Expect the Unexpected- Lakshman Jhula in a Rainy Day

Unexpected situations.  While on road, some common examples of it are delayed arrival of train or flight, problem with the accommodation, eating uncommon foods that are not suitable for our taste buds, or in some extreme cases weather betrayal. But have you ever travelled a location with the expectation of extreme unexpected situation?

I did once. Yes, I crossed the Lakshman Jhula in the heavy shower.

That was the end of August and we are travelling Hardwar and Rishikesh. It is a well-known fact that the best time to visit the holy city is not the monsoon. When we had planned our tour, many of our friends and family members discouraged us. But we were determined. This time not a common, expected tour. So, we set out for Hardwar at the end of August.

The weather was sunny when we reached Hardwar. And we encountered the first unexpected situation. All of our team members were expecting rain.

The next day we hired a car and set out for Rishikesh. We started our journey early in the morning. The sky was clear with a bright shining sun.

As we had crossed half the distance, we noticed a hint of black on the sky. Excitement mounted on us. When we were 2Km away from Rishikesh it started raining. By the time we reached Rishikesh, it was heavily raining.

We got out of our car, in the middle of that heavy shower. Our umbrella was not working at all. The fierce wind had already broken some strings of that. We covered ourselves with the local-made raincoat, which we purchased from a local seller. Those rain coats were nothing but a large plastic sheet with a hood attached to it. The funny thing was that this raincoat had no buttons on it; you had to wrap it around yourself and hold it to keep it in place. A bit difficult, but that was fun because we were set out for an unexpected tour.

At first we thought that we would not be able to reach Lakshman Jhula but somehow we managed that. The water was pouring like hose pipes from the sky and the chilled wind accompanied it successfully.

Then we encountered the most precious experience of our life. We were in the middle of the Lakshman Jhula Bridge. Due to the fierce wind, the hanging bridge was swinging like a swing. We looked out. The scenic beauty was beyond explanation. The lush green surrounding was even greener as if the water had put some extra life to the Himalayan trees. The Ganges below was as white as snow. There were only three sounds; the sound of the wind, the sound of the heavy shower, and the sound of the water flowing through the Ganges. The combination was deadly. It was like a music concert which was heavenly.

Today, after so many years, I can still hear the sound if I close my eyes; I can feel those chilled winds and it was such a memory that I’ll cherish throughout my life.

The Food

Being a holy place non-veg items are not allowed in Rishikesh. We went to the Chotiwala Restaurant, where we had some great veg foods. The restaurant had every modern amenity to give the guests required comfort.

Getting There

Rishikesh can be reached from Hardwar or Dehradun by car.

Accommodations

There are many resorts and hotels in Rishikesh for night stay that suits every budget. Some of them are Sanskriti Vedic Retreat, popular for Kerali Ayurvedic treatment, Ganga Kinare – A Riverside Boutique Hotel and a lot more.

Yoga and Ashrams

Rishikesh is best known for Yoga and Ashrams. There are many ashrams and Yoga centers for yoga and meditation.

Adventure Sports

Though it is closed in the rainy season, the main adventure sport here is white water rafting in the Ganges. Also, you can enjoy hiking in Rishikesh.