Let me tell you about my day ....
Well it started early ... left the apt at 4:00 am ... trudged up the steps (394 of them) for the last time and went to the taxi stand and got a taxi down to the bus station in Dharamsala ... the taxi driver had no change - as usual .. change is always a problem in India ... which was solved after we both ran around the bus station asking bleary eyed travellers if they could make change ...
The bus was only 15 mins late ... got into Amritsar 2 chai stops and 5 hours later - the bus didn't go all the way into town so I got a tuk tuk (3 wheeled, fume belching rickshaw) to the train station since the hotel I'd scoped out in the guide was withing walking distance of the station - not a good idea to have a tuk tuk take u to a new hotel .. they will run in and claim commission from the hotel ... jacking up the price!
My first impressions of Amritsar were not good ... very polluted .. congested .. dirty .. lot's of beggers and touts ... a frenetic mess. The hotel was adequate .... so after a quick shower I headed off to see the Golden temple, the Mecca for Sikhs
I was not dissappointed ... it's an amazing sight. Click here for photo
There's a free bus from the station to the temple .. when you get there you check your shoes, wash your feet and walk in ... You have to have your head covered if you're not wearing a turban ... but they provide nice scarves for you to use. I found the place as moving as it was beautiful - a combination of hospitality and mass reverence Super clean, free meals for everyone who wants .. they can feed 10,000 and provide free accomodation for three nights if you want to sty in their hostel. No one asks you for money, and the place is run by volunteers. And all those turbans! very colorful. There's continuous singing coming from inside the temple which, as the name suggests is covered in gold ...
I walked back to the hotel and got back tired, and frazzeled ... and headed over to the train station to see if I could change my ticket to leave a little earlier. The ques were too daunting however, and I decided to stick with what I have. I went back to the hotel planning a shower but found out that you only get hot water once a day ... what time did i want it tomorrow?
After a short nap I went in search of a restaurant from my guide ... given the grubby nature of what I'd seen o far of Amritsar I didn't expect much .... but found myself in a much more upscale part of town and it turned out to be fabulous!
Beggers are one of the hardest things to get used to here. Until this trip I'd been generally reluctant to give to beggers much .. all the guide books talk about giving to organizations that serve the poor as a better strategy ... it reminded me a bit of the campaign the Partnership in saskatoon had to discourage panhandlers ... except that here it's much more heartbreakers. I've been surprised to see quite a lot of lepers ... people withhorrible disfigurements of feet and hands .. and it some cases missing limbs entirely. I thought that leprosy was a thing of the past .. but apparently, while it can be controlled or arrested if caught early ... many in India simple don't have access to treatment. The other difficult sight are mothers, often Dalits (untouchable caste) with babies .. or child beggers who persistently tug at your clothing to get your attention.
I now give whenever I have coins in my pocket ... John, a most interesting chap who lived in my apt building said somethng that stuck with me ..... somethng abt giving without trying to decide who you should give to .. as he put it .. let God decide. Certainly I wouldn't want to trade places with any of the beggers I meet
Well my prepaid hour is up on this thing ... excuse the rant ... stay tuned ...
The bus was only 15 mins late ... got into Amritsar 2 chai stops and 5 hours later - the bus didn't go all the way into town so I got a tuk tuk (3 wheeled, fume belching rickshaw) to the train station since the hotel I'd scoped out in the guide was withing walking distance of the station - not a good idea to have a tuk tuk take u to a new hotel .. they will run in and claim commission from the hotel ... jacking up the price!
My first impressions of Amritsar were not good ... very polluted .. congested .. dirty .. lot's of beggers and touts ... a frenetic mess. The hotel was adequate .... so after a quick shower I headed off to see the Golden temple, the Mecca for Sikhs
I was not dissappointed ... it's an amazing sight. Click here for photo
There's a free bus from the station to the temple .. when you get there you check your shoes, wash your feet and walk in ... You have to have your head covered if you're not wearing a turban ... but they provide nice scarves for you to use. I found the place as moving as it was beautiful - a combination of hospitality and mass reverence Super clean, free meals for everyone who wants .. they can feed 10,000 and provide free accomodation for three nights if you want to sty in their hostel. No one asks you for money, and the place is run by volunteers. And all those turbans! very colorful. There's continuous singing coming from inside the temple which, as the name suggests is covered in gold ...
I walked back to the hotel and got back tired, and frazzeled ... and headed over to the train station to see if I could change my ticket to leave a little earlier. The ques were too daunting however, and I decided to stick with what I have. I went back to the hotel planning a shower but found out that you only get hot water once a day ... what time did i want it tomorrow?
After a short nap I went in search of a restaurant from my guide ... given the grubby nature of what I'd seen o far of Amritsar I didn't expect much .... but found myself in a much more upscale part of town and it turned out to be fabulous!
Beggers are one of the hardest things to get used to here. Until this trip I'd been generally reluctant to give to beggers much .. all the guide books talk about giving to organizations that serve the poor as a better strategy ... it reminded me a bit of the campaign the Partnership in saskatoon had to discourage panhandlers ... except that here it's much more heartbreakers. I've been surprised to see quite a lot of lepers ... people withhorrible disfigurements of feet and hands .. and it some cases missing limbs entirely. I thought that leprosy was a thing of the past .. but apparently, while it can be controlled or arrested if caught early ... many in India simple don't have access to treatment. The other difficult sight are mothers, often Dalits (untouchable caste) with babies .. or child beggers who persistently tug at your clothing to get your attention.
I now give whenever I have coins in my pocket ... John, a most interesting chap who lived in my apt building said somethng that stuck with me ..... somethng abt giving without trying to decide who you should give to .. as he put it .. let God decide. Certainly I wouldn't want to trade places with any of the beggers I meet
Well my prepaid hour is up on this thing ... excuse the rant ... stay tuned ...
posted by Andrew Smith at 6:57 AM
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