First time at Rishikesh

After two or three weeks time has come for myself to head over to Rishikesh, or more specifically Shivpuri - the hub from which we work from on most if not all rafting trips. The briefing was simple, to go there, find something to do and do it. Easy? Predicting the unpredictable I have decided to take all of my belongings

So we go to the office in Delhi, in my case, carrying the 140L mother of all duffle bags filled with necessities, such as clothes, buoyancy aid and coffee. This was an interesting excercise in terms of moving through the metro during peak time... Soon enough we were on the station waiting for the night bus to take us where we needed to be.

7 hours later, we arrive, have chai at the station, get picked up, go to sleep...

From New Delhi to Rishikesh. 247 km according to rthe ticket

.. 1 hour later, we get up and get ready for work

First Job. Morning walk with the clients, tea by the river 

Rishikesh is a location known for its religious significance, being the 'capital of yoga' and amazing rafting/kayaking. For those who do not know me, neither of the three apply to me particularly well. However, it didn't take too long to appreciate the beauty of the place. Long story short... Its nice!

For those who have been to Rishi you will notice that none of the pictures in this actually show Rishikesh, this is because we are placed close to it, but not in it - as well as that, there are millions of pictures of Rishikesh on the net, but not half as much of surrounding area.

So what did we do? Went for a walk with the clients, inspected/set up ropes course and equipment, office work, lists, rafting trips, recce expeditions, spent time with the team, spent time with clients and probably a lot of other things I forgot already. On top of all this, several thoughts on dissertation subjects.

Let's cut the bull****: Here are the pictures!

Baster the bull

Woke me up mid-nap.

Water angels - pick up the pieces (or people) should you get too wet.

Vehicle of choice on the Ganges - Raft.

Not a bad job when you think about it...

Treats. / Małe co nieco

Shortly prior to my departure I was lucky enough to have a quick catch up with the man who has gotten me into my outdoors and was (and continues...) to be one of the main influences to help me get to where I am, including here in India. Said guru offered plenty of advice, one thing that stood out the most was the 'need for treats'.

Admittedly, I thought I understood just what it meant and just what boost it can give. Music, (good!) coffee, yerba mate and pictures of Baster have gotten me through some shitty times - and kept me fulfilled and happy (in my own unique pessimistic way) during everyday life. Small things that keep me going.

The "treats" concept came surprisingly the other day. Our house-keeper and her lovely daughter have prepared "something we would get at home" - pasta with tomato sauce. Words cannot describe how happy I was to experience the similar taste to my dads spaghetti - it was a release of endorphin truly comparable to heavy drugs (administered strictly for the purpose of analgesia by qualified medical personnel of course).

I guess it really is the little things in life, and after only two weeks here, I really begin to see that.

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To teraz wpis po Polsku :).

Przed wyjazdem miałem okazję spotkania się z człowiekiem który wciągnął mnie w ten cały outdoor-owy światek i kontynuuje byciem jednym z większych inspiracji w tym kierunku. Miedzy innymi dlatego jestem tutaj w Indiach a nie gdzie indziej. Ten sam guru dał wiele porad, między innymi potrzeby na "małe co nieco".

Przyznam się bez bicia że wydawało mi się że doskonale wiem o co mu chodziło. Muzyka, kawa (dobra!), yerba mate i zdjęcia Basterka pomogły mi w wielu gównianych sytuacjach - a i utrzymały mnie w dobrym stanie ducha podczas "normalnego" życia. Takie o drobnostki.

W związku s tym, zaskoczyła mnie niespodzianka skombinowana przez naszą panią domu (w sumie nie wiem jak to nazwać) i jej fajniutką córkę - zwykły makaron z sosem pomidorowym. Nie jestem w stanie ująć jakie to było zajebiste przeżycie być w stanie doświadczyć smaku podobnego do spaghetti mojego taty - hurtowe wydzielenie endorfin mogło być porównywane jedynie z twardymi narkotykami (z którymi, oczywiście, miałem do czynienia tylko w ramach znieczulenia administrowanego przez wykwalifikowany, medyczny personel).

Mówi się że chodzi o te drobne pierdółki w życiu, minęły tylko dwa tygodnie, a naprawdę zaczynam to doceniać.

