Back to "real" India

After the cool, rainy days in McLeod Ganj, it was a shock to be thrown back into the sauna that is the rest of India. Had a terrible bus trip to Pathankot...it was only three hours long, but was much more of an ordeal than the ten-hour ride from Shimla to Dharamsala, probably because the bus driver was a bit heavy-handed with his horn! Just imagine the constant blaring of the horn for 180 minutes! He didn't like anyone in front of him, so he would lean on the horn until the rickshaw/horse cart/car/truck got out of his way. Also, any person, animal or vehicle that happened to be on the road, got ample warning with more blasts of his horn. I was ready to thorw him out the window! So much for the inner peace I achieved in Dharamsala! With shattered nerves (and eardrums), I arrived in Pathankot, where I took the train to Amritsar.

Unfortunately I just missed the train by a few minutes, so I had to wait for a couple of hours. I felt a bit uncomfortable as everyone was staring at me (being the only non-Indian face there) and there were a lot of army people as well, this being very close to the India/Pakistan border. So, I sat in the "Ladies-waiting-room" (a brilliant idea!) and chatted with this lovely young college student from Varansai. She had just been to Jammu (in Kashmir) and gave me a bracelet for good luck, saying that she could never forget me! What a sweetheart. I wish I had brought photos to show people...they seem very interested in my family, Canada, and Japan.

The train ride was slow and hellish, and very uncomfortable. Again, I was the only non-Indian there, and so I was stared at a lot...every move I made was closely watched, and I felt self-conscious even taking a sip of water! Now I know how you non-Asian people felt in Japan! Unlike the Tibetans, they weren't friendly stares either, not a smile to be seen. Amritsar is a busy, noisy, hot city. Glad I'm leaving tomorrow (although it will be to Delhi, which is even MORE busy, noisy and hot!)

Today, I went to the Golden Temple, the most holy site for Sikhs. Lots of men in turbans of course...felt like I was back in Vancouver! ;) There are several temples actually, and the most famous one is the one gilded in gold, in the middle of a shimmering artificial lake. Really beautiful. The lake is considered to be holy, so lots of men were stripping to their boxers (or even to their birthday suits!) and bathing themselves. Inside the Golden Temple there were lots of people reading, praying, or just listening to the music and incantations.

The Sikh religion is quite interesting. I quite like how they accept everyone, regardless of creed, colour or caste. There is a huge dining hall where all the pilgrims sit and eat dahl and chapati together, for free. Anyone and everyone is welcome. You just line up and get your thali (a metal tray), and find a seat next to hundreds of others. Lots of people were very helpful, showing me how to make an offering, when to wash my feet and hands, offering me water. One gentleman showed me a few temples and explained his religion, spending a good hour with me. ( I think he really wanted me to convert though...he was telling me if I marry a Sikh man, I can change religions). Lots of people said hello and asked where I was from - everyone said Canada was a "great country", probably because there are so many Sikhs living there! And once people saw that I had a digital camera, they all wanted to have their pictures taken, so they could see themselves on the screen!

So ends my solo trip through India...meeting Aggie tomorrow in Delhi. I hadn't travelled by myself for a while now, and now I remember how much I love it. It is a totally different experience - things just feel so much more intense. Of course there are safety concerns too, especially being female, but all in all I quite meeting all sorts of people on the way and the freedom of travelling alone. Course, I'm sure Aggie and I will get up to all kinds of trouble together...;)