Amritsar Day 1 - Devotion and Border Bravado

Greetings to all from Amritsar, Punjab, India! Yet again, my travels in the north seem to present obstacles when obtaining internet access. I was doing alright in Rishikesh, but in Amritsar it's a different story. The hotel here - it's so so, not the best hotel (the sheets are of the same mediocre, almost clean quality that I mentioned while in Agra) but certainly not the worst (bathroom is relatively clean, even though a bit stuffy and smells like mold). However, the best thing the hotel has going for it is the centralized location - seriously, I am literally across the street from The Golden Temple - I can hear the devotional chants from outside my room (plays until 10pm or so). But first a little recap of my journey to here from Rishikesh...

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Departing Rishikesh and Train Ride to Amritsar
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The morning of my Rishikesh departure was pretty uneventful. I didn't meet up with any of my yoga friends (Bob was already on his way to Delhi anyhow, and I didn't yet make plans with Anouk or Go), so I had my last breakfast there in the hotel (also the place where I had my first breakfast). I gotta say, I love the Muesli / Yogurt / Fruit combination thing that I've had almost every morning - it might be my new favorite breakfast. That combined with a cup of Masala Chai of course :-D...

So I checked out of the hotel around 11am. One of the hotel managers (Nicky) has been so kind to me throughout my stay and continued to exceed my expectations with his hospitality in helping me get to my next destination. Recall that my original arrival in Rishikesh was crazy and a bit stressful - getting lost with the Trolley Puller Guy at 2:30 am in freezing weather, remember? So it took me a few days to actually figure out the orientation of Rishikesh and find the hotel on my own - I constantly turned down the wrong alleyway or the wrong road, and I ended up letting my frustrations out to Nicky about this matter! LOL nothing serious though just complaining basically! But Nicky took it all in stride and drew me maps and even gave me his mobile phone number in case I got lost...

With that in mind, I had asked him how I was to get to the taxi stand across Ram Jhula bridge (or what the best way was for me to get to Haridwar train station, which is almost an hour away from Rishikesh). Nicky sensed my frustration again and was REALLY kind to give me a lift on his motorbike. The "rules" (if there are such things in India) about pedestrian only bridges for Ram Jhula and Laxman Jhula Bridges apparently do not apply to motorbikes, as they constantly go back and forth on the bridges, honking at you to get out of their way - on the pedestrian bridge, you are in their way, yes I know... :-D

Anyways Nicky swept me right to the Rickshaw stand where he negotiated with the driver for me to be dropped off at Rishikesh bus depot, where a bus to Haridwar Bus Station departs almost every 5 minutes. This was my first shared Rickshaw (previously they had all been individual or shared with people I already knew). But now I was the only white guy and was LITERALLY stuffed into a small nook on one of the benches in the vehicle - next to me another Indian business man, across from me a family of 6, and some other people to boot. All in all a total of about 12 people in this little thing - somehow, it all works!

The driver goes for a little while, people get off and on, etc. Finally he motions to me that he is at my destination, but I look around and do not see any bus depot. I ask again: "Bus Station??" "Yes" "Ok where?" "Down walk..." -----Points to a road which I should walk down-----. "Umm ok..." So I get off, collect my backpack, yoga mat and personal bag and the rickshaw is off while I'm standing on the side of a busy street trying to get my bearings. I ask him how much I owe - "10 rupees" Holy CRAP!! That is the cheapest ride I have ever had - then again, I had a whole 2 square centimeters in which to park myself in his vehicle, so I guess I got my money's worth...

So remember, I have all my stuff with me as I am traveling to a new city (not just my day backpack). The street is dusty, loud, smelly and of course, filled with 10,000 people running about doing all sorts of things. I head down the road not knowing if or where I will find the bus depot but trusting Nicky's word (he told me the same thing) and the rickshaw driver's. I just push forward and think about my conversation with Rani - "Divine Guidance, Divine Mind to lead the way, no fear from the Egoic Mind, Trust that you will always end up exactly where you need to be and it will be the right place". I want the right place to be the bus depot really, really bad :-)...

