Amritsar...where we got really ill....

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Well...we took our first overnight train ride in India to get to Amritsar, pretty exciting, we'd bagged a 3A/c (six bed compartment) complete with sheets, rugs and pillows. We were sharing with an American couple and two Indian guys, after a bit if chat, it was beds down, lights out, sleeping all the way to our destination. I had a good sleep, pretty comfy, although it's a bit of a shock when your woken at your destination and have to haul yourself and luggage of the train...bleary eyed and confused...before it departs for the next station!!

Aaron felt ill as soon as he lept off his bunk...perhaps a mix of motion sickness and the shock of being woken out of his sleep amongst all the commotion. The fact that he boaked three times en route to the guesthouse suggested otherwise. So i tried my best to play nurse, fetching water and bananas to hydrate and keep his energy up, doing the wet towel thing to keep him cool....until i was struck down too. The next day we were as bad a eachother...vomiting, really frequent trips to the bathroom and generally feeling awful....it became clear that we had both developed a severe case of the dreaded 'Delhi Belly'...Oh misery. So we upgraded to a semi-nice hotel with A/c and tv to help us recover...After a few miserable days...which i'd like to thank Star Movies and the Discovery Channel for seeing us though, we got a bit of strength together to visit the sights of Amristar...

-We wandered around the Golden Temple around sunset, which is really beautiful, amidst stares of many Indians also visiting there...staring is something we're getting used to, in fact we're starting to stare back, which seems to be working ok, sometimes you get giggles, and sometimes you get a bit of conversation going!!

-We shared a taxi with two Czech girls to see India/Pakistan closing border ceremony, which lots of Indians and tourists go to see each evening. The highly organised and security conscious event has a surprisingly great atmosphere, lots of singing and dancing, to what must be the top ten hits in India right now, before the ceremony begins. The ceremony itself involves lots of fast marching, feet stamping and high kicks as the guards march up and down in front of the audience while the crowds shout 'Hindustan Zindabad' (long live Hindustan). The Pakistanis do a similar thing on their side, kind of like a competition to see who can shout the loudest, they both meet at the gates dividing them to scowl and make angry faces at eachother. Then the gates are flung open, they shake hands and each lower their flags slowly and at the same level,as a mark of harmony and respect and that marks the borders closed after which everyone goes home...

The Czech girls were moving north to Mcleod Ganj the next day, where we also wanted to go to, they were doing it in style...an a/c car which took less time than the usual 7 hour bus journey. It was expensive, but we were still ill and agreed to join them and share the costs the next day....

Pics to follow.........

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Comments

[Shelley]

oh no! I sent my last comment before you posted this one, obviously the delhi belly gets worse before it gets better :( Fingers crossed your body adjusts soon x