From the Sublime and Mad Amritsar to the Start of the “Almost” Hippy Trail

Afer leaving Pushkar we went back to Delhi for a couple of days.  We did some sight-seeing at Humayan’s Tomb (see Delhi pics) and the wonderful Lodi Gardens, but also met up with some traveller friends we had met previously to exchange ideas on where to go next.

We dodged a bullet somewhat as we had cancelled the proposed trip to Srinigar as the Foreign Office advised against it; and as it turned out there was violence on the streets when we would have been there, and the WiFi was cut off.

In addition, Shimla is out of bounds at the moment as there is a severe water shortage.  This meant we changed our plans for a third time and went to Amritsar instead.  It is good to have this flexibility as we still get to see loads of things, but at our own, leisurely pace.

It was a great choice as Amritsar was amazing.  We did arrive in extreme heat of 45 degrees, only to find out that the hotel we had booked had no air-conditioning working.  After a quick internet search and some phone calls we had find a very good alternative.  It demonstrates how we are easing into this travelling thing, as there are no panics and everything has a solution.

The next day we went to the Golden Temple early in the morning.  It is as incredible as you imagine – both a sacred place for the devout Sikhs, but also a place of joy for the average tourists to see.

However, the true majesty of the place really comes to the fore at night.  That evening we returned and were stunned.  The 750Kg of gold absolutely shines at night and the courtyards and buildings are superbly lit up.  However, it is the sounds and sights of the people that really give the atmosphere.

Added to the atmosphere was the fact that the Sikhs have created a dining facility to feed up to 100,000 people a day.  This is a military operation in handing out trays, dishing out the thali food and naans, collecting all the used trays and cutlery, and then finally doing the washing up.  Everything is given free, as is teh Sikh hospitality, but people give donations in the form of money or time, in the form of washing up the thousands of trays.  The noise of the washing is extraordinary, and just another site to be seen at this amazing site.

The next day we went from the sublime to the ridiculous.  We had booked a taxi from the hotel to take us to the border with Pakistan.  We arrived to security you expect from a large sporting event, and were then ushered towards a large stadium-like structure.

Inside there would be around 12,000 Indians and a few hundred Pakistanis on the other side of the border.  The Indians were worked up into a jingoistic frenzy until the strange ceremony started.  On both sides of the border, army men and women strutted and postured at each other for twenty minutes, until the ceremony slowed down as the flags were lowered.  At the end, after a quick handshake across the border, each side walked away and the border gates were slammed.  It was bizarre and very difficult to convey without seeing it.

There were a few other remarkable things about Amritsar.  First we had our first thali in a Shaba, or small restaurant.  Then everybody wants their photos taken with you as a white face.  Finally, and quite remarkably, there are stores selling heavy ammunition and guns.

After a few incredible days we came down to earth with a crazy seven hour bus ride to McLeod Ganj in the mountains of Himachal Pradesh.  Having been deposited at the bus station on the back of a motorbike, with our rucksacks too, we boarded a bus.

This was nominally air-conditioned and nominally a Volvo, but at least it was comfortable,  However, the driving was not.  Tim suggested it was like a go-kart on mountain roads, whereas Paul thought it a game of high stakes “chicken” with every other vehicle and pedestrian on the road.  A fifty seater coach would not normally weave ina nd out of traffic on a motorway, or overtake on blind bends on narrow roads in the mountains, but this one did.  The drive was mental, but we arrived alive, which is always a bonus.

The change of scenery was incredible.  Fifteen degrees cooler and mountains, made it so unlike where we had been to date.  This little town is officially the start of the “hippy trail” and we were in Bhagsu, which is up the hill.  Here is a place that people come to do yoga for a month or learn about “re-birthing” or tarot cards.

Walking around there are people everywhere discovering themselves, but rather than eschewing the simple things in life, they seem to like the coffeess made in a shop that wouldn’t be out of place in any modern city.  We did not expect to be sipping cafe latte with a choice of cookies or pain au chocolats, whilst overlooking a pine-covered Himalayan valley.  Hence it is “almost” the hippy trail.

The place is also known as the home of the Dalai Llama, and is full of Buddhist Monks.  The main temple is very simple compared to what we have seen to date.  The place is a strange mix of travellers up at the top, Buddhists in the middle, and touristy Indians at the bottom.  It has an odd charm about the place.

As this is being written we have just come to the end of the most amazing electric storm.  Power was off for two hours as the most amazing sheet lightening literally lit up the sky, amongst the loudest claps of thunder.  ‘Tis was the first rain we had seen since Morzine in April.  Is this the early start of the monsoon?