It seems that wherever one travels around India, everywhere is holy. Yet some places are holier than others. Rishikesh is one. The town is situated on the holy Ganga, the Ganges River.  Down river is Varanasi, the holiest city of them all. Up river in Rishikesh, sacred Hindu Aarti ceremonies are held nightly at sunset. But the adventurous visitor can also do water rafting on the Ganga. Which seemed like such a dichotomy to me as the river is so sacred, yet it is used for sport such as our own Colorado River in the US, or any other white water rafting river.

When I arrived at night into Rishikesh, I was exhilarated to be here and completely spent from almost 20 hours of bus rides to get here from Manali. On the 2^nd bus from Chandigarh to Rishikesh, I had the fortune to meet Taijana of Germany and Lisa from Austria. It was a lucky break to find these two girls, amidst the locals, as westerners do team up in such moments. I had been mostly alone during my travels thus far, and was relieved to find some friends. We booked our separate rooms at the hotel, had dinner then breakfast the next morning, and then went to tour this magical city. At sunset, we attended the holy Hindu Aarti ceremony of dance and music on the Ganga. Throngs of Hindu devotees, and a multitude of Sadhu’s or Holy men, dressed in simple orange loin cloth, and hair dreadlocked piled high. It was quite the entrancing moment and thus far the highlight of my trip. Afterwards, we had dinner what was to be my oasis for the rest of my days in Rishikesh, a common area to serve the entire surrounding hotel’s and guest houses.

Lisa and Taijana were still sleeping that morning and couldn’t wait much longer and went downstairs for breakfast, including the always must have few cups of coffee. I am constantly asked when relaying my story of being in India twenty ix years ago and now, what are the biggest differences. For one, coffee is everywhere. So are cell phones. And like any morning, I lived for my cups of coffee. At breakfast I met Ke from South Africa and Elijah from Australia. These two guys had teamed up in Shimla and had just arrived the night before. And so we chatted for a bit and decided the place we were all staying at was kind of seedy, and wanted to find another place to stay…which seems to be the thing when traveling around. I found the primo’est of rooms at the top of the hill with a magnificent view below of the Ganga and Luxman Juhl area of Rishikesh. I retrieved my bag, and ran into Lisa and Taijana and said I was checking out just above where they were staying.

They went on to do some errands in preparation for their departure to Delhi and on to China. A word about these two fearless girls: they met in Singapore doing overseas studies and teamed up to travel Asia, and not just India.  After a month in India, they were to tour China, and then on to Viet Nam, Laos and possibly Cambodia. These girls were fearless, and young, 21 and 24 respectively. Now, sometimes I think I’m all that for traveling around like I have and do, but they just embodied cool, so young yet so off the charts travelers. So we said goodbye and really grateful to have met them when feeling slightly isolated thus far.

I went to the oasis we called our common restaurant area for a lemon soda, and ran into Ke and Elijah who was sitting with Leon from the Netherlands. I joined them and a bond immediately formed as we talked music, Rishikesh, life. I had mentioned that I really wanted to see the Beatles Ashram, where they stayed in 1968. It was that trip that ignited mine and millions of others from the west about India. We agreed to tour the ashram the next day and when we did, the Brotherhood of Rishikesh was formed and united forever.

It was raining when we left the hotel area. But that only added to the anticipation of what we were to see. It wasn’t a very long walk to the ashram area but was dripping wet with rain and sweat by the time we arrived. When we did, something transformed us all. Just by being on the abandoned, decaying and overgrown jungle area produced an other-worldly feeling just knowing the history of the grounds. The Beatles were as sacred as anything. The ashram had been aband0ned some years ago by the Mahareeshi Mahesh Yogi, the guru the Beatles has been introduced to the year before. The Mahareeshi had convinced them to come to Rishikesh to stay at his ashram and to be part of daily ashram life. Ringo the least interested of the four lads, left after a couple weeks and Paul to follow later. It was John and George that stayed for a couple months and decided to leave after rumor started that the Mahareeshi made a pass at actress Mia Farrow. This rightfully angered John and George and wanted to leave. When the Mahareeshi asked John why they were leaving, John in his own forthright wrapped irony said, “if you’re so cosmic, you should know.” Thus, the storied stay of the Beatles in Rishikesh.

Years later, upon the conclusion of our tour, we four lads were left with an equally stunning and compelling sensation that will stay with us forever, and cementing our Brother of Rishikesh. Elijah, the educator from Australia, Ke, the soft spoken emotional healer from South Africa, and Leon, the enthusiastic and fellow Beatles from The Netherlands, and yours truly, the quiet American formed a friendship that will lst forever.