Ahhh success - it's not the traditional bus station you would think of but does remind me of another one I saw in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. Basically, an empty, dirt field that has a lot of buses in it, and a few small buildings to serve as canteen (i.e. chips, bottled water, etc.). I walk around and have no idea which bus goes to Haridwar bus station. I ask around:

"Haridwar this one?"
"No you wait it comes"
"Yes but where?"
"Wait here..." -----Motions to wait next to the canteen-----
"Ok thanks."
...
-----Time passes, maybe 4 - 5 minutes. A new rickshaw driver tries to get my business-----
"Sir yes please you are going yes?"
"No, I go bus to Haridwar"
"Haridwar yes sir I take you come..."
"No I take bus"
"I take you 40 rupees yeah?"
"Noooo, I still take bus. Thank you"

Finally, a new bus arrives, people get off and immediately a new set of people get on. Something inside me - my gut perhaps - told me this bus was the correct one (i.e. Divine Guidance remember?). There is no way I could tell from the logical standpoint - any labeling (hardly there) was done in Hindi and I could not read it, I don't know if there are colors that are associated with routes, or anything. So I ask one of the fellow passengers - "Haridwar station yes?" He nods. SCORE! Get on quick - find a seat to put all your stuff on before it gets too full and it becomes uncomfortable. I do, and it fills up. The driver has a full bus and still continues to pick people up while he is exiting the bus depot! I have to relinquish my extra seat that was holding my heavy backpack for another traveler. This means I have to sit in the same seat with all the other stuff in my lap - a balancing act that I somehow managed to do for the hour long journey. But the price? 22 Rupees - pretty cheap...

The other concern I had - I was reasonably confident that the Haridwar bus station was close to the train station (everyone had said that it was) but I didn't know orientation or direction, so I wanted to pay extra close attention when it arrived. Sure enough, the station is literally across the street - and I even recognized the prepaid taxi that the Indian gentleman guided me to upon first arriving in Haridwar from Agra. Ok nice - I got this now, I am more confident in how the trains work, how things flow and where to go. I have no problem finding the correct platform, navigating the traffic, etc.

The train between Haridwar and Amritsar is about 7 1/2 hours. It was close to on time (15 - 20 minute delay? Might as well be EXACTLY on schedule in terms of Indian time :-) ) The train did not have the sleeper bunks like the other one (at least not in first class AC), they were a bunch of chairs, similar to how you sit in an airplane. No worries, it was uneventful, never got completely full, and honestly kind of a boring ride. But I did sit next to an Indian gentleman with whom I struck up the typical conversation...

Ok here are the questions again - "My name is Jeff. I am from U.S. I am NOT married. Yes I am single. I am 31 years old. Why am I still single? I haven't met the right person yet. Yes I know Indians would think that by the time I am 31 I should be married. I don't know if I plan to get married. I don't know if children will be there. No my parents do not decide who I marry (THAT would never happen! :-)), I am not Hindu. I am involved with computers for a living. I'm sorry but I won't tell you how much money I make. I like India, yes - came for Yoga. Been to Mumbai, Goa, Delhi, Agra, Rishikesh and now going to Amritsar. Yes I did yoga in Rishikesh..." LOL they can talk about anything, but ALWAYS people ask me if I am single and why I am still single :-) Heck even the young adults (20 somethings) who I meet - they are fascinated by the fact that I am from the U.S. (one asked if I could get him a visa there) and bewildered as to why I am not married...

So, single and unbequeathed with children as I was, I made it relatively on time to Amritsar train station. I planned ahead this time and asked the hotel to send a representative to pick me up (as opposed to the madness I had at Haridwar). Good call - he was there waiting with my name and the hotel name. And it was free! Off we go...

Even late at night I could tell that Amritsar was more city than Agra or Rishikesh (but not, of course, like Delhi or anything!) It's pretty busy and is one of the centers of activity in Punjab. Only 10 minutes or so and we arrive at my hotel. The driver points out "Sir, Golden Temple there." Oh ok - it didn't look like what I imagined (or have seen) it to look like. Only the next day did I realize that I was looking on the outside of the complex, the actual golden edifice was on the inside courtyard surrounded by that outside building...

