Haridwar: Gateway to Lord Vishnu

En route to Delhi we spent a night Haridwar, one of the seven holiest cities for Hindus. The city receives hundreds of thousands, if not millions of visitors a year, but unlike nearby Rishikesh a slim minority are foreigners, giving the scene a very different feel. 

The city straddles the mighty Ganges. 

(click to enlarge all)

Pilgrims bathing and making offerings to the river--many travel from all over the country, or even world to this sacred site.   

Directly across the river, women washing laundry. 

The river is considered inherently holy so there is seemingly little concern for the human effect on its health.    

Cloths carry the blessing of the river after washing. 

Offerings for the river.

Thousands live in makeshift tents along the river's banks. 

Bottling the holy water to take home is popular among pilgrims    

This guy opportunistically fishes valuable offering out of the river from the bridge, which isn't frowned upon--once the offerings been given the intention is made and it's fair game.    

India deals with trash in a way that's completely counter-intuitive to the western mind which has had some strangely positive results.

Instead of concentrating and sending it away, so it's out of sight, out of mind and someone else's problem, Indians throw their trash directly on the ground, and though it might be swept around it stays local--it's often burned but there aren't landfills. The positive side of this approach is that people have a far more direct relationship with the waste they create--it's in their lives or they're the ones burning it and this creates reflection. As a result products are sold with far less packaging and the packaging used is more often natural fibers which decompose or burn with fewer toxins. Many cities have banned plastic bags all together and even in those that haven't re-usable bags and containers are simply a part of life, as the west forgot for a few generation but is now remembering.    

One man's trash is another man's gold--or maybe just dinner. 

By keeping the trash local and accessible very far less ultimately becomes waste. 

I've been continually impressed what Indians manage with peddle power. 

The poorest tier of Indian society still does the majority of their cooking on wood--the large demand often means a long walk to find fuel. 

Tea on the boil.

A little evening smoke chillum smoke.

Inside the Haridwar train station.

Delhi bound--traveling by train kicks ass!