Golden Temple (Amritsar)
After our driving experience yesterday, we were more than happy to find out we would be walking around Amritsar today. We headed out on foot, stopping at a few smaller temples along the way. They are very religious here so there are many temples. John didn’t have anything to conver his head too so he ended up getting this bandana that makes him look like a pirate… I’m going to have to post those pictures too.
I wish I wasn’t so ignorant about Hinduism because it was a little awkward entering these temples not knowing if we were wearing or doing something disrespectful. We did whatever Prakesh told us to do… take off our shoes, wash our feet, give and offering, etc. But it felt really awkward. When we finally got to the Golden Temple, Prakesh took us in the wrong way so we basically butt in front of hundreds of people lining up to go inside to pray… oops. Inside, people crowded around the center to receive an orange cloth… I’m not too sure of the meaning of it but it seemed very important. I didn’t want to push my way to the front so we gave our offering and squeezed our way out of the temple. The Golden Temple is very beautiful… but I find it amazing how such a loud and busy culture believes so strongly in meditation…. it seems funny how they can achieve inner peace when it is impossible to find any outer peace.
On the way out of the temple gates, we stopped for lunch at a kind of community kitchen. Basically, it’s a bit like a soup kitchen in Canada… we were given a tin tray, a cup, and a spoon. We then went into a large hall where everyone sat crossed-legged on the ground in rows…. then we waited…. and the food came out. The food was served by people carrying buckets and a ladel… and they literally came around and schlopped whatever they had in the buckets onto your tin plate… then people with bread (roti) came around and threw bread into your hands… and then another guy with a bucket would come with something else… it was quite the experience… I’ll admit though… the only thing going through my head was whether I’d be sitting on the porcelain throne all night. However, the food turned out quite good and John and I still haven’t had to whip out any immodium (knock on wood).
After, we weaved our way through some back streets and through a park where many innocent people were shot and killed… it is now a monument of peace.
India has almost been like an oxy moron… it’s packed with loud, busy people, yet there’s a kind of quiet tranquility about a lot of it. Anyway, we finally made it back to the hotel after I narrowly missed getting hit by a bus… hehe. oops. I haven’t quite mastered weaving my way through India traffic yet. As long as I make it outta here alive, I guess!
Sooo, we returned to the hotel in one piece… and apparently our driver really likes his whiskey so he asked if we wanted to go drink with him…. John took one for the team and went for a beer with him. Apparently Prakesh downed a mickey of Whiskey in the time John drank his beer……. I just hope he’s sober when he’s driving! It’s hard to tell with all the swirving….
Next stop, Pushkar and Jaipur……
Tags: India
cheng.ev
February 4th, 2007 at 8:12 am
Hahaaaaaaa! Cant wait to see the photos!. Especially….., especially the ones for the “”PIRATE-Looking”” guy, John himself.
Have fun guys.