Khyber Continental 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 ...

... riisiga võiks küll toita veel mõned näljased. Tagasisõidul pean kõlkuma juhiistme seljatoel, mis jälle pealtvaatajatele eriti muljet avaldab. Kuna olen jätkuvalt seljaga sõidusuunas, võib signaalitamise järgi ainult aimata, mis eespool toimub.
Õhtul külastame Kuldset Templit, mis avati 1604 ning mis peaks Taj Mahali järel olema Indias külastatavuselt teine vaatamisväärsus ja palverännakute ...

... areas selling temple offerings, huge kitchens and many other admin blocks and service areas, but it's the Guru-Ka-Langar which is the most fascinating. In this community dining room, up to 40,000 meals and water are provided to pilgrims, from the food cooked in the nearby voluntary-assisted kitchens.

It was just before sunset that I made my way to the dining room, having bathed my feet and covered my head. You're first presented with a metal sectioned tray ...

... light is hitting it. Staying in the temple dorm meant I could easily visit it throughout the day. It is truly breathtaking. And the devotees clearly revere it, as it is so well taken care of. There are many volunteers around, cleaning, helping lost visitors by explaining the rules-you have to take off your shoes to go in, then walk through some water to cleanse your feet-and just patrolling around, in addition to doing the cooking and cleaning. You cannot carry your shoes in ...

... to the border with Pakistan. Lots of children and women, which was cool. Mommy said it was good for the Pakistani's to see free women. 19th Today Janpal was feeling MUCH better, so we went shopping. We all got, except Eric and Amiji, some Punjabi Juttis (shoes), which are really comfy and mold to your feet. Eric got a Stainless Steel tea set, and we saw Baba Budha Ji's Guruduara. Aunty Ranbir bought us our Juttis and ...

... while the crowd goes crazy cheering, clapping, chanting, and snapping hundreds of camera phone pics as if the guards are the stars of Bollywood. After our taxi back to town we decided to make a night visit to the Golden Temple, get some night pictures, and venture inside the main building. Inside the actual temple worshipers were chanting, offering money, and a priest was reading the largest book we've ever seen (the Original Sikh Holy Book ...