From Rishikesh to New Delhi

From Rishikesh we leave for Darjeeling. I've got an upset stomache so I am quite happy that we drive from Rishikesh via Haridwaar to New Delhi by car and that hardly any action is required today.
Haridwaar is also a city at the Ganges in which many Pojas take place. We get out briefly to take a look at the city from a distance, then the heat forces us back into the cool car.

The roads are wide, little traveled and well paved and so we doze comfortably during the drive. Suddenly our driver turns off the road and through a gate into a large facility. We wonder briefly, but he explains that there is a great pharmacy here and the quality of the medicine is excellent. He did a blood test the day before and it came out that he has too few red blood cells. So he buys a medicine made of papaya here, which is supposed to remedy the situation. That's how things work in India.

We drive on. On the way we pass huge mango stands and soon we can't hold back anymore and buy mangos. Martin and I get out. We are immediately ensnared by the sellers.

One mango after the next they cut open for us and we are allowed to taste. Buying small quantities is rather unusual in India. And so, after tasting three manogs per variety, we end up with four varieties, or twelve mangoes. How are we supposed to eat all that?

In Delhi we reach the hotel near the airport in the late afternoon. In contrast to Bangalore, there is relatively little traffic, the roads are wide and we make it through the evening rush hour. Now it is time to say goodbye to our beloved driver, who has driven us so safely and cared for us so kindly over the last few days. As a farewell, he gets a decent tip and a mango of each kind :D.

At the hotel we ask for plates, get them quickly delivered to the room and start our big mango tasting. One tastes better than the other, sometimes sugary, sometimes like sweet lime. This variation is simply not available in Germany and my mom concludes the tasting with the words: "Now I can understand why you love mango so much".

We have dinner at the hotel, the next morning our flight leaves for Bagdogra, West Bengal. Visiting Dehli would have been nice but unfortunately we were too late and too tired for any activities. So I guess we will have to come here again :).