Friday 8th
October - After the hectic time recently, and my body telling me to take a
break, we did just that today. Our train to Amitsar doesn't leave until 2:15am
tomorrow morning. Check-out time was noon, so we took advantage of a late
breakfast and a dip in the pool before packing up and storing our luggage in their courtesy store room. A few
hours time on the internet killed some time.
Found out some interesting stuff...
When we were
on the camel safari in Jaisalmer, we passed
hundreds of wind turbines. They were installed by
the Rajasthan Mines & Minerals Company,
which is quite a large organisation. The 106.3 Megawatt wind power
project helps support their mining operations in the Rajasthan state and is a
public company set up as a government initiative.
Diwali is
coming up on November 5th, so we need to plan to be somewhere nice for that.
Last time I came to India I was in Shimla. This time we are likely to be in the
north too. Where is the best place to be? Not sure yet, so will have to ask
around.
I have been
reading a rather thought provoking book by
Sylvia Browne entitled 'Secrets & Mysteries of the world'. I have always
been interested in science, the evolution of mankind, nature, astronomy, and
anythink unusual. The book brings together Sylvia's opinions through much
research on subjects ranging from the Pyramids in Egypt, to Atlantis, Stonehenge to Shangri-la, to the crystal skulls
and the Bermuda triangle. Lots of subjects covered, and lots of opinions, some
based on established facts. I did some research on a few websites and need to
do some more. Very interesting subject...do you believe in Aliens. Am I married
to one?...I am beginning to think so! Did
the Egyptians really build the pyramids as egyptologists
suggest, or did they get help from outer space? Was Atlantis a
communication point from an Alien race on a distant planet to our own? Is their an alien civilisation still living under
the sea in the Bermuda triangle? Is Shangri-la really hidden in the Himalayas
in a way that cannot be found, so that it protects the alien race who built it
there? Is the earth a dieing planet whose
past races were so much more intelligent than us that they managed to wipe
themselves out with one of their electromagnetic experiments that went wrong?
Is the moon made of cheese? Sorry, that one is a bit too far fetched..!All of this
and more is enough to keep an inquisitive mind like mine awake and occupied for
hours during idle times on the road.
Dinner at the
hotel before leaving. We headed for Bikaner Junction station early instead of
going to Lal Garh station which is totally dead. The same train stops at
Bikaner Junction about 15 minutes earlier, but at least there is food
available. I went for a brief walk outside the station seeing as we had so much
time to wait. Within about 5 minutes I had been approached by two total
nutters, one offering me Marijuana, and the other jibbering some strange chant
at me as loud as he could, so that everyone could hear
him. Freaked me out a bit and decided to turn around and head back to the
station instead. You certainly meet some strange people in India.
We attracted
another nutter on the platform. A guy sniffing glue from a bag came and
squatted next to us, waving his hand with some drugged up look on his face. Had
to have him moved.
In front of
us was a large sign prominently located by the track...it read 'Railway vs.
Dirt. The fight is on! Whose side are you on?' Right underneath and along the
track, a bunch of cleaners were busy sweeping the platform...sweeping the
rubbish straight onto the railway track! There are bins, but they swept around
the bins too, and not one bit of it went in the bin. What a disgrace. Why put
the sign in English? Hardly anyone here speaks English. Are they trying to
impress us, as if they really intend to enforce this campaign? The reality is
they couldn't be bothered.
In front of
us, a bare bottomed baby pood on the platform and a fair bit of it went on its
mother's sari. Its mother wiped it off with her bare hands and then promptly
used the same hands to clean the teat on the baby's bottle before shoving it in
its mouth. It made us cringe. Coupled with the overpowering smell of urine and
the steady flow of rats running around, Bikaner station is a bit of a cesspit.
To be fair (well a little bit fair)... a guy shortly after came around with a cart
emptying the rubbish bins. I bet they take it out of sight and dump it next to
the track. Sorry it all sounds a bit negative, but the most positive thing I
can think of is that we will be on a train out of here soon. It has bean a long
day!
