Rishikesh News Updates
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There are thousands of volunteer opportunities in India, most of them involves teaching children in a school. Many volunteer work agents are online, looking for summer school volunteers. How do you choose where to volunteer? There are several reasons I think most volunteer work opportunities are not useful and not ligit.
First of all, most volunteers have no more than a week or two. What do you think the kids will stand to gain in this short period of time apart from a temporary friendship and a couple of possibly ill-prepared lessons? So if you do want to do it, give it more time and not take it as part of a traveller experience to be marked off the list. Look for opportunities to work with the organisation in other capacities beyond teaching, such as some office work, IT related work, cleaning up work, teaching sports to the kids, etc. Work with your skillsets. Secondly, why go with these agents who take a cut from making travel arrangements for you and connecting you to the organisations? Your money is better off as a donation to the organisation. If an experience is what you want, why not look for an organisation yourself, write to them and ask. Making travel arrangements on your own is also part of the experience isn't it? If you are old enough to travel and volunteer, you are old enough to do this yourself. Thirdly, be careful of where you volunteer. Stories of fake schools are not unheard of. These charity schools are set up with donations from foreigners trying to do something good for the village children. In fact, the schools get financially maintained from overseas funds, they buy some books, uniforms and stationary for the children but they don't normally run! Only when sponsors visit or when there are volunteer groups, do the children and teacher appear! In Rishikesh, I wouldn't suggest volunteering in an ashram because ashrams are usually well staffed by paid employees who can do the work and where you probably won't feel very useful. Just stay in an ashram and take up whatever programmes they offer if you want the experience. Volunteering in a commercial yoga school doesn't make sense too. These are schools that charge huge amounts of money for yoga courses and should be able to maintain their schools with paid employees (this helps someone have a job too). After all the scepticism, here is a list of places in Rishikesh where you can directly be in contact with the organisation. These organisations aren't fakes, they look pretty well-run, located in very local neighbourhoods where the community is served and most times the founders live in Rishikesh and work personally in their organisations. Click on the names to go to their websites. Kushi Charitable Society Mother Miracle Community Development Programs Children of the Ganges Ganga Prem Hospice Karma Animal Trust Rishikesh Animal Care If you wish to donate something, do check what is needed and buy them from the local Rishikesh market to support the shops. Check around for prices. It is also better to explore this on your own then to simply pay a local to do it for you, chances are, you will get a better deal. PS: I found 2 very small, genuine Rishikesh charity initiatives recently which may need more support. Check out the other blog post - one particularly supports widows and underprivileged families in Rishikesh in various ways.
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Do a google search for hotels in Rishikesh and you will find hundreds of them. How do you select one that suits your needs? What should you be looking for? First off, plan what you want to do in Rishikesh. Travelling around Rishikesh can be time consuming, so deciding what you want to do before choosing a hotel/guesthouse nearby could save you time to do more things. This is particularly important if you want to be involved in several daily activities like taking part in classes. There are a few areas to stay in and each one provides different amenities. The distances to other places and the convenience of each area various. Check out the different areas here. The hotels and guesthouses can be broadly classified into 3 categories: 1) higher end hotels - these often feel more like middle class hotels in other countries. They are clean, often has in-house restaurants and sometimes a good view to the Ganges. Prices are upwards of US$60 per night. 2) middle class hotels - they feel more like budget hotels in other countries. Cleanliness is subjective, often in convenient and possibly quite noisy locations. Some have small in-house restaurants. Prices are upwards of US$30 per night. 3) budget guesthouses and homestays - these rooms range vastly in standards, prices and locations. They form the bulk of the accommodations in Rishikesh. You do need to look at their reviews and be prepared that it may not be what you expected. If you plan to stay long-term, it is cheaper to look for a homestay with a shared or personal kitchen (often at extra charges to be fixed with a gas stove). Negotiate with the owners for better long-term rates. Be prepared to give the room a thorough clean up before you feel uncomfortable in them, just like you would in any rented rooms. There are many homestays in the Upper Tapovan area which is a little further away from the main tourist spots but also generally quieter and cheaper. So what can you do on your "yoga day-off"? Want to experience more of real India? Head down to the Rishikesh market and your senses are certain to be awakened - it's all loud, crowded and cramped. It is a typical small Indian city, with lots of shops selling anything from hardware to clothes to electronics and, of course, food. It may seem at first sight that there is nothing particularly interesting for tourists here, but there are a few places which deserves a mention. First off, the Triveni Ghat, a popular ghat with local tourists. The well-built and lovely walking path along the Ganges at Triveni Ghat brings you back to Ram Jhula if you turn left. It makes for a nice walk that is usually not too crowded.
If you really want to enjoy authentic Indian food, head to the famous and crowded Rajasthani Restaurant along the main road. The food here is great though a little spicier than what you get in the Ram/Laxman Jhula areas. They have a very special range of Indian sweets (mithai) as well and if you are there shortly before Diwali, they literally sell hundreds of different varieties. Bear with the crowd, it is worth it. If you can still stomach more, head down to Pappu Lassi across the street in the middle of the market. They sell the creamiest lassi around. What used to be just a popular lassi dispensing machine is now a proper shop with seats! At 30R a cup, it is really a drink not to be missed, especially on a hot day. I did say top 3 places to visit in Rishikesh market, but if you still have time and are adventurous enough, take a slow hour walk from Rajasthani Restaurant to the Rishikesh Railway Station. It is small and peaceful, very unlike most other Indian train stations. This easy walk is also recommended if you are interested in seeing some local life away from the crowded market. |
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February 2023
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