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Song of the day/Piosenka dnia: James Brown - I feel good.

Delhi - metro survival guide

Few weeks in India now and I feel that I've been here for long enough to offer advice for short&long term Delhi stayers.

Much nicer than TFL. You will be greeted by endless ammount of lovely dogs.

To the best of my knowledge the Western world is unaware of recent happenings in India - the security is tight very tight. Here is a few things that are worth knowing when travelling through metro in Delhi:

SECURITY:
- No matter how big, your bag WILL fit through the xray machine.
- When the security find something normal in a place different to where they expect it, let them know what it is - a wallet in a low sitting pocket for example.
- Hold metal objects like zippos in your hand when going through the metal detector, they don't like it when you don't.
- I have not tested that, but I have been told gas canisters for burners, stoves etc are not allowed.This is because of their bang-potential.
- They do not appreciate being photographed or video-ed, at all.

METRO:
- Is much much cleaner and more humane than anything London underground has to offer.
- Single ticket/token will cost you 20-30 rupees, for 250 you will get a travelcard with 200 rupees on which you can then top up, in my experience, this is more than enough for a weekly commute to and from work with some travelling mixed in, getting them and topping them up is simple, just go to the counter near the barriers (after security).
- Ladies, there is a area just for you.
- Busy times are just that, fomparable with london underground, with people fighting to emter, exit and just to stay in. Be firm whichever you are trying to do, if that means pushing through a wall of people so be it.
- being white/non indian you will attract some attention, this ranges from kids staring through to people making conversation wanting to know your life story. Sometimes it is nice, sometimes it isn't.

OUTSIDE:
This is particularily for those visiting old Delhi however will affect you to a lesser extent everywhere else:

- Beggers
- Sellers
- Rickshaw drivers

To shake off any unwanted attention, reply in any non-english language, the faces they make are priceless. In case you don't speak a foreign language, I suggest Macarena, Lambada or, if you feel hardcore - Francky Vincent

Registering the visa. / Rejestracja wizy w Indiach

To all the lucky people visiting India for more than two weeks - you will be glad to hear that you will have the pleasure of enjoying some of the most exciting buerocracies the world has to offer. The ultimate alteration between highs and lows is undescribable.

The pain inflicted by the process exceeds the one of wisdom teeth coming through, fractured ribs and the sadness reaches the levels only putting down of a pet animal may give. That being said, the very kind man we had a chance to meet (twice) was incredibly helpful in making sure we do not have to come again - as one of the 'team' has particularily found out. I guess this video provides a good insight of what you feel going through the FCO. Alternatively, if you are of the musical breed, this song does it too.



To all those travelling into India who may have become concerned after reading this, fear not, the feeling when the process is complete can only be described as the utmost happiness :).

TOP TIP: Rickshaw drivers WILL double or quadruple the prices of the ride at will. Should this happen, never be too afraid to walk away.

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Każdy turysta przyjeżdzający do Indii na dłużej niż 14 dni ma obowiązek zarejestrwoania się w FCO. Proces ten jest w miare bezbolesny - przynajmniej w porównaniu do poważnych złamań czy kastracji bez znieczulenia. Indie to kraj ogarnięty całkowitym rozpierd*lem jeżeli chodzi o biurokracje.

Będzie wiele form, dużo kombinacji, kombinowanie z różnymi rozmiarami i formatami. Jeżeli będzie trzeba więcej informacji proszę śmiało pisać/komentować.

Warto też wspomnieć o transporcie, czasami te miejsca nie są w centrum więc będą potrzebne kombinacje, jeżeli nie udało wam się zamówić taksówki przez internet za ustaloną cenę warto pamiętać że:

tuk tuki (czy ich odpowiedniki), a w sumie ich kierowcy zawszę zawyżają cenę zanim wsiądziecie, lubią też jeździć w kółko,  jeździć inną drogą, wspomnieć ze źle podaliscie miejsce i przez to musicie zapłacić 3-4 razy. Można się kłucić, wyjść i odejść, zapłacić ustaloną cenę i odejść - nie można się wachać i dawać wydymać.