The yoga conference is over, and the ashram is, by no coincidence, better. Quieter, easy, much more my speed. That doesn’t stop me, however, from taking a break from yoga and meditation and heading up to my new favorite location, Lakshman Jhula.

The Jewel, as I now call it, is about a 20-minute walk from the ashram, in between the two bridges that connect the sides of Rishikesh that are separated by the river. Streets are wider, a bit more modern, lined with shops and handicraft stalls and henna artists, lazy cafes with music ranging from chill Indian to reggae to classic rock (circa late ’60s). Today I met friends for breakfast of Nutella crepes and ginger honey lemon tea, and we’ll soon head out for a little trek to nearby waterfalls. Tonight we plan on hitting up a local Indian chef for some private cooking lessons, which she provides in her home for the going rate of $7.

The “we” does tend to vary, though lately it includes new friends, Mia, a nutritionist from San Francisco who bought a one-way ticket to Mysore a month earlier, and Cameron, an Australian art dealer. My newest and closest musketeer, however, is David, a very tall Scottish surfer-and-sailor from the UK.

David’s story is worth recounting here, for he’s a brilliant example of the friends I meet these days. After getting a degree in chemistry, he did some internet searching and found that very rich people would pay him to sail their boats around the world. He promptly took a month-long intensive in yacht sailing, started his new career, and already has had quite a life. He’s animated and fun and a foodie, and says things like “crikey!” and “wicked!” a lot.

Though David’s work takes him all over the world, his main hub happens to be in the south of France, a trip I’ve been plotting for a couple of years now. He has suggested that I consider a potential yoga teaching job with friends who live in the area. As I contemplate this opportunity, I wonder what I was doing on this very day, at this very moment, exactly one year ago. And I smile.

On the way to LJ

View of the Ganges from my daily walk

Monkeys and Men