Train 9223
arrived exactly on time and we were on it
and in bed within 10 minutes, when the train gently pulled out. Managed to get
some sleep and awoke to the ever familiar call of the Chai seller at about 8am
when the train arrived at Bathinda. Another couple of hours further to Firozpur
cantt. The morning scenery was pleasant and there were even birds singing in
the trees. This journey has passed from the Hindu
dominated Rajasthan into the Sikh dominated Punjab. Most of the
passengers in our carriage were Punjabi, with their tightly wrapped colourful turban's of
every colour. Pink, orange, turquoise, blue, white.... Very different
style to the Hindu. Also, many spoke English and were tidily dressed. A sign of
being in a different, more affluent state. Another common sight now is the chin strap. The elderly
guys have wonderfully majestic flowing beards, and dress their beards in all
sorts of nets and straps, often looking a bit strange.
Much of the
land we passed is agricultural, with cotton being a new crop we haven't seen on
our travels yet. Rice and other grain crops are also in abundance, as were fields of cotton. I spotted an awesome
bird with colourful blue wings. After the dusty desert it is a welcome sight.
We arrived at
Firozpur cantt at 10:15am. Over the footbridge and a nice sight...They
have both rickshaw and cycle rickshaws too.
It is a shame that we had too much luggage to fit, so we took an auto rickshaw instead. The bus station is only
about 1.5km away and he charged Rs50, something that caused a n argument with
one of the drivers. The usual 'this is a
special' came out. What a load of rubbish. It must be a standard for them.
There was a tarrif chart in his window showing a maximum fare of Rs10. An
argument broke out and we ended up having to pay the 50. Not a good start
considering we had arrived in a good mood.
The
non-aircon bus to Amritsar left within a couple of minutes of us getting there.
Rs65 each for the 108km journey. There were
aircon buses but they would leave later.
Unfortunately, no time for any breakfast. Luckily, at the first stop snack
sellers boarded. Noodles on a bap for Rs10, and two lots of deep fried bread
for Rs10.
Arrived
at Amritsar about 2pm. Supposed to be a free shuttle bus to the temple which
was nowhere to be found. Rickshaw drivers try to scam by sayin that it is 4km
to the temple and want to charge 100 rupees. It isn't. We took a cycle rickshaw
for 40 rupees complete with luggage. Should have
only cost 20, but he had to work hard with all of our luggage on board and the poor road surfaces, so gave him the
extra.
I
had been to the temple before and aimed straight for the accommodation block. I
was lucky to get two dorm beds in the Sri Guru
Ramdas Niwas lodging section. It is all free, but a donation should be given on
leaving, after a maximum of 3 nights stay. All food, albeit simple, is included
in the dining hall.
The
Golden Temple is one of life's most amazing experiences. Today was a special
celebration day, and so even more pilgrims than normal were here. The colour
and the different sects of the Sikh faith that were around was incredible. This
is the holiest temple in the Sikh faith and everyone would like to come here at
least once, although it isn't like Haj, they don't have to. The centrepiece of
the Sarovar lake is the gold temple. Plated with 750kg of gold, that shines in
the sunshine like no other place i've seen. Sikhs come to bathe in the holy
water. Live sitar, harmonium and tabla music accompanied by vocals is piped
incessantly around the temple, giving it an awesome atmosphere. It originates
from inside the golden temple building and raises the hair on your neck.
Dinner
is another of those experiences that will leave an imprint on your mind
forever. A communal hall where thousands of pilgrims sit cross-legged in rows,
being served food into your serving plate. Dal, prassad spiced rice, chickpea
curry, rice pudding and chapatis are just some of the offering. Copious amounts
of fresh water too. Refill as much as you need, and all for nothing, unless you
leave a donation in the boxes by the entrance.
We were lucky
to be here for the 476th birthday celebrations of Sri Guru Ramdas, which
happens today. Didn't know about this, so it was a real piece of good luck.
This explained the extrodinary number of devlotees here. At 7:40pm the
elebrations culminated in a superb firework display over the temple. The whole complex had been illuminated with lights and
colours. It was almost like being is Disneyland. A fantastic atmosphere and
shared by hundreds of thousands of pilgrms.