So the hotel - it's ok, like I said earlier. It tries to be luxurious but just has too many things not working for it to be so (and I guess I cannot compare to the Delhi Hilton!) The sheets have a strange consistency to them - sort of like they were washed but with some strange kind of powder or detergent. Moreover there are stains and splotches on the sheets and bed pillows - like I said, you can tell they were laundered, but seriously they need to replace the actual sheets they use. Bathroom is pretty clean, which is a huge positive, though the shower curtain also needs replacing as it smells like mold. Television is from 1990 and the remote works only partially - you cannot do the volume on the remote (there are buttons to do so, but they are broken), the reception is cable but fuzzy, etc. The internet - well I don't know what is going on with their internet. They give you an Ethernet cable, there is a jack in the wall, but you cannot connect (the staff cannot figure it out either, I think they just gave up) Whatever - just a place to rest my head for the next few days. Here are some pics of the hotel:







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Golden Temple
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So this morning I got up around 7am and decided to have breakfast on the hotel's rooftop terrace. Excellent choice! What the hotel lacks in basic stuff it MORE than makes up in its location and views of the Golden Temple. I could see almost the entire thing from that roof! Here are some pictures:






After a light breakfast, I walked across the street and attempted to figure out protocol / policy for entering The Golden Temple complex. You see, it is a VERY holy place - you cannot enter with shoes (not even socks) and all patrons heads must be covered with at least a scarf (or if you are Sikh you might already have the turbin). So I realized that the entry plaza has a bunch of souvenir shops, many of which sell these orange scarves for you to buy (10 rupees, no big deal at all), but you can also borrow them for free from the temple (nah I'd rather have my own thanks :-) )...

While I'm figuring this out in my head, all of a sudden this 60 year old something Pubjabi man comes running up to me and starts blathering in another language I don't get. Of the nearly 20 sentences he spurts out, maybe 4 words are recognizable English, and scattered among the set of sentences. He smiles and chuckles at me. Somehow I ascertain that he wants something to do with a camera - ahh is this another case of paparazzi following me?? Am I to have my picture taken with your family sir? But I have yet to buy my scarf - I need to do that first, then if you produce a camera, I will happily pose for you...

Hmmm ok you look at me blankly when I ask you this. Clearly communication isn't going the way I had hoped. Why are you pointing at my head? Yes I know I'm bald, thank you. What the FUCK are you doing???? The guy grabs my head and starts playing the drums on it - he starts beating it left and right, amused by the sound it makes as if he were a toddler that just discovered something new. Ok you can stop now. Geese I thought the head was sacred, ESPECIALLY to Sikhs (i.e. don't I have to go and buy a scarf to protect my crown chakra before I can enter your most holy of shrines??), and here you are putting yourself all over mine!

When this ceases, he then motions me to the scarf shop, where I easily buy my orange scarf that you will see in pictures below. Then he motions me to follow him - I keep thinking he wants to introduce me to his family, but again I couldn't tell because I couldn't understand him. He goes into the bathroom - no thanks, I will not follow you into the loo...

Another young guy sees this commotion and, while old Punjabi man is taking a leak, runs up to me. "Sir you ok is everything ok?" Ah ok I can communicate with this guy. "Yeah I think so, this guy seems to want me to take a picture with him, but I have yet to see his camera. And I thought he was going to fetch his family but he just went to the bathroom. So I am not sure what he wants." "Sir you must be careful out here - trust no one, you do not know what the motivations or intentions of people are." "Good idea - all I want to do is go inside the temple, I should just go now while he is busy" "I think that is wise..."

I hurry to take off my shoes, check in my bag (you cannot bring it in with you) and enter the complex before crazy Punjabi man returns. It's really interesting - you have to "wash" your feet, which basically means you step in a pool of warm water. Thankfully, the Sikhs are pretty good about having a clean temple. The water is replaced and refreshed constantly (even with the high number of people that enter / exit it), the floors are constantly washed, etc. It really wasn't a problem at all...

