Artistic Amritsar

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So we depart on time about 6.15 am from the hotel to find that we arrive at the train station in five mins we walk across the car park and into through the metal detector...security just sit there and we wait for about 40min and our train arrives we hope on and find our seats....a little frustrated that if we had known it was so close we could have walked down the road and around the corner would have taken 10 mins and we could have slept in until 6.30 and still been there in time oh well you live and learn don't you! Seems to be a trend starting here in India of this though!
The train is fine the same as the last one but we get food, coffee and water as we are in first class aircon hehe not really first class but Mike tells me there is a European toilet as that's what it says on the door...score....it is and its not nice but its not disgusting either so happy days!

We go along the tracks and there is a platform for about 20 mins I guess it was easier to build one long one than a whole lot of little ones or something...when we pass that point we see a lot of haze/pollution in the air and main slums by the tracks....this country is unbelievable with its diversity its such an amazingly pretty buildings and the landscape we see along the way with amazing fields of crops is crazy the only thing is you can't see them well through the pollution and also with the rubbish and slums in front...the tracks also are very dirty as all waste in the toilets goes straight out on to the tracks...yuck! Our train trip went pretty fast and when we arrived at station we got off the very steep steps with packs and walk through the mayhem of the groups of people and we get to the foyer and get a heap of people offering us a ride...we end up getting this guy that said 30 (75c) to get to the hotel and when we got to his rickshaw we were like you are going to cycle with us and our packs man....where do we put our packs...poor man we ended up turning him down and getting an auto instead....this guy had to take us through the back alleys...that you can fit an auto down and maybe a metre on either side...however a lot of the time there is a bike parked on either side with a bike coming the other way at one stage there was a bicycle-rickshaw coming the other way and we had to maneuver our way through....we were hard against the wall on Mikes side the wheel of the two rickshaws were touching I don't know how the driver made it through but he did!!

Got to the hotel and they are not the friendliest bunch (not that any hotel staff have been here in India) but the rooms fine its clean...straight across from the entrance to the beautiful golden temple...we dump our bags check the messages and get ready to go...really need to invent a word for dinner and lunch that people will know...from now on I will call it lunner! We head upstairs quickly to check the view of the temple wow this has to be one of the if not the best view of this temple in amritsar...then head to a place that the hotel recommends and have linner as by this stage its about 4pm and at 7pm we decide we don't want anything much so we head up the road and have some ice cream....mmmm real icecream too it was lovely!! I had some chocolate cake as well...not great but it worked!
Got some amazing photos of the temple tonight did some long exposures they came up great 😊 Even ended up with some bokeh not sure how that happened naturally but as you will see the lights are all little stars!! Wicked!!

In the morning we head out to get some breakfast and found a hotel that does breakfast and order and met a couple there that are from the UK they seem really lovely...she is feeling a bit under the weather and after chatting she says she feels better and a bit more like she can face the day...we said we will be at virsa for dinner at 7 if they want to meet us....we soon head off to the supermarket but take a wrong turn end up walking and walking and looking at shops it was great and lovely we really enjoyed it until we couldn't find the shop so we grabbed a bicycle-rickshaw and headed that way grabbed some supplies and went back to the hotel...we decided to go see if we can find hotel indus and have a look at there luxury rooms but on the way there we stopped and looked at a shop that makes indian outfits they have some nice stuff and the price seems good 400-600 for and outfit ($10-15) so I take note about where it is as she says it will be ready same time the next day from when you go there for picking and fitting! We walked almost the whole way round the temple and we finally found it and went in but they had no luxury temple view rooms available we went next door but the view isn't very good! When we get back to the hotel we ask if we stay an extra two nights how much for a executive here and end upgrading and have the best view from our window 😊 Yay the service might not be amazing but the hotel is clean, great location, view so really I don't think we can ask for anything more! After we move rooms we head down to see the lady in the shop and see if I can find something I like and they go through about 7-10 different fabric options when they pull out a ruby red and teal option....hooray we have a winner...she measures me up and we pay a deposit and she says same time tomorrow....I hope she allows enough room for my booty hehe

