Temple View Amritsar

... br>Far too quickly we have to move on again. Could stay here much longer, but the good thing is that you can always return to a place, and that is what I will do one day!

The next 300km, which takes us 2 days we spend driving in convoy with an Austrian couple and even some armed police escort for part of the way. It remains unclear why that part supposed to be unsafe. On local and tourist advice we park on hotel parking every night (PTDC or other one). No ...

... started gathering by the entrance to the gokden building where the book is thru out the day. I timed it perfectly.......the book came out, it was uncovered and flowers were placed on top of it. Everyone wanted to get as close as possible to the book, so I hung back as I didnt want to interrupt or disrupt them - afterall it is their sacred book and this is the most sacred sight in the Sikh religion. They paraded ...

... the necter I believe, lots of sikhs bathe in this and cleanse themselves.. there is a huge white structure all around so its enclosed away from the outside world, marble pathways take you around and it really is something very special and serene, you have to wash your hands and feet and cover your head to enter as you can see from the profile picture.. it really is beautiful. Will post more pictures soon..

One thing that happens alot is young guys taking pictures of their ...

... drinking water, a washing machine, guards standing outside 24 hours a day, and a shower. But the best parts were that it was a way to bring the small number of foreigners who visit Amritsar into one place so it was so easy to meet people and it was totally FREE! A donation was recommended, but it was so cool to be in a place like this with luxuries such as a washing machine and have them not even demand money. Another really good feature was that it was right next door ...

... and rice pudding on to our metal trays. We had failed to pick up a spoon, so had to eat with our fingers, using bits of chappatti as a spoon.

We were also given a bowl of water, which I thought must be a finger bowl and dipped my fingers in it. This amused the men opposite but horrified our new friends. Suddenly our sitting was up and we had to take our trays down. It was a chaotic system but it worked.

In the evening we had a thali at a cafe called ...

... asfalti ja tänavakive. Irrmus kuum. Kohati on maas ka vaibatükid, aga püüan säilitada eneseväärikust ja mitte vaibast vaibani karelda. Kohalikud vaatavad minu vaprust imetlusega. Jõuan viimaks plätudeni. Tunne on küll selline, nagu oleks talla all kuumavillid. Värskendan end jääkohviga ja suundun hotelli ennast külma veega üle valama. Milleks küll on inimesel vaja sooja vett?

Kusagil kella viieks sõidame Pakistani piirile, Wagah piiripunkti. Vahtkonnavahetus, mis kujutab ...

... Replicas for sale in the museum shop were expensive, so I settled for a book instead!

I finally went on to Gandhi Smirti: the house where he spent his last 144 days (the house was loaned to him by the Bihar family) and was then assassinated here. Concrete steps lead to where the event occurred, now marked by a pavilion known as 'Martyr's Column". I didn't have time to make it inside the house (now given over as a museum), which contained many interactive ...

... instructor) this has to do with the Indian's 'contentment' with life. Why bother fixing anything? If something is falling down, let it fall. That must be what the universe planned for it. Once it has collapsed, then you can try to fix it with a piece of tape. Otherwise, why bother doing anything.

We only stayed one night in this hotel, and then moved to the Golden Temple. This is a Sikh Temple, or I guess I should say THE Sikh Temple as it is their holiest shrine. The ...

... meds were dispensed. For a little over $1 we got to see the doctor (who was in the middle of dinner,) and we got meds. Janpal: The Golden Temple was conceived and started by Guru Amar Das, the third Guru of the Sikh religion. It was finished by the fourth Guru- Guru Ramdas. The site is considered important because there was a small pond in which a sick man fell in and was cured when he came out of the water. The man was ...

... custom. Inside the temple there is a marble walkway surrounding a lake, with a massive gold temple in the middle. Worshipers walk clockwise around the temple, stopping to pray, drink the pool water, bathe, and enter the temple. The sight is amazing. Being the only white people in the temple, we were the second most visited attraction. Lots of stares usually followed by an Indian accented "hello" and a big smile. Several teenagers asked to ...