Rob and Anna's travel adventure

After a night at the Bangkok international airport (we knew the city would be flooded when we arrive), a change to another flight to Delhi, India (part of the plan), and an early a.m. departure by train from an over-crowded New Delhi station, we finally were on the way to Amritsar.  I've always been drawn to explore this city primarily because of it's photogenic Golden Temple.  On our previous 4-month journey in India, we had saved Himachal Pradesh for the next trip, so the time has come.  Amritsar is located in the Northwestern India bordering Pakistan, and is known for all-inclusive nature of it's grand Golden Temple.  Basically, it means that all are welcome to explore.  For us, Golden Temple is fascinating from the cultural and social point of view, and needless to say, the architecture is simply stunning.  I must admit however, that it is the people that make the landmark worthwhile exploring.  India is probably the most intriguing country for the photographers as well as people-watchers.  The images, colours, smells and sounds make the country incredibly unique.  Golden Temple is not an exception, and serves a reflection of the cultural roots and religious believes.  Many pilgrims come down here from all corners of the country and all walks of life to come and experience the sacredness of the place.  Many people choose to sleep on the temple grounds (which is almost the size of a small town) under the stars, as well as use the free meals that are cooked almost 24 hours by the temple volunteers.  We were cordially invited to join the pilgrims for simple thali lunch served right on the floor on the banana leaves.  We had done that many times before, and knew what to expect.  The meal consisted of freshly cooked rice, chapati, dahl, stewed vegetables, chutney, crispy papadam and a sweet rice pudding. We were sharing the meal with pilgrims, as always being the only foreigners in the sea of sari's and lunga's. 

I also should mention that on the way to the temple I slipped on a step (still being jet-lagged and adjusting back to a developing world's uneven steps and sticking out wires), and horribly injured my left foot.  It hurt to walk, so I had to stumble quite a bit on my bare feet (as I would come to find out "my out of commission foot" will give me trouble for the next two months).  Some pilgrims gave me a lot of respectful looks, probably thinking that even an injured foreigner is highly motivated to touch the "sacred stones" of the temple.  I usually let people hold on to their stories and interpretations, and try to respectfully respond to their statements and believes.  What was difficult however, was the fact that I had to keep moving despite of the foot pain.  Every time we would sit down under the temple arches to take a break, we would be surrounded by crowds of curious locals trying to chat with us, shake our hand, tell us stories, photograph with us, etc. - basically the usual for India and to be expected celebrity-like stalking.  There is no way around it.  You just have to get used to it.  We would be "stalked" by several groups of followers, which can be entertaining at first, and very exhausting later.  Besides, the "attraction" to foreigners was also upsetting to temple guards, who occasionally would chase locals away from us (thank you!), reminding them that they were there for the sacred temple, not the two westerners. 

We stayed at the temple through the sunset, and walked back for about 2K to our place.  The town of Amritsar (outside the Golden Temple) is outrageously over-crowded and polluted, crossing the streets was basically running around and between never ceasing traffic.  On a plus side, having to stop frequently to re-group on street corners gave us a chance to buy some local fruits.  The food stalls, on the other hand, that we are so used to from our previous travels in India, were surprisingly hard to find.  We tracked down them eventually, but for India the selection was limited and disappointing.  We decided to leave the beautiful Golden temple and the town of sewage a few days later, and walked in early a.m. to a local bus depot.  On the way, a fire started a few doors down from our hotel caused by arching electric wires followed by a frantic evacuation.  Business as usual, we thought, India has not changed a bit in that sense...  
The Tibetan influence in McLeod Ganj was apparent - women dressed up in traditional clothing selling local breads and woolen clothing, soft-spoken and gentle, they bring a definite sense of tranquility to the village.  In many ways, it didn't feel like being in India... 

Our room (about $5 a night, with a cold-water shower outside), had stunning views over the mountains - we could watch gorgeous sunsets right from our window or a large balcony outside, and fresh mountain air was a welcome anti-dot to the dusty Amritsar.  We wandered upon an excellent Punjabi restaurant, which not only came with a delicious cheap food, but also had excellent vista views.  We ate almost all meals there, and made an acquaintance with a local nice guy named Raj, who later on invited us to his wedding. 

Despite of the cold climate there, the town is over-run by mischievous macaques, who would use any opportunity to find an easy meal by climbing balconies and roofs, and setting up local dogs in night-long barks and howls.  We are used to be neighbours with monkeys by now, except it is the first time to see them climbing the pine trees v.s. the usual tropical woods.  I remember a few years ago, traveling in Varanasi, I was startled by a monkey staring (who knows for how long) at me straight through the window while I was taking a shower...  The macaques can be entertaining and annoying at the same time, but nobody could deny their unbelievable adaptation and survival in the rapidly developing human world.  


Palampur, a near-by town, was quite the opposite though.  Friendly locals, lots of smiles, and familiar degree of hospitality.  Once walking along the central street (basically avoiding pot-holes, sticking out wires, and uneven steps), we heard the music coming from around the fenced area.  We looked over and realized that was an elementary school party.  Just a few seconds later, we were enthusiastically motioned in, and as soon as we entered the school premises, we were cordially invited to join the dance party with the students and teachers.  We danced a long time with smiling kids who kept holding hands with us so we could change dance partner groups and share the attention with all.  The music ranged from a traditional Indian to Bollywood to the Western pop (in an Indian style).  We had a really nice time, were introduced to most of the instructors and parents, and at the end of the party were even invited to the school principal office to join tea and dessert with him and his colleagues.  We chatted about various issues, had a few laughs, and felt very welcome.  This is why we love India and keep returning here - we, absolutely complete strangers, are treated in a such genuine hospitable way; it is the sincere human connection that breaks the borders and gives us hope.  I also should mention that a few days later, we bumped into one of the parents from the party who helped us greatly with directions to the right place to catch an inter-city bus (otherwise, without the local knowledge it would have been a real chaos to find the right bus going the right place).  After Palampur we were heading for non-touristy Mandi.  It should have taken only about five hours on the crazy Indian roads and pin-curved mountain highways.  As we came to find out though a couple of hours into a trip, our bus ended up with a flat tire, which was repaired by a young mechanic in flip flops with a questionable supply of tools in what it seemed the middle-of-nowhere.  One thing in India to remember - there is always someone somewhere somehow available to help you out...