Travel to Rishikesh

I have taken many train rides during my time in India. Some are exciting while other make me want to pull my teeth out! However, traveling from Jaisalmer to Rishikesh was the most entertaining train experience I have had to date.

Illona and I arrived to the train station in Jaisalmer only to learn that our train was going to be delayed about 4-5 hours. We were scheduled to take an overnight train from Jaisalmer  to Jaipur where we would then have about 2 hours before taking a second overnight train to Rishikesh. When we realized that our train was going to be so late we thought we were going to miss our second train. We were happily surprised when we realized that there was a mix up with our ticket. Instead of a 2 hour wait, we had a 6 hour wait in Jaipur and we would not miss our second train. As my friend Jacquline once told me “God is always at work in your life!” As we were settling in for our long wait at the train station we ran into the second group of people that were on our camel safari! We sat down with them and the fun started.

Jaisalmer Train Station

We were all sitting on the train station floor, playing cards, talking, eating cookies, omelets and drinking chai! We were having some good old fashion fun! Then one of the guys pulled out guitar and we started singing and a crowd started to form. Ilona is really good at directing people and she started to get many of the Indian onlookers to begin to sing and before we knew it there was singing and dancing taking place in the train station. The crowd was also huge at this point and a joint even started getting passed around! Feeling that smoking a joint in a public train station in India was the smartest decision I politely declined!

Crowd of onlookers, singers and dancers

Some of the guys in the group of onlookers were actually in a band and they had instruments and everything. When we boarded the train, this group just so happened to be sitting in the same area as Ilona and I! It was quite amazing riding on the train while listening and watching live traditional music be played directly in the berths below me!

Two of band members playing on the train

While hanging at the train station, Ilona and I had a blast hanging with Vic. Vic was a 23 year old Indian guy born and raised in England. He joined us for the concert on the train in our berth area before getting kicked out and told to go to his own bed. The concert started to wind down at this point and we all went to bed. Ilona and I were woken up in the morning to Vic announcing that he had missed his connecting train and he was not sure what he was going to do. Ilona and I both enthusiastically  invited him to join us in Rishikesh and this was when we became “The Three Best Friends!”.

When we all arrived to Jaipur (I had been spending a lot of time there!) we ate some dinner and then it was pretty much time to get back on another overnight train to head to Rishikesh.

Ilona outside the Jaipur Train Station

Vic did not have a train ticket to Rishikesh, so I invited him to share my berth. Although I did not mind, the rule generally is that every passenger must have a ticket! However, we decided that we would try out the “bribing” thing that we hear so much about and it worked! When the ticket checker came around, Vic handed him 200 rupee ($3.00) and we snuggled into our now “shared berth”

Was offering to share my berth the best idea!?!

I slept surprisingly well considering Vic and I barely had any room. I think he had it worse because being the gentleman that he was, he allowed me to continue to sleep on his arm after I fell asleep for the duration of the ride! I guess that was the price he had to pay for sleeping in my berth!

Once we finally arrived to the city of Rishieksh we took an hour tuk-tuk then a boat and then we finally settled into our hotel room (which I had actually booked ahead!)

Vic and Ilona are prepared for the five minute boat ride!

Cheers to Rishikesh!

During our time together in Rishikesh, Vic, Ilona and I had a blast. We rented motorbikes, went white water rafting, ate a lot of really good food and listened to live music. Vic left after a couple of days and then Ilona and I had some quality time together until she flew back to Holland.

Saying good bye to Illona for a 3rd time! (However, as I write this I am in Europe and planning to see her again in Holland!)