This link will tell you more about the Golden temple:

Golden Temple

I have to say, as of this writing, The Golden Temple is by far the most religious feeling of shrines that I have visited in India. I almost felt out of place the entire time I was there because I was not familiar with ritual - everyone bows to almost everything. Before you even ENTER the steps, they touch the steps, they bow to it, even down on their hands and knees. At first sight of the golden shrine (called the "Hari Mandir Sahib") in the middle of the courtyard, you stop, kneel, bow, pray, namaste hands, and back up. You can even walk around the courtyard (called the Parkarma) with Namaste hands all day if you like (many did). They bow and pray to many other parts of the complex as well - an ancient tree, huge poles that are inscribed with some kind of writing, all other buildings flanking the corners of the courtyard, etc...

The pool that surrounds the golden edifice is called the "Amrit Sarovar" (hence the city name "Amritsar"), and is itself used for bathing - I guess considered holy in the same sense that the Ganga is considered holy to Hindu tradition. Men took off all but underwear, jumped in the water, submerged themselves repeatedly, etc. Women did the same but in their own, separate, covered ghats (of course, this is India, separate Ladies queues and areas for everything). This time around, I didn't feel drawn to participate with even putting my feet in the water - actually I read in Lonely Planet that Sikhs prefer if tourists do not enter the water at all, just sit cross legged on the outer edge for meditation or contemplation. Good thing I guess - again, although very welcomed by all who I encountered there, I personally felt out of place much of the time I was there, as I didn't know custom, tradition or ritual...

How could one even meditate in that environment? They have loudspeakers that, for almost the entire day, dawn to 10pm, they sing out loud the Gurmukhi chanting from the Sikh holy book called the "Guru Granth Sahib". And there are so many pilgrims and visitors there - many other Sikhs who consider this site similar to what Muslims consider Mecca. Nevertheless, you do somehow feel peaceful (even with all the commotion) and walking around the Parkarma is really enjoyable...

Here are some of the pictures I took of the Golden Temple complex:














Now, you can see the bridge that leads up to the Hari Mandir Sahib gets really packed. I braved the crowds and waited in line along with the other pilgrims. Of course, they all had some kind of banana leaf thing in their hands that I saw them get earlier, but I chose to be simple and just follow along, as I wouldn't know what to do with the leaves even if I got them. Eventually I made it to the front - the bottom part of the building is inlaid marble, almost exactly like the Taj Mahal. The top half, however, is pure gold! It shimmers, it is amazing. Inside is even MORE amazing! It's like you're walking into a room purely made of gold! And look! There are a set of guys sitting on the floor with a mike, a sitar, and some drums. Ahhh the singing I hear on the loud speakers in the rest of the complex - it is being sung LIVE and in the heart of this temple. Makes sense...

The Hari Mandir Sahib has a few floors that you can go up and pray to various things - various pictures and statues, old books (significant books I'm sure, and probably original versions that are 300 years old), etc. Besides kneeling, bowing and praying, some people actually just sit down on the floor and close their eyes, meditating I guess?? Some just people watch. All emit a vibe of total devotion to Guru (or collection thereof, apparently a long lineage of Gurus starting with the fourth Guru Ram Das who founded Amritsar in 1577)...

So basically, I spent a few hours roaming around the Parkarma on my own - taking in the atmosphere, listening to the chanting, recording some video, etc. I even found an unoccupied space under the covered part of the walkway and sat down myself, integrating and people watching. They also have a museum where you can go and see paintings, artifacts, etc. that tell the Sikh story through the ages. They endured quite a lot of massacres and horrific brutality in their years...

