Blogs from Punjab, India, Asia

Having grown up in a city which till many years ago was remembered as the city for the tired and the retired, the city has come a long way since then and is bustling with activity till the wee hours. A small city with a very complex bureaucratic setup, the city does not comprise of a lot of attractions other than a lake and the rock garden made from waste material ( a definite tourist attraction), but the very design of the city, its gardens, lush greenery all in the backdrop of the mountains makes it a very different city from the rest of the country. Chandigarh, a very difficult name to pronounce for people not from the region, is cosmopolitan in nature. The night life in the city is strictly restricted to just pubs and ... read more

Monday 9 April 2012. We were collected at 9.00 am by our driver for the journey back down to the plains. In some respects the car journey down was more interesting than the Toy Train ride up as we were able to see the daily life of the people living on the mountanins. There were children going to school in their smart, clean uniforms, stalls selling vegetables, Holy Cows again (there weren't any in Shimla). We stopped for a comfort break after about 2 hours at a really nice clean place. Two more hours later and we were on the motorway heading towards Chandigarh. Chandigarh is the state capital of both Punjab and Haryana, but part of neither. It is a Union Territory administered by the federal government. This slightly strange situation came about after Partition ... read more

I have been to numerous religious pilgrimage sites in my life; I have stood in awe under the frescoed domes of St Peter’s Basilica together with seeing the supposed places of Jesus’ birth and death. I’ve placed my hands upon the ‘Wailing Wall’ in Jerusalem and gazed upon the golden ‘Dome of the Rock’ within, sacred places to both Jews and Muslims. Lumbini, birth place of the Buddha Siddhartha Gautama in Nepal is next on the list! However, in each of these places, I cannot recall a friendlier, warmer welcome than that which we received at Amritsar’s Golden Temple. India has quite the tumultuous history, in particular as it relates to its north western territories. Years of bloodshed, suppression and prejudice led of course to the creation of Pakistan, a land formed by the Indian states ... read more

We flew into Amritsar and had an expensive taxi ride £10 to our hotel The Akaal Residency, which was small but very friendly and very convenient for the sights. The roads are small like Jodhpur but in better condition and are cleaned each night. Traffic was normal Indian chaos where nobody ever gives way to anybody else resulting in blocked traffic at many junctions. If only they could see that it is quicker to let someone through rather than block him so that nobody gets through. Soon we were on our way to see the sight we had mainly come for ‘The Golden Temple’, which is the centre for the Sikh religion. First we had to remove shoes and socks and cover our head, then bathe our feet. They even produced scarves on loan and had ... read more

So now that the group had disbanded. Leaving me to deal with Ciaran single handedly (poor guy). We headed out for dinner and beer and then for some internetting. Ready to leave for the train station at 9pm so to be early and not miss the train. 9 pm came I made a quick dash to the loo, train toilets arent the best. Came back Ciarans gone. 'But where?' I ask the man. Back to the internet, I stomp off down the road, it's now 9.05 and i dont like being late!! Ciaran is trying to skype his dad, no answer on skype, try again, still no answer. I march off to get both our bags and to nudge him to hurry the f*ck up. 9.15 no answer. So Ciaran rings his mobile he's not even ... read more

Our stay in Amritsar has been short, but we have been very busy. The first morning we crossed the street to the Golden Temple - we couldn't be any closer. Since we are so close, my four travel companions and I have spend a lot of time there, walking around, meditating, etc. We visited the Sikh Museum that shows this history of the ten Gurus, right up the present day Sikh leaders. The spirituality here is so strong, you can feel it as soon as you step on the grounds and are asked to leave your shoes at the gate. You wash your feet before entering the sacred area around the temple. They feed many people on the temple grounds free of charge. You can stay as long as you want and you are only expected ... read more

Pronounced slightly different here, like the Americans say Carrib-ean. Quite like this idea of my own pivate driver/gofer to get around, the edge has certainly been taken of the romantic view of train travel. You better make sure your bum is on the seat an hour before you leave, coz even with a reservation you are likely to be challenged, I've see some seats change hands (or is that bums) four times before the train pulls out. On sleepers the rules are the bottom bunk shares a seat with the two other sleepers above during the day, but they plead ignorance to this and you are orced to lie on your bunk. My new driver to Kalka is Parween, not so talkative, but that's fine as I'm doped up with paracetamol and just want to sleep. ... read more