Rishikesh: Where the Himalayas Meet the Ganges

The Ganges is a different color in Rishikesh than anywhere downstream — a clear, cold turquoise straight off the glaciers, before the plains get to it. The whole town is built along both banks, connected by two swaying pedestrian suspension bridges that a surprising number of motorbikes also use.

I'd gone expecting mostly yoga studios and found that too, but what stuck with me was the evening aarti at the riverside temples — hundreds of small flame lamps set onto the water at dusk, drifting downstream until they're just points of light disappearing around the bend.