NOVEMBER 14: DHARAMSHALA / AMRITSAR (BY COACH, 205 KM, 5-HOUR DRIVE)

Breakfast at the hotel.

“Departure for Amritsar, the city founded in 1577 by the fourth Sikh guru, Guru Ram Das, home to the spectacular Golden Temple, the holiest shrine in Sikhism, and one of the most serene and humble places in India. We visited the fantastic and frenetic bazaars of Amritsar’s old town, which offer a sensory overload of sights, sounds, and smells.”

When we left Dharamshala for Amritsar, we went on a big tour bus. We rode all day, but we had a great time during our journey to Amritsar! I generally felt a bit better on this day, but unfortunately, that would change when we arrived in Amritsar and the following day.

Our departure was early in the morning so that we could arrive in Amritsar by late afternoon at the latest. I don’t remember who I sat next to, but I think it was next to my good Peruvian friend, Giuli. She has a restaurant in Cusco! I will have to go there next time I visit Peru.

Lunch.

We were in the state of Punjab by this point. We stopped at a small plaza with a Starbucks. At this Starbucks, I remember seeing some Sikh men sitting outside. This moment is a highlight of the trip. Before we left, someone started to play music. The music they usually play at the ho’oponopono seminars. Suddenly, we were all dancing inside and outside the Starbucks. I remember one of the ladies even got one of the Sikh men to dance, and the rest followed! We danced all the way back to the party bus, I mean the tour bus.

“We will attend the Palki Ceremony at sunset at the Golden Temple. Accompanied by drums and hymns, a palanquin (palki) gilded in gold and silver, decorated with silk brocade, is prepared by devotees to carry the Guru Granth Sahib (the Holy Book) from the main shrine in Hari Mandir to Darshani Deorhi (the door leading to the inner sanctum). Each evening, devotees and visitors participate in the ceremony, each offering at least a few seconds to assist in carrying the palanquin. The Holy Book rests for a few hours in the inner chambers until the start of the Palki Sahib ceremony, which is held early in the morning to carry the Guru Granth Sahib from the Akal Takht (“inner chamber”) to the main shrine in Hari Mandir.”

Arrival

We made it just in time to settle in at the hotel and get ready to visit the Golden Temple! We would once again ride in some of the Rickshaws we familiarized ourselves with on one of the days we were in Delhi. Pune was the only other city where we used the Rickshaws. Varanasi was too packed to get around in Rickshaws. I will discuss this when we get to Varanasi. I recall that at the hotel, we saw some British people. These were the only British people I remember seeing during the trip. Many of the other people we saw on this trip were fellow Indians traveling around their homeland. Oh, what am I saying? You see, India is so big that even the Indian people have to take the time to visit all there is in their country!

Before we left to visit the Golden Temple, I remember going to the mall next to the hotel. This mall was quite similar to the one my mom and I stayed at on our first day in Delhi. The malls in India were huge! This mall, too, felt very Americanized. Here, I bought the book “Ikigai” and read it when I got back home. I think I bought it for 500 rupees.

When we left to visit the Golden Temple, some of us walked over, and I think a few took rickshaws. There just weren’t enough Rickshaws for everyone. I do remember riding in one the next day with Kevin, Mayk, and Mabel, though.

We could see the Golden Temple all lit up from a distance as we approached it while walking towards it. We passed a large monument on the way there. This statue had the faces and pictures of many men.

As we approached the Golden Temple, a calmness and reverence prevailed. I put my orange headwrap around my head. The pictures really do tell the story better than I could write it. In this moment, pictures are truly worth a thousand words. To me, the Golden Temple was a thousand times better than the Taj Mahal. It is truly a glorious and wonderful place to be.

Dinner and overnight stay at the Hyatt Regency Amritsar.

NOVEMBER 15: AMRITSAR

Breakfast at the hotel.

In the morning, we returned to the Golden Temple to see it in a different light and experience various morning activities surrounding the temple.

I don’t remember much from this morning, but we walked most of the way to the Golden Temple. As we made our way there, we had a lot to discuss and reflect on. Much of which, as I am writing about this now, seems to escape me. We were truly immersed in the present moment, especially after seeing the beauty of the Golden Temple at night!

Later, we will visit Jallianwala Bagh, also known as Jallah-man Garden, a recreational and rest area for visitors to the nearby Golden Temple.

We spent so many hours at the Golden Temple, I don’t think we had time for this. We ended up going back to the hotel when we did. In general, I spent most of the day today.

When we walked around most of the Golden Temple on this day, I was just amazed at how charitable and giving the people are. We visited a section where they were making Indian bread. They also had dishes and other utensils used to serve people. They did this every day. They even let people sleep at the Golden Temple, if I remember correctly.

My mom and one of the Spanish ladies got split from the group. They accidentally went to the section where they eat. We were in the section where you helped out with what they needed. I remember looking around with Manu, and then in the distance, my mom and Antonia were yelling Mayk’s name. They found a way around to us. I remember that Manu would always tell us to stick close because it’s easy to get lost with so many people. He was right!

Lunch.

In the afternoon, we attended the flag-lowering ceremony at the Attari-Wagah border, a daily practice of the CAPF (Central Armed Police Force) that the security forces of India (Border Security Force) and Pakistan (Pakistan Rangers) have followed jointly since 1959.

We went back to the hotel to eat before coming here.

The drill is characterized by elaborate, fast-paced, dance-like maneuvers. It is both a symbol of the two countries’ rivalry and a display of brotherhood and cooperation.

This was quite amazing to me as well. It was like we were going to see an Indian Sports game or concert. I will write a separate post about this because it was so profound. As we approached this place on the bus, I vividly recall a scene coming to mind.

The Battle at the Gate

There were these warriors in ancient times who invaded a city. This walled-off city appeared to be in a desert of sorts. The warriors were honorable and merciful. This day was different, however. After they had breached the inner walls, the city went down to every last woman and child, as even they fought and would not surrender. The warriors had no choice but to eliminate everyone from this city on this day. I will write about this in more detail in a different post.

As for the ceremony itself, it was beautiful and amazing to see! I can say I have been to the Pakistan–India border from Amritsar. I don’t have enough space on here to share it, but I took videos of how they were marching in front of each other and yelling. It was honestly unlike anything I have ever seen before. The flag ceremony was fantastic.

Manu or someone else bought popcorn when we were walking back. The popcorn was good. Popcorn is good no matter where you go. I remember when we were walking back, there were a ton of people in the crowd.

I don’t remember much about what happened at the end of the day.

Dinner and overnight stay at the Hyatt Regency Amritsar Hotel