Sitara Niwas Hotel Amritsar

... car repair place next door and use all guesthouse facilities. No extra charges, how great is that! Turns out this is the same place where Yvonne and Frank stayed 7 years ago. Some things never change ;-)) Mira is not feeling well and I need a break as well, so we decide to stay here for some nights, enjoying Pakistani food, read a book and discovering street life, which is dominated by men. But must admit, does not feel intimidating at all. It is just a way of life here ...

... through the temple So ended sitting there for a couple of hours which wasnt a problem as I was completely loving it. I took a few photos, a couple which I think will be pretty good. Also took some short video so that you could see the lights and everything better. They have sound so you can hear the chanting as well. I will attempt to upload them but not here as this computer is pretty slow!

Eventually ...

... was one of those rascal vans, you know the ones usually used for delivery drivers.. 8 of us got into this and hot a sweaty dont describe it... we were so SO hot in there... I think I lost my love handles!!


We got back to Amritsar by about 9.30pm and were pretty knackered so after a nights rest alongside the bed bugs..(yes they were there crawling around) we went to the temple the next day..

Its an amazing place, the temple sits in the middle of a huge pool ...

... we got our stuff and took it inside. The foreigner room is on the grounds of the Golden Temple complex and is only a short walk from the temple itself. Stepping outside our door, you can even see the temple under an archway. Sri Guru Ram Das Niwas had about ten beds in a big open area and then five small rooms of three beds each. We happened to get into one of the rooms, which offered a little more space to ourselves. The foreigner room was great. It had lockers, cold ...

... pealtkuulajate-vaatajate parve sinnapaika ja pistan varbad vette. Sinna mulle õnneks keegi järele ei tule. Aga tagumik hakkab varsti kärssama. Teen veel ühe ringi Adi Granthi juurest läbi. Kummaline tunne on olla seal tihkelt keset raamatu retsiteerimisele kaasalaulvaid inimesi.
Asun sussihoiustamise kohta otsima. Lähen mingist teisest mulgust välja, arvates kergemeelselt, et väljastpoolt kohe taas sisse tagasi saab. Olen aga sunnitud tegema ringi ümber poole templi mööda ...

... charges for 'foreigner' of 300 rupees and 10 rupees for Indians. I must tell our London museums to impose heft charges for 'foreigner', including the Indians!!! The museum had many exhibitions (altho' several were closed, including the jwellery, musical instruments and a couple of others). I thoroughly enjoyed everything I saw, but the Indian miniature paintings really got my vote. There were many Mughal/religious themes, all very colourful and with very distinct ...

... that he didn't see it. Indian hotels tend to be disgusting. I'm pretty sure sheets don't ever get changed or washed. Rooms are occasionally swept (although this one clearly hadn't been swept since the last people were there...there were dust balls, pieces of crackers, and who knows what else on the floor). Walls are beyond the need of a new paint job...they get to the point where pieces of the paint are just coming off the wall or ceiling. According to Kush (our Indian ...

... the Golden Temple this morning. We went early so it wasn't so hot and crowded. We made it all the way into the main building! Amiji says she has not been able to make it that far the last two times she went. Janpal still didn't feel well, so we cut the visit short and didn't go to the museum. By late evening, it was obvious Janpal still wasn't doing well, so Mommy took him to the hospital where a quick doctor visit and ...

... Armistar, we found a "good value" hotel in the old city, 50m from the birth place of the Sikh religion (The Golden temple, the holiest shrine to the Sikh religion and our main reason for visiting). We tucked into a small vegetarian restaurant for dinner and devoured a couple of tasty Thalis (set meals). After the meal we headed over to the temple for sunset. We took off our shoes, cleaned our feet, and covered our heads before entering, as is the ...