At times there were so many people trying to move around that it got quite
choking, but everyone took it in good spirit. Following the fireworks, the
whole congregation decended on the dining hall. It was too much for Shiera and
she had to return to the dorm. I stuck it out and it was like a mass crowd
surge at a sports stadium. The din made by thousands of people clamouring for
their food plate and bowl and then squashing into the building. Some got forced
down during the scrum and I am sure many got injured. The double layer food
hall was crammed with row upon row of diners. The food servers were almost
racing around to keep pace. The next group pushing at the doors impatient to
get in.
The amazing
sight of the kitchen and washing areas is awesome. The volume of food produced
in a day leaves you spellbound with how swish they have made the process.
Volunteer pilgrims also help with the washing up afterwards. Hundreds of people
grabbing plates, cleaning off leftover food and washing up, is a sound you
cannot describe. Suffice it to say that it is loud! Surprisingly, foreigners
are in tiny numbers, and so we attract a lot of attention. Lots of hand shaking
and answering for the hundredth or so time, 'which country are you from', 'what
is you name' etc. But it is a pleasant and bouyant
atmosphere.
Sunday 10th
October - The one thing about the dormitory in Ramdas Niwas, is noise. With
people coming and going with no concern towards others, it is almost impossible
to get a good night's sleep. There are communal washing areas and it proffers
the question about how much water flows through this place on a day like
yesterday. A free flowing supply of drinking water to everyone as well as the
washing water.
Out to find
breakfast. Don't ask for eggs as the whole surrounding area to the temple is
stricktly pure vegetarian, so no eggs available. Neelam's nearby restaurant
served up a nice breakfast.
Much
stress and strain recently. It is hard to believe how stressful enjoying
yourself can be. Tension and problems caused by successive days with poor
sleep.
At
3:30pm we headed to the Attari-Wagah India
& Pakistan border gate to watch the
infamous closing ceremony, which commences
at 5:30pm. There are touts outside the Golden
temple entrance offering a shared taxi for 100 rupees each with 8 passengers.
It takes a bout an hour to get to the border and by that time, hoards
were already there and the chanting was clear as we approached. An annoying
scam on the way between being dropped off and the security check...plenty of
vendors offer drinks and snacks. No liquid allowed after the security check, so
the two 1 litre bottles of water we just bought had to be thrown away. They
know this of course, and make a load of money out of it, knowing that most
people will have to throw them away maybe 50 metres down the road. Also, no
baggage allowed, so they have to be left back in the van. You can take cameras
and you need a passport to get into the 'VIP' area where all foreigners are
sent to, so you must not foget it.
The
event is pure theatre. Initially, music was played and the girls all got up to
dance. The whole show is orchestrated and compered as each side goose-steps and
high-kicks to the border in turn while taunting each other.Throughout the
event, the crowd are urged to chant 'Hindustan Zindabad'...which means Long
live India. The finale is coordinated around
the final shaking of hands and saluting of the two nation's, followed by the lowering
of the flags and the final closing of the gate at about 6pm. A wonderful sign
of harmony considering the two country's battles with each other.
We
had a bit of a problem getting back. Our van wouldn't start. He tried to get us
into some dirty old wreck but we refused. He decided to have his van towed by
another. Problem was that the tow rope kept breaking, so it was a long and slow
journey back. We had to bail out on the approach to Amritsar as there was no
way it would work with the busy traffic. We broke down again on a crazy
roundabout with three lanes of lunatic traffic. Someone else gave us a lift
most of the way back. Another eventful evening!
Back
at the temple and it seemed worth an attempt to get into the main temple before
we depart tomorrow. The queue wasn't that bad and we made it. To think that
there is 750kg of gold in the temple is amazing. It is beautiful up close. The
chandeliers inside also contain gold. At 10pm, the holy book...the original and
oldest one, is moved to its sleeping place for the night. A ceremony is held
culminating in the book being carried out in a golden palanquin, and the doors
to the temple closed, with the throngs of worshippers clamouring to tour it. It
will be brought back at 3am, Believed to be the purest hour of the day.
I
was lucky to meet two great gentlemen in the temple who were happy to answer
any questions about the sikh faith. One of them was on holiday from London, so
spoke perfect English. Apparently, there were 400,000 pilgrims here yesterday
for the birthday celebrations. A normal day sees upto 80,000. How lucky was
that, that we happened to be here on the right day!
