Bye Bye India, Hello China
Trip Start
Aug 25, 2003
1
30
55
Trip End
Jul 18, 2004
Amritsar,
India
Saturday, February 28, 2004
City of the Sikh's Golden Temple, Amritsar was our second to last stop in India. Even after all we've seen in India, the Golden Temple was possibly the most impressive monument of India. I'm not saying this just because it was free to get into or that the Sikh people running the Golden Temple complex offer free food at mealtimes, although these are nice perks. No, the monument itself was all it took. Centered in a large pool and almost completely gilded, the Golden Temple is a sight all on it's own. The best part is inside where (of course) pictures are not allowed.
We "lined up" with a mob of Sikhs to get a glimpse of the inside, and seeing the inside made the crushing "que" to get in seem not so bad. Like the outside, much of the inside was gilded, but covering the walls the gold was complemented with a deep blue color. The ceilings were a dazzling array of blue, gold, and mirrors patterned across the ceiling. Of course this is only where the blue walls are not covered with gold writing. Inside the first floor we found many people praying, singing, and giving offerings. It was still a crush of bodies on the first floor but we got to catch our breath when we discovered that we could explore the second floor as well as the roof. This way we got to enjoy the temple and breathe at the same time.
Following Amritsar, we were back in Delhi. Or last train ride was so packed that people were sleeping on the floor. After two days in Delhi we were back (again) in Bangkok for a day where Sarah and I could again enjoy a few Coke slurpies before heading to China. Having some time in Bangkok really brought back the memories of our time in SE Asia and the food was a good as ever.
