Taki to the border with my first Pathan. Drives like usual - with extra horn. Get to Wagah, the border with India. Buy China LP from Mr Latif's bookstall and change my money into Indian rupees, keeping back a bit for the porter who had five children (sigh). Much checking of passport then thru to the Indian side. My passport will be paper thin by the time they have finished. Army chap asks me if I am a journalist -I laugh and tell him I work in a shop - which makes him smile too. Thru eventually, take my usual pics of soldiers and share a rickshaw into Amritsar with a couple of boys who have just come back from a month in Afghanistan. Stark, staring mad. Learn about bargaining from the Aus. kid who is dead hard. Rickshaw driver not at all happy about going to the Golden temple and the train station and there is a huge argument with him and the rickshaw pimp and passersby which the Aus kid settles by getting out and reaching for his bag. Off we go.
Visit to Golden temple and almost convert to Sikhism on the spot. What a welcoming freindly family place. Divinely pretty temple in the middle of a pool. People bathing, free dinner, very happy. It is not golden anyway, it is gold. i have not brought a chisel. Swizz.
Train is second class no a/c 200 rupees Amritsar to Delhi. Remarkably comfortable except for v. high testosterone level as only woman in carriage. Lovely Wim keeps me company - in fact, only gets a seat by claiming to be my nephew and needing to protect me.
Book ticket to Delhi. Meet up with Dutchman, Wim (Veem) and we get busted for smoking on railway property. India has a smoking ban. My spirits drop. But cheer up when railway cop gets bored with trying to extract fine from us and wanders off.
