Blogs from Amritsar, Punjab, India, Asia - page 5

Amritsar 18. und 19. Juni Die Busfahrt am fruehen Morgen ohne Schlaf und noch angetrunken im Local Bus ist alles andere als lustig. Der Bus ist halt ganz normal unbequem mit minimaler Beinfreiheit, vollgestopft mit Indern und mit schlechter, staubiger Luft die von aussen reinkommt. Eigentlich ja nicht so schlimm aber wir sind eben nicht sehr fit. Irgendwann kommen wir dann in Amritsar an und uns empfaengt direkt wieder alles was in Indien haesslich ist. Leute stuermen auf uns ein und draengen uns irgendeinen Scheiss auf. Der Rikshafahrer faehrt uns nicht wirklich da hin wo wir hin wollen. Es ist extrem heiss, dreckig und laut. Da wir gesagt bekommen haben, dass wir im Goldenen Sikhtempel (die Hauptattraktion in Amritsar) umsonst Unterkunft bekommen gehen wir da hin. Das finden wir so nicht so richtig vor und insgesamt ... read more

Geo: 31.6331, 74.8656I arrived after a 36 hour journey all the way from Kathmandu, firstly I got the 18 hour overnight bus that would take me from Kathmandu to Mahendranagar at the west border with India. From here I got a local bus to the border and checked in with Nepal Immigration for my leaving stamp, then I walked a good 2km along a sandy road and up to the Indian Immigration were I was allowed to enter, after the paperwork was finished again I walked, maybe another km over a couple of bridges and into India. I threw my luggage on a rickshaw to take me into Banbasa for the Haridwar bus which thankfully arrived soon after, and I was now on a 10 hour local bus which would get me in early evening.It's just ... 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

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