The Road to Rishikesh

I added some pictures to previous posts... check it out. Also, paperheartfilm.com should be back up again - can someone email me if it goes down again?

Catch-up entry: Haridwar to Rishikesh, last Wednesday (Aug 16)

The jeep we booked through Sanjeev is an hour early, and I wonder if Haridwar spans three time zones. We're already awake, but we haven't eaten, so we buy the driver breakfast at the hotel restaurant. He seems sort of uncomfortable; I have no idea what the socio-cultural implications of our gesture are.

We settle up the bill and get in the car. I'm feeling good. I've finally learned to trust people again after a few days away from Delhi, and I'm starting to get excited about Rishikesh.

Despite its small size, Haridwar is still in India, so the roads are flooded with blasting horns. Ours turns out to be a bopping minor third riff that I can't help hearing as the chorus from Le Tigre's "On the Verge". Sam hears Eminem's "Lose Yourself" but that's kind of a stretch because the horn starts partway through the phrase (Le Tigre is a perfect match). A Hindi cover of Blue's "One Love" comes on the radio, and is by some twist of fate perfectly in tune with our horn. We roll along, layering on the techno beats.