The buses picked up speed at the outskirts of Dehradun and soon we were passing through the jungles of Lacchi-wala, where monkeys could be seen on both the sides of the road. Except the noise of the passing vehicles and the voice of birds, the atmosphere was calm. We crossed through Doiwala, over the bridge, passed along the Jolly Grant Air strip and soon were negotiating the turns and bends of the Rani Pokhri forests where a board read: "Beware of Elephants". Another board contained the appeal: "We (Elephants) are your friends, do not harm us".
Within a few minutes, the buses were on the roads of Rishikesh. At 7:55 A.M. We passed in front of Gurudwara Hemkund (Rishikesh),-an imposing building having sprawling lawns and many ‘sarais’. The ascent started from the Sivananda Ashram. We had a view of the Ganga River. It was in spate with muddy yellow brown water. For the first time we were travelling uphill beyond Rishikesh. So, we had the craze to enjoy nature in all its possible details.
Across the Ganges, buildings of various Ashrams, restaurants and shops presented a magnificent view. Ram Jhoola and Laxman Jhoola were now behind us. We were proceeding in the Ganga valley gaining height almost every minute. The river remained in view - sometimes near and sometimes far away. As we pushed on, successive mountain ranges, covered with a natural clothing of forest cover, also appeared rising.
By now, we had three servings comprising snacks, kachori, fruit and toffees etc. all inside the speeding bus.
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