Amritsar & Attari, Punjab, India: 18June07

The India-Pakistan Border "Show"

In the end, we decided to go to another Hindu holy city, Haridwar, instead of spend that much of time in Delhi. We got the train ticket then we moved to the free accommodation by Golden Temple. We roamed around the temple, took the free lunch and 'visited' the said, world biggest chapati machine. The temple has a very good ambient, even though it is crowded.

The border ceremony between Pakistan and India was very very dramtic. It was a kind of festive feel that both sides are trying to 'roar' down the other side. This is probably the highlight of my trip. We cheered and roared together with the Indian. Something like "India is the greatest nation." A ceremony which is supposed to be serious has somehow turn ut to become a public show. For me, it is a funny show too. (Try to imagine a platform at each side of Singapore and Malaysia causeway with thousands of people watching the soldiers lowering the flag.)

We met a young Indian couple on the way to go back from the border to the town. They got married themselves without the permissions from their parents and this is really unusual for Indian. We joint them to the temple of their caste and that was a really nice hindu temple. They invited us to join their honeymoon to Jammu but we decided to stick to our plan to Haridwar. Their honeymoon is a one week visit to different temples, hoepfully to have a better future and get blessing for their marriage.

We got back to the dirty free accommodation quite late. To my pleasant surprise, there were two Malaysian students were staying there as well. They were the second and third Malaysian that i have ever seen in India. They were here in India for some university exchange and social work. One at Delhi and another at Jaipur. i was happy to meet people from my country and speak in our national language!



Golden Temple is opens to all and no-one asks for any money, even for the shoe storage. We have to remov shoes, wash our feet and cover our heads.



All are welcome to sit on the floor and enjoy the lentil soup and chapati. The logic is, everyone is the same and there is no different in social level.



The kitchen where there is a chapati machine and where they prepare chaptais for around 30,000 pilgrims a day.



The platform and crowd for the border bravado.



After the gates are slammed shut, everyone surged to take photograph with the tall and handsome soldiers.



i do take pride as a Malaysian. This is the basic ethnic group to comprise Malaysia: Indian, Malay and Chinese.
(i put Harish and Hazwan's picture with me without informing them. :)

Amritsar, Punjab, India: 17June07

The Sikh's Holiest Shrine, Golden Temple

The train was longer than we expected, 19 hours. It was very full with passengers too. We basically had to sit separately at different seats. This time also, nobody really treid to engage us in a conversation. One or two but not as many as any of our previous ride. (Indian like to talk to foreigners.)
When we arrived at Amritsar, we took one hour to find a clean and cheaper guest house in the rain, with a cycle rickshaw. Then we just somehow fall aslept. When we wake up, we lingered around the holy and crowded but shomehow yet peaceful golden temple.
The town was so small that there was nothing much to explore around the temple. We went back and slept again. :)



This was an unusual night with the sickle shaped moon and star on the sky.



The causeway leads to the two-storey marble temple. This stands in the middle of the sacred pool, Amrit Sarovar (pool of nectar), that gave the town its name.



The bustling and grimy alleys of the surrounding of Golden Temple.

Jaipur-Amritsar, India: 16June07

The autorickshaw who supposed to bring us around didin't turn up at the guest house. So we did the sight seeing ourselves happily. Local transporatation such as bus at Jaipur is easy and not that crowded.
We went to the Wind Palace and astrology central, skipped the City Palace. The Wind Palace got the view of the city. The building itslef looked like a bee hive. The astrology centrel is an amazing place for the ancient knowledge. We engaged a guide and got many useful information such as how does a sun dial works.
We proceed to Amber fort and Joghur fort then. Both forts are said to be extensive and interesting, but unfortunately, we spent so much time at Jaigarh Fort that we left no time for Amber Fort.
The dinner before we left for night train to Amritsar was a very delicious Thali.



View from Jaigarh Fort. The city looks blue instead of pink! But this is a town which is 11km away from Jaipur city central.



The magnificient Amber Fort on the rocky mountain.



The train from Jaipur to Amritsar. There were many Sikh in the train as Amritsar is the beting heart of the Sikh religion.



Golden Temple. The golden dome is said to be gilded with 750kg of pure gold.
Four preiest inside the temple keep up a continuous chant in Punjabi from the Sikh holy books and this is broadcast around the temple complex by loudspeakers.