Monday 19th November
I had set the alarm for 7.30am but still wasn't sure as I woke up what my plan was for getting to Amritsar. The train seemed to be causing me more hassles in my head, so the bus eventually won out in the end.
It turned out to be a relatively painless journey to Pathankot, from where I would take a train to Amritsar (which I had already booked). The bus took about 4.5 hours in total, and it went through some fairly nice countryside. It was reasonably comfortable, save for the old woman who was sitting behind me at the start of the trip, spitting out the window every 10 minutes for the first hour. That was kind of annoying.
Spitting seems to be a common habit amongst some Indians. You regularly hear the guttural sound of someone hocking up the contents of their nose and throat, then gobbing it all over the street without any regard for those around them. Women are not exempt from this, although the real ladies would never think of doing such a thing, I'm sure.
The main reason for going to Amritsar is to see the Golden Temple, the holiest of shrines in the Sikh religion, and therefore an important place for people of this religion. The Sikh people also have a reputation for their friendliness and they welcome both Sikhs and foreigners to stay in the dormitories (or courtyards) for free. Meals are also given out free in a building in the grounds of the temple. In return, visitors are encouraged to make a donation.
I got to Amritsar at 7pm and took an auto-rickshaw to the Golden Temple, got my room in the foreigners dormitory, and shortly after set out for a visit to the temple across the road from the rooms. It was all very easy.
In order to get into the temple, visitors must take off their shoes and walk barefoot, while also covering their heads. The area where you leave your shoes has a real pong hanging over it, stinking of manky feet. You have to walk through a pool of water to wash your feet before going into the temple grounds. I also got the chance to wear a fetching yellow bandana.
The Golden Temple is situated in the middle of an articifial pool, which is itself surrounded by large marble buildings. The temple is impressively lit up at night, and it shines brightly in the centre of the water, giving an impressive gold and silver reflection. Visitors are allowed to walk into the temple itself, although I gave this a miss as I felt like a bit of a voyeur. I was happy not to play the gawking tourist on this occasion.
I headed back to the dormitory to get an early night, yet again tired from a long days journey and with the intention of getting up early the next morning. My bed for the night was a basic metal frame with a wooden board across it , with a mattress of no more than an inch to provide the most minimal of comforts. If I had known that this was going to turn into some kind of Lough Derg retreat then I would have stayed at an hotel, but it was free and 'all part of the experience', so I just got on with it.
