.e. they have a monopoly and know how to rip the traveller off.
feigning disgust and acting my best I put on my
dr Livingston routine and told them it was pathetic.
how can you get annoyed over 3$?
eventually I was streaming my way past the river up
and by the Disney hotel( I shit you not) and the water theme park that has
been erected for the rich. Then by so many lovely weddings illuminating the night
with madness and light. Eventually I got to rishikesh or is it Tel Aviv?
anyway I was the only Englishman in an area that had about 100 Israelis
all celebrating the end of yom kippur. So it was indulge and bulge
those of you who know india know what it can be like!!!
(more for another time)

anyway I got a room with arather nice solo Israeli traveller
and am spending the few with him sharing
its a pretty place here, with the bridge and all.
its obviously changed so much since the mop top
scousers made it famous
you cant throw a cat without hitting some yoga teacher
or ashram.
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bo