We head back to the hotel and Mike has a sleep he had a seizure last night in his sleep so he needs a bit more sleep today part of the reason we have decided to stay and extra night! Sleep is always a big requirement when he has a seizure so I am writing up my blog and watching some random movie (I'm Reed Fish) while he sleeps. We head down the road for dinner but the UK couple didn't make it not sure why but it hey its all good we have dinner as we were going to anyway and then on the way back go for a wander around the surrounding park of the temple...we met a man that's really friendly he sits down by the dancing fountain and talks to Mike and explains the Sikh's have five different things that place them in the hierarchy (he didn't use hierarchy but I think this is the easiest word) clothes, turban, beard, one sword or two swords.
The Sikh that has all of this is the highest respected and it would have been be traditionally in the family!
The two swords.....
first sword- is for protection of the people
second sword- is for protection of the temple
all very interesting!!

Today we went to get travelers cheques changed hoping that the time consuming exercise would be a bit quicker than in Chennai...however it appears that this process is just super slow in India...never mind an hour or so later we got out of there and went and got some lunch at our favorite....I ordered cheese stuffed potato done in the tandoor....mmmm its so good it was little potato skins with cottage cheese, peas and maybe chickpeas chopped up small with chilli to boot...it was so good Mike had to help me eat it all ;o
We went for a walk through the alleys over the other side of the temple where I guess tourists don't go much and maybe they don't go out and see many...we got a lot of looks, hand shakes and hello's....kids love to shake your hand when they are told by there parents its okay...the alleys are colourful in places and dark and old in other areas....there's printers using the oldest machines like ones we have in museums hehe people sewing on the roadside and others in little dark shops and again these sewing machines are soooo old I can't believe they can keep them going! There's all sorts down here a bakery, sweet shops, toy shops its funny walking through here its almost peaceful except for the bikes we strike an interesting shop....its about three meters wide and maybe 10 long there is a large group of men in there and proudly they stand for a photo...its a sanitary ware store they have fittings on the walls toilets and basins sitting on the walls. . we head over and get my outfit that fits so that's good I haven't worked out how the scarf goes yet but I am sure I will get it eventually....soon after I slip it on there is about four people out the front having a look (tailors friends we think) the tailors daughter is soooo cute but she is really shy and hides from me...when I go to look in the mirror she climbs over the table to get away from me first time I have scared off a little girl....so we head over to the temple to have a look inside I am dressed the part....we walk down stairs and leave our shoes with a token in return armed with my camera off we go up the steps through the water to clean your feet and into the temple...we walk around slowly and Mike gets an offering while I take some photo's....when we head in towards the temple I am warned to not take photos inside...while waiting with the crowd to get into the temple we notice how quiet it is heaps of people and its quiet lovely and peaceful when we make our way inside there is a big t.v camera videoing we walk through appreciating the music the people the place its very grand! we went upstairs and had a look this place is very cool! We went down and out of the temple after taking in all we can surrounded by people praying and kissing the floor, walls and pillars. We wander around inside the complex that surrounds the temple its sunset and the sikhs are bathing in the water...I know that taking photos of them bathing is a no no so I hold back and just take photos where there is no chance of one popping up in the photo! When we head back to the hotel they say they have seen us live in the temple they show the procession in the evening live on t.v in Amirtsar every night hence the camera!
We went to get dinner on the way there I stopped to get a photo of a man and his shop and he very proudly got up and turned on his sign for me...it was a fabric store where they make to measure outfits soooo many of these around so we eventually ended up at a different place for dinner which was crap...bland food....we asked about meat and find out that 3k surrounding the temple is a dry area this is meat, ciggie's,chewing tabacco and anything mind altering eg alcohol and drugs! Head up the road for ice cream before home to relax and sleep!
Today we head out to get some meat on the outskirts of the temple barrier and end up at a new mall called celebrations on recommendation of hotel manager....there is about 4 shops open and a couple of food places including Macca's we give it a miss and head to the place that we were told about yesterday and have lunch the food is tasty the price is high and the service is average compared to out fav down the road but they do have meat....I end up with spaghetti and meatballs one of there international specials and Mike has some mutton curry we both left happy with full tummies and we go off to another mall called Alpha this too is very new and there is only a few stores open but its nice to be in aircon and away from the steering for a bit...we head to the hyper store and have a look around and buy a couple of little cushions as we are both struggling with sore necks from sleeping on trains, buses and planes and we know we have more of that to come! We also buy some food and essentials we come out with three big shopping bags and we even got a loaf of fresh bread some cheese slices and chips for lunch on the train tomorrow and some snacks all for $20au we were pretty happy that's what we would have paid for the cushions hehe. Breakfast is pretty much a miss....there is no hit involved so far in India we don't even wait in hope we just brought cereal and ask for Milk one glass each is good (you can buy toast at the supermarket thats already toasted and packaged....yucky!!) This evening we went to our fav place to have dinner then head back to the hotel in search of a hotel for Agra we have received an email earlier that the place we wanted is booked out took them two days to get back to us so we search and search and then before we knew it its 9.30 and we head to the temple for the closing.

