Greetings once more from Amritsar, Punjab, India! Today was a pretty uneventful day - actually I would say the majority of the day was boring! LOL. I already did most of the sights and activities suggested by Lonely Planet yesterday. Only thing that really remained was to see Jallianwala Bagh and perhaps the Golden Temple at night, for which today I have done both...
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Jallianwala Bagh
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So this morning I decided to head over to one of the restaurants that Lonely Planet says serves Honey Muesli for breakfast (and I've been missing that, as the hotel I'm staying in doesn't have it on their menu). It ended up being mediocre at best - I actually saw the waiter go out to the street and 5 minutes later come back with pre bought Muesli mix, so it's almost as if they didn't even try to make it homemade, and I wasn't that impressed. I think tomorrow morning I will have the breakfast at the hotel once more - convenient and a little better...
The positive aspect of this was that I walked almost 1 block to the entrance of Jallianwala Bagh, the site of the so-dubbed Amritsar Massacre. For those that aren't familiar with this part of Indian history (specifically during the struggle for Independence from the British) check out this link:
Jallianwala Bagh
Basically, in 1919, there was a law passed called the Rowlatt Act that allowed British authorities to impose any kind of power they wanted over Indians who were suspected of sedition. Many strikes and protests ensued (eventually turning into violent riots. To restore order, the British sent Brigadier-General Dyer to get things under control. On 13 April 1919, a group of about 5,000 Indians were staging a non-violent, peaceful protest in Jallianwala Bah, an open space surrounded by very high walls and narrow passageways. The General arrived with about 150 armed troops and, without warning, opened fire, killing 400 people and seriously injuring 1,500 (maybe more). The crowd had no escape due to the geography of the enclosed square, and the act was considered one of the most savage ever enacted by the British - complete and total ruthless (and baseless) killing. I think it even helped to spawn Gandhi's nationalistic, civil-disobedience movement. The movie "Gandhi" from 1982 re-enacts the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in great detail, so it's worth a look if you've not seen the movie...
Anyway, here are pictures of the actual Jallianwala Bagh as it looks today, now convereted into a lovely, peaceful but mournful park:
Of course, no real visit would be complete for a white boy in India without having paparazzi asking to take a picture with me :-) hehe actually it's fun, and I stopped trying to rationalize WHY they would want a picture with some random person like me. This time I asked to also have a picture with them, and here it is:
Shortly thereafter, I had 2 other young men approach me and ask the typical questions - where are you from, how old are you, are you married, why are not married, etc. Turns out, though, these young men (brothers aged 18 and 15) had a hidden motive - after the niceties, they kept following me (almost to the bathroom) asking if I had seen one of the malls and if I was interested in going.... Crap... I was enjoying just having the conversation, not with a motive behind it... Oh well, buzz off then! LOL Such is India, yeah? :-D
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Coffee Shops & Bordem
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Afterwards, I decided I needed to get some internet connection to check up on a few things (cuz remember I have NO Internet at the hotel), so I went to the Cafe Coffee Day shop (a chain just like Starbucks only they're all over India, I had it in Rishikesh as well). The one in Rishikesh had Wifi, but guess what - no Wifi for the Amritsar branch! Well, at least they have a really good Mango shake that I like (made with ice cream even!). So I chose to hit up the traditional Internet Cafe - Lonely Planet said there was one very close to the Golden Temple, and sure enough I found it. It's hidden above another restaurant and a little tricky to find, but once you're there it's easy. I will likely have to go there again for publishing this post...
Then, I came back home and was B-O-R-E-D. I think I have done most of what I wanted to do in Amritsar - what else is there to do now? I stayed in the room for about 2 hours and just watched TV and vegged out. Then I decided to get up and go out, this time to yet another coffee shop (Lavazza Barista I think) to see if they had Wifi. Nope. Ok fine, I get it - I need to limit my internet access, I'm on it too much anyway :-)
Then I came back again, rested again, and then went out to dinner. The dinner was pretty underwhelming, I have to say, at this one restaurant I went to. They give you a full menu with a lot of good stuff, but only 1/2 the menu is available before 7pm (when "dinner" starts, and it was 6pm at the time). So I had to settle for Chinese Noodles...
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Golden Temple at Night
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After dinner, I headed back to the hotel to drop off my bag and then back out to the Golden Temple to see how it is at night. I have to say, it looks spectacular at night - a whole different feel. Check out the pictures:
In addition I had a group of young men come up to me and ask the normal questions. But this time I found it easy to converse, especially with one of them, his English is really good. I got the feeling he wants to come to America someday and wants to perfect his English through practice (authentically perfect, no motive behind it). He even mentioned that my English is so fluent and easy sounding where he has to work at it a lot. I sympathized, as it would be that way for any person learning a non-native language. We talked for like 20 minutes right on the edge of the water, and then they left, not even asking for a picture. I laughed and said I would turn the tables, and this time ask THEM for a picture with me!! Here it is:
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Preparing to Leave
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So that's about it - tonight as I write this blog entry I am preparing my stuff for departure tomorrow night. I first fly to Delhi, and I will likely meet up with Arjun again since I have such a long layover. Then, at 3am, I fly back west towards Europe and later back into the US. I am anxious and sad at the same time - this trip has been amazing and life changing, I have seen so much, I have met so many people, I have pushed my own perceptions and limitations about what I can do. That's one of the biggest things I am proud of. In fact, most Indians, when they ask me if I am traveling alone, are surprised to hear that I am (I don't entirely know why, it must be more common, I thought it was). So I am overall pleased with everything and how it has turned out thus far...
Not sure when I'll be able to post in the blog again after this, as I will be in travel mode, and before you know it I will be home...
So for now, as always, Namaste and Love from India :-)
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