Around lunchtime, I headed over to the Guru-Ka-Langar, which is the community dining room of the Golden Temple where all visitors (Sikh pilgrims and tourists alike) are invited to a free Vegetarian meal. It is a staple of the Sikhs that all are included and accounted for in life's daily dealings, and no one person is "higher" than another. The original Guru had a big problem with the Hindu Caste System, and always made sure that even he (and visiting dignitaries, kings, queens, etc.) sat among the common people for meals, as we all have to eat to survive, and therefore all are considered equal under the eyes of God. Pretty progressive, right? :-D

So I jumped at the chance to experience this once in a lifetime opportunity. I found the line where you start, they hand you a metal tray, a spoon and a bowl. Then, the doors to the hall open and you quickly sit down and cross your legs. You are served from pales that contain dal (lentils, beans, etc.), some other kind of vegetable curry I think, rice and chapatis. It's very symbolic - you are on the floor, ready to receive the bounty from God. You lift up your plate, they put food on it, you rescind the plate back to the floor with gratitude. If you get chapatis, you cup your hands and hold them up in front of your face, where they are "dropped". It makes you feel like you are truly lucky and fully conscious of "receiving" this opportunity to continue living because you have food in your stomach...

It's really an amazing feat - they feed some 60,000 to 80,000 people a DAY in this manner, and for hundreds of years! If you want more, they are always coming around asking if you want seconds. If not, you get up and take your dirty plates / spoon outside to a group of volunteers who collect, rinse and wash all the plates in a very systematic manner. I recorded this process in video on my camera, I can show you this later...

Then, I headed back to my hotel for some down time, as that was a lot to do in one morning and a lot to incorporate. In addition to The Golden Temple, one of the highlights about Amritsar is that it is close by the India / Pakistan border for which there is a huge show that is put on every day when the border closes at night (well, not night but sunset). Turns out that many hotels have booking arrangements to see this in addition to some other Hindu temples that are in Amritsar. I also heard that sometimes you can schedule a trip to the border with a group of other people if you happen to find them while at the Golden Temple (particularly at the Guru-Ka-Langar lunch), but I had no such luck. Instead, I decided to book it only for myself...

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Amristar Hindu Temples
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By 2:15 pm I was in the taxi and heading to the first Hindu Temple. My taxi driver was a sweet Sikh whose name I didn't catch but whose demeanor and heart were second to none :-) He didn't speak much English but somehow we managed to communicate - sometimes, you have connection with people where language is only secondary, and eventually I built a subtle but present connection with this guy (compare to crazy Punjabi old man who likes to play the drums on my head! :-D)...

Anyways, I didn't know much about the Hindu temples in Amritsar at all, so some of this information you read is directly from Lonely Planet. :-) The first place he took me was the Sri Durgiana Temple, a 16th century temple that looks a lot like the Sikh Golden Temple in that it is surrounded by water but has carved Silver doors (as opposed to Golden). The driver said I could only spend 10 - 15 minutes here, as not only did we have to make it to the border on time to get a good seat (30 km to the border from Amritsar) but also 10 - 15 minutes is all you really need unless you're doing a religious practice there. Here are some pictures of the Sri Durgiana Temple:












Next, He took me to the Mata temple - a cave temple commemorating the 20th century female saint, Lal Devi. This place was bizarre to me - it is like a labyrinth with many twists, turns, and yes even caves where you HAD to get down on your hands and knees and crawl through (the space was that tiny). There are also ankle deep waterways that you have to go through at the end - the water was NASTY but you had no other choice in order to exit. Here are some pictures of the Mata temple:







After 20 minutes or so of that, we were off to the India / Pakistan border...

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India / Pakistan Border Closing Ceremony
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The drive out to the border takes about 1 hour and is pretty enjoyable. Whereas the city of Amritsar itself is crazy with traffic, pollution, people, etc. - the "normal" part of India I have been experiencing - this was one of the first times I got to see quiet, calm and peaceful countryside of India. Rolling hills, meadows, and open fields - a lot of wheat is grown in the Punjabi region, as the climate is good for it (especially now, it gets cold here) as is the soil...

Along the way, the taxi driver asks me if I want to stop for Chai. He knows a good Chai place along the way. Being that I have come to LOVE Masala Chai (Indian Tea), I resoundingly concur. We stop in this little, tiny shop out in the middle of nowhere. I run to the toilet, then sit down and have a really good cup of chai. They prepared it just the way I like it - not too bitter, maybe more on the sweet side, but not SO sweet that you can't drink it. One of the shopkeepers (there appeared to be more than one) spoke very good English and was conversing with me about how I liked India, where I am from, what he likes about different parts of India, etc. I could tell that he was assessing me to see my background...