Each night the temple is closed at 9.30 its just the golden part that is closed basically what happens is a group of sikh's go and get the flag that is up on top of the temple and bring it down then they walk around the whole walkway surrounding the pool of nectar (the water surrounding the temple as you walk around here you often see the sihk in the there bathing) once they have done one full lap they head back into the temple and that is when it is closed...however there is more to it at 10pm they move the the holy scripture this is a really big deal and means a lot to the Sikh...they get this amazing looking structure ready that has to be put together and flowers are strung onto it the whole time a lot of singing and chanting they then carry this structure into the golden temple and get the holy scripture and put it on the structure and bring it back out and up to the main mosque for it to rest for the night! After wards everyone head upstairs into the mosque and I went up and ended up face to face with the head priest without even knowing it; one of the men came and told me after wards...funny thing is he looks very under dressed you wouldn't know that he was any different to the other working sikh's from the temple and I must say there is many Sikhs that appear more groomed and interesting than he does I know that may sound awful however we are all allowed our opinion! Overall we discovered a few things tonight one you shouldn't sitting facing with you back to the temple, should sit with your feet pointing to the temple and don't hang your legs over the edge of the wall when sitting facing the temple....oh yeah and kids can spot me a mile away even with my shawl on in the dark go figure!
We leave to sort out a hotel online and pack up for our early leaving tomorrow. Didn't get many photos of Sikhs while I was here in the end but I did enjoy looking at them as we were walking around....many look very similar and the ones that are different seem to be on a mission somewhere and camera is away in my bag for safety as India has been warning us to be careful of our stuff!

5am see us up and getting ready to leave its dark and our driver appears to be asleep outside when we walk out the hotel staff wake him and we throw our bags in and off we go, we arrive at the train station well early but the train is there and ready so we get on we look at the seats and think wow there was a reason we paid more for the other train! Mike even check the tickets twice in case we had it wrong...the tray table on the seat in front doesn't fold up the seat in front is stuck back as its broken and all in all just nowhere near as clean as the other but hey it will do,...only eight hours to Delhi and the golden temple and food in amritsar was soooo worth it!! Eventually arrived in Delhi after I slept most of the trip with my earplugs in hoody over my head, jumper laid over the top of me and bandana tied around my eyes happy days! Eventually we arrived in Delhi only about 45mins late not too bad I guess and before we can even get off the train there is people getting on and they can see you have a big pack but still they come through with there suitcases, boxes and everything else....its like where do you want me to go....I actually made a point of saying to the lady the continued to push her stuff up the steps where I was about to get out...can't you let me off first so then you don't have to try get around me....after she was up on the train she said sorry when she realised I was right and if she had waited just 5 seconds I would have been out of her way and she would have had a straight walk onto the train!

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