As we passed through Darula, the road became even better. It was now lined by green pastures and farmlands. We were about 100 km away from New Delhi now and the FM channels entertained us with a variety of music. The car easily managed to touch a speed of 140 km/h on a straight stretch and our average speed now was about 110 km/h. The Honda Jazz is truly the fastest among the 1.2-litre petrol brigade. Soon we reached Muzaffarnagar as the light began to fade. After a nice speedy stretch of 45 km, the road narrowed down to a single lane with heavy oncoming traffic. The signboard read Roorkee 48 km and Haridwar 79 km. Now the road was cluttered by a number of bullock-carts laden with sugar-cane. It was 7.50 pm when we reached Haridwar. Crossing the great pilgrimage city, we continued towards Rishikesh about 35 km away, where we arrived at 8.40 pm. The temperature was pleasantly lower than that in New Delhi. Sanjay and I checked in at Hotel Nataraj where cosy rooms and a delicious dinner awaited us. I went to sleep dreaming about the rafting to be done on Saturday morning. 
The morning found us headed for Shivpuri, a small village up in the hills, famous for being the starting point for rafting trips on the River Ganga. Shivpuri is about 26 km away from Rishikesh. Going downstream, a one-way trip takes about three hours and it ends at the famous Ram Jhoola. River rafting trips are primarily organised by local tourist operators who own the boats and also have expert guides. Rishikesh is a geographically important location where the River Ganga flows from the Shivalik range of mountains towards the Indo-Gangetic plains of northern India.
We had a booking with a local operator named River Zone. Their vehicle, required to carry rafting equipment to the starting point, was delayed. Having the Jazz at our disposal, we offered to carry the jackets, caps, paddles and bags to the riverside for the entire group. We could do so easily thanks to the car’s copious interior space. We drove the car up to the actual starting point to download all the equipment. Now it was time to take the plunge. I wore the life-jacket and walked towards the bank. There were seven others sailing in the same boat. It was 12.00 noon. The plan was that I would raft down with the group and reach Rishikesh while Sanjay drove the Jazz back.
