Holy Crap!

Literally...

For the weekend, a bunch of EAP student and I went to the holy town of Rishikesh, a settlement next to the Ganges. It is full of sights and sounds that are so bizarre. People are bathing in the Ganges River from ghats (steps that go into the water), holy aesthetics, temples of Krishna, etc. But I think one of the most prevalent sights in this town is, well, cows.

Cows in India are considered holy; it is believed that they are the highest form of incarnation a soul can attain. this translates into cows being able to do pretty much whatever they want. Since Rishikesh is a holy town, it is littered with cows. They are everywhere. But so is their excrement. Cow poop is all over the place. This creates quite a problem not only because you have to watch you step wherever you go but also because flies are everywhere. There are literally countless numbers of them. You walk down the street and they scatter everywhere: in front of your face, around you, onto the poop, then onto food, etc. It is a real sanitary nightmare.

Since I don't want to make this place just seem horrible, I must also tell you that it is beautiful. It is set in the hills and there are luscious jungles all around. Furthermore, I got the chance to white water raft in the Ganges River! I even got to swim in the river for a bit!

Despite my encounters with cows, my dodging of holy droppings, and my dip in the Ganges, I have yet to feel any holier. Alas...