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  Delhi, India
Wednesday, June 20, 2007

After the strictest border crossing thus far we were into the second largest country on the trip - India.

Amritsar was our first stop and it was for two nights. Amritsar is famous for the Golden Temple where thousands of Sikhs seek (heh) pilgrimage each year. The temple itself sits in the centre of a pool that gives eternal life to those who bathe in it. I read that the temple has some accomodation for tourists in addition to the pilgrim sleeping quarters - Sikh's beleive in human equality (strange when so many of them live in one of the most class divided countries in the world) and therefore have the same beautiful hospitality as the Muslims. So as soon as I got to the campsite on the outskirts I headed there for sunset and sunrise.

I grabbed a cycle rickshaw and my man started peddling away. It was like having a slave, where was my whip? I felt sorry for the old guy as he puffed away through the potholed streets and past painted cows (sacred to the Hindu's and so free to roam anywhere in India). We both had to get out and walk at one point because there was a hill!

The temple was very busy (think it was the main pilgrimage time of the year, a festival or something) and everyone walked clockwise around the pool, the temple in the centre. Before entering I took off my shoes and was told to wear a bandana to cover my head - a nice purple and gold shiny one. I was repeatedly asked for my picture to be taken with various people, they were very friendly and interested. When going round I noticed (having only been in India an hour or two) the amount of women and children present, something, as I blabbered on about, lacking in Pakistan.

1) Golden Temple at Sunset

It was good to see families and ladies again and not just for the obvious reasons; it made the streets feel more comfortable, more safe. In addition to accomodation there was food as well. I sat in a large hall, cross legged on mats with a metal tray I had collected with my guide (a 10 year old boy had kindly led me there). Grace was called across the hall and a little 5 year old boy nudged me and gestured to place my hands together to pray. Was funny. After some rice, dal and naan I had an early night and then enjoyed the sunrise (4.30am) by the pool which was strangely just as busy as sunset.

Rest of the day was spent with a few beers in the pool (our first the whole trip!) and in the evening we went to watch the obscure border closing ceremony between India and Pakistan. Tiers of seating surrounded the border gates and the whole thing started with girls from the crowd dancing to bad pop music as other members of the public walked around with the Indian flag. Looking over at the Pakistani side you had a colourful left hand side (the women) and a bland right hand one (the men) whereas the Indian side was speckled with colour as there is no segregation. Eventually the ridiculous marching was carried out by the soldiers (it did drag on a bit, like my blogs...) accompanied by one soldier shouting for as long as he could into a microphone. The big finale - a handshake. Kashmir? What Kashmir?

Kashmir is of course not the only iffy subject round these parts, as I was sorely reminded when we went to see the Dalai Lama (well, you never know we might of seen him) in McLeod Ganj.

10) Camel

A Tibetan colony with a Scottish name in India. Sadly it has become a tourist trap: shops galore, Italian restaurants and streets lined with all sorts of useless crap - I bought a one note bowl and fur hat for the Himalayas. Visited the Tibetan museum where, in its brutal reality, is the lowdown on the plight of the poor Tibetans. I wont go into detail but basically the Chinese have acted like the Nazis but in the 21st century, torturing and persecuting people because of who they are (to create a monolithic state). I spoke with two Tibetans who, like most there, had escaped over the himalayan mountains by foot when they were 9 in a small group of 15. I found a lot of admiration in them, of course - as children they walked for weeks with all their belongings over the biggest mountains on earth to escape certain prosectution. Interesting dudes as well with their spritual buddhist minds.

On the way to Delhi we were in our first crash! Kipping up the back, was woken by rubber screeching and metal against metal. Looked out the window to see a wee car side on crippled against the front of the truck partly on the central reservation. The car's backside had clipped the front of the cab as he tried to nip infront. Gladly nobody was hurt and 250 quid saw them off for something that was completely their fault anyway.

Delhi is just a blur of what you can imagine it to be: busy, huge (13 million folk), in your face and dirty. We were there for just a day but just sorting out things before Kathmandu, not seeing the place. Escaped to Agra for 9 hours to see the Taj. Scariest drive of my life, swerving to avoid cows in the dark on roads where nobody uses mirrors, relying on constantly beeping to show your presence. At one point a bus didn't hear our horn and I thought we were going to be screwed against a wall. Taj was closed when we got there! Thanks for telling us this would be the case before taking our money. Luckily two little charismatic entrepreneurs (they were just 9) led us round the back to the river where the reddest sun was setting. Hopped on a plank of wood for a boat to a sand bank in the middle. Was really really great, they earned their tip!

Habing visited a Tibetan colony for a third of the time there and then Delhi when we had to prepare for trekking India was barely seen. Amritsar was wicked though. The most vivid image from India, sadly, wasn't the Golden Temple but of the rich and pennyless living side by side. As we drove out of Delhi a homeless woman watched over four sleeping 4 year olds in the central reservation; a bill board behind read 'How you can make your money work harder with Bank India'.

If there was going to be any country to cut short I guess it makes sense to be India - its so big I would of had plans to visit again anyway. Onto Kathmandu...

Post your own travel photos for friends and family More Pictures & Videos

10) Monkey! McLeod Ganj	11) Praying in McLeod Ganj	12) Prayer Wheel, McLeod Ganj	13) Buddhist retreat, McLeod Ganj
15) The Sky at Night, McLeod Ganj	16) Av and Rach on our Taj boat ride	17) Cows were in the strangest of places, Delhi	18) Taj Mahal, Agra
2) Golden Temple at Night	3) Fascinated by my camera, Amritsar	3) The Dudes, Amritsar	4) Sunrise at the Golden Temple
5) Bathing for Eternal Life	6) Moo, Amritsar	7) Cant go over? Have to go through	8) Squeeeze
9) Landscape enroute to Delhi	Golden Temple at Amritsar

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