Turns out my suspicion was right (I really need to learn to trust my gut instincts even more!) When I finished the Chai and asked how much, guess... Guess how much he wanted to charge me for 2 chais (also my taxi driver's chai).... 50 rupees... Not the typical 10 that I pay in restaurants (15 at absolute most) and have been doing for almost a month now... No FIFTY!! So what can I do at this point in time - there are now 3 - 4 guys surrounding me and looking at me while he says 50 rupees. I already consumed the chai. I guess I have to pay 50... Damn... Oh well, I got in the car and told the taxi driver about it. "Yes, you right, best chai I have had, but also MOST Expensive!!" At first I don't think he got what I was saying, just the part that I liked the chai. Then, about 5 minutes later, he turns around and asked me again - "Wait FIFTY Rupees??" "YES!!!!" He was clearly disturbed himself and almost wanted to turn the car around to go back and have a word with the shopkeep. "No no no nevermind, it's ok, for next time, you know this man overcharge me, overcharge tourist!" It was only 30 rupees that I paid extra (not even $1 USD), but still - the principal of it. To even things out, the taxi driver offered to pay the tolls on the road (which originally I had to pay, per the rules from the hotel). I accepted. See, this is why I like this taxi driver - he is honest, sincere and fair - I gave him a 50 Rupee tip for that at the end of the day :-D

So we finally get there, the driver lets me out and I have to walk about 10 minutes until the actual border where there are bleachers setup for the show (apparently this is a big show and lots of Indians love to come to it). Not too many touts, just a few trying to sell DVD's that explain the ceremony, but even then they weren't overly in your face about it like they would be in other places in India. I go through security (another metal detector which is completely ignored but comes with a frisking everyone gets anyway) and arrive at the gate, where I climb the steps to the bleachers to grab an area (most of the time we stood, only a few times did we sit)...

All in all it was an enjoyable show. Some of the pomp and circumstance the soldiers on both the India and Pakistan side do is just plain silly, but it's definitely for show. Before the show they have what looks to be an M.C. who pumps up the crowd by playing music and encouraging shouts from the crowd. "Hindustan Zindabad!" ("Long Live India!") is shouted fiercely with a lot of pride from the crowd! And the Pakistan side is noticeably subdued - all are sitting in their bleachers, solemn faced and very serious, where the Indian side is having a party. People are dancing in the street, waving hands up and down, children and women are running up and down the street with the Indian flag, etc. So glad that I was on the Indian side :-) In fact, that was probably the closest I will ever get to the country of Pakistan - at least in the foreseeable future. here are some pictures from the India / Pakistan border closing ceremony:

























After the ceremony, I walked out with the massive exodus (complete with the impatient pushing and shoving common to all Indian crowds, of course) and found my taxi for the hour long ride home. Another enjoyable ride along the countryside, watching the sunset in the background. Taxi driver and I didn't say a word, but nothing was needed to be said - we just enjoyed the journey. As I mentioned, I gave him Rs.50 because I liked him and departed his vehicle with my Namaste hands to my heart :-)

Then I had a quick dinner in the hotel next door (just to try something different) as I didn't want to venture out too far tonight, since I'm tired and had a long day. Plus I had to write all this info in the blog :-)

Tomorrow?? Not sure - only real thing left is the Jallianwala Bagh, which is the park that commemorates the Indians who were wounded or killed in 1919 when the British authorities ruthlessly opened fire on men, women, children and even babies who were participating in peaceful demonstration against the controversial Rowlatt Act of 1919 that gave British authorities full 'emergency' powers to impose without trial Indians suspected of sedition. So tragic and so severe was the massacre at Amritsar that it is widely credited to have sparked Gandhi's national program of civil disobedience. So that looks like a site to see before I leave. Other than that, not sure - will wait to see what the wind brings...

Namaste and Love from Amritsar, India :-)