Regal Hotel Amritsar

... Maybe difficult to imagine back in Europe, but it is really not only what you read and see in the media! I urge all travelers to cross through this country, enjoy a milk tea and get to know this culture. It will change your preconceived opinion for sure. In Shalla! (With the will of Allah).

Once we stop at a petrol station for lunch. And again I see these amazing Pakistani trucks. They are decorated with beautiful paintings, colorful decorations and all sorts ...

... further pictures were taken of course. We then headed back to the same restaurant (as it is the only 'non-meat' restaurant in the local temple vicinity) where Nicola ordered the Punjabi Dhaba special, it really was that good!
The next journey is a relative hop of 17 hours down to Jaipur (the Pink city) in Rajastan which is part of the 'Golden Triangle' in the North of India (Agra and Delhi being the other two).
Darryl and Nicola x

... place to travel from to the attari border..

We had hoped that Amritsar was going to be different to Delhi, not so much hassling and touting but the minute we stepped off the train it all started again.. and our rickshaw driver topped it off by dropping us somewhere apparently near our hostel but so very kindly didnt tell us where our hostel was and so we had to walk through the streets in 40 degree heat, backpacks and getting touted.. dear me, it was just a bit too much to ...

... around and distribute sheets, blankets, and pillows for free, but there was no meal service so I was glad I had already eaten. The train left Haridwar around 9:40 and by 10:30 most people in our section were trying to get to sleep and wanted the lights turned off, so I put on my iPod for a little bit and then went to sleep.

I slept surprisingly well and the AC was strong so I had a cool night for a change, but the cramped position I was forced into made me wake up ...

... our tickets we went for an iced coffee to celebrate in a western style coffee shop called Cafe Coffee Day, but the coffee was overpriced and oversweet, and it was full of miserable looking westerners, so we won't be going back in a hurry.

We had a fairly relaxing day, and then took a tuktuk to the new town to try a restaurant called Surjit. There is no meat allowed around the Golden Temple, so we hadn't in fact eaten meat since Delhi. At this restaurant, which ...

... ja tagasi joosta. Valged kutsuvad publikus muidugi esile erilise juubeldamise. Peale kusagil pooletunnist lippudega edasi-tagasi vudimist aetakse rahvas tribüünile tagasi, selleks et järgmisena kutsuda kõik keskele karglema. Pärast diskot on kavas skandeerimine. Üritust juhib sinises särgis mees, kelle nimetus nõukogude süsteemis oli ilmselt partorg. Karjub ja käsib rahval piiri suunas rusikat vibutada. Rahvas aga ei taha mitte rusikaga vehkida, vaid hoopis tantsida ja ...

... s no knowing who actually goes into the temple and who doesn't), so we were squashed in like nobody's business! In the true spirit of the Sikh religion they also offer free accommodation, so I made my way towards the entrance to this part of the complex, but my entrance was barred. I was to learn that a thief had been found and the police had been called, so the area was out of bounds. I wish I'd been free of my back and day packs to take a picture here, as I'd never ...

... But, I guess the 20 beds allotted for foreigners wouldn't make that much of a difference to the hundreds sleeping on the ground. The free dorm was actually the cleanest place I have stayed in India. We happened to arrive on cleaning day, when they moved out all the furniture and swept AND mopped all the rooms! I don't know if the Sikh's view things differently than others in India or if it is because it is a holy place or what. But, it was definitely a nice treat to stay where ...

... Guru Granth Sahib. The Guru Granth Sahib is the ten Guru's poems and stories and is the holy book for the Sikhs. The tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, selected the Guru Granth Sahib to be his successor. Lonely Planet said: True to Sikhism's inclusive nature, all are welcome to the Sikh's holiest shrine. The atmosphere inside is genuinely spiritual but not al all po-faced or daunting, with crowds chatting and bathing ...

... 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 ...