I
wish that this event hadn't been marred by the terrific strain of tiredness
having its effect. It should have been the most enjoyable of occasions. But it
turned out to be a strain to get through it. I hope things improve or we will
abandon India much earlier than planned. It is no point carrying on with things
the way they are right now.
At
2:30am we had a fracas in the dorm. A group of inconsiderate australian students
rolled in and didn't seem bothered about the noise they were making. What was
most anoying was the lecture this stupid kid tried to give us on how they come
here to meet people and not sleep and how we should never stay in a dorm! I
felt like punching the idiot's lights out. Some mindless yobs have zero brain
and are so inconsiderate that they think their smart arsed attitude is
justifiable. The fact that so many other people were complaining about the
noise of other's testifies to the fact that not eveyone agreed.
Anyway,
we packed up and left the temple at about 3am and headed for the bus station.
It was in darkness. It was 3:30am. It didn't open until 4am.
Our
bus to Pathankot left at 4:30am. 62Rs. First time I have ever been in a bus station
when it was closed. No lights on and bodies sleeping all over the place on any
available seat or platform.
The
bus was terrible and had no space for luggage. A bumpy and hole filled road. We
are so tired recently and the effects are taking their toll. We need to be
somewhere peaceful and away from traffic to recover. Fortunatlely, I had
planned to go to McLeod Ganj in Himal-Pradesh state next. I have been before,
and an ideal place to relax.
Shoe-horned
into our seets at the back of the bus, and with a freezing cold early morning
draught straight into my face, it was not a good journey. The road is regularly
broken up to make it a spine jarring journey. Any attempt to doze off was
abruptly interrupted by a rapid drop into a big hole in the road. By the time
we arrived in Pathankot it was daylight.
Easy
enough to find the stand for our onward journey to Dharamshala and enough time
to get some snacks and even stock up with cash at the Bank of India ATM there.
Our bus, another rickety looking thing arrived shortly before 8:15am. The usual
discussion about our luggage. We have a lot , and it takes up the space of a
couple of passengers. They wanted it to go on the roof, but you have tlo do it
yourself, and I didn't feel like falling off the bus. We managed to sort it
out, but had no space around ourselves for the journey. I had planned to use
the toy train from Pathankot to Kangra, but it did mean another 4 stages of
transport. With low energy we weren't upto it. Shame really. I have done it
before, and it take over 5 hours to do what the bus does in 3 1/3 hours, but it
is pretty.
The
scenery as we passed through the Kangra valley is beautiful. This is heading
into mountain territory, and climbs steadily the closer we got to Dharamshala.
Luckily the same bus waited at the main bus stand and then continued upto
Mcleod Ganj.. Also known as upper Dharamshala, about 10 minutes later, for
another 10 rupees.
Since
my last visit they had built a bus stand slightly downhill from the main chowk.
A good idea to reduce the traffic. The favourite option was to be Greens hotel.
Clean, and with a nice view of the valley, plus wi-fi available from its built
in café. It is a very busy place, but we managed to get a room for 800 rupees a
night.
We
are now in an area with a high influence of Tibet, due totally to this being
the residence of his Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. One of the world's greatest
people, and someone I have great respect for. His home, the Photang is attached to the Tsuglagkhang monastery complex. A short
walk south from the main town.
The
shower was welcome and felt slightly human again. The restaurant served us up a
great Tibetan meal...momos and thukpa. Filling and tasty.
Replenished,
we ambled around town for a while. The weather was beautiful and the town is
easy to navigate. Everyone has that Buddhist kharma about them here. Peaceful
and no hassle from touts or the shop or stall keepers. I enjoyed this place on
my last visit, and it is lovely to be sharing this with Shiera. We both needed
a place to relax, and this is ideal.
We
took a walk to the temple complex. There was some work going on and the Dalai
Lama was away on business, a little disappointing. He was away last time too in
Tokyo. This time in the US. As one of the world's most travelled people, I am
not sure how often he returns home?
A
nice break for coffee and cake at the Namgyal café within the complex before
heading back to the hotel for an early night, and catch up on sleep.
