AMRITSAR

21st - 24th April 2015

Amritsar, the city of the Golden Temple is a truly special place. It was founded in 1577 by the fourth Sikh guru. It is also home to some of the most magnificent beards on the planet.

We arrived at the Jugaadus hostel and immediately felt at home. There was a great mix of people staying and so for the first afternoon we chilled out with everyone. They have a kitchen run on a donations basis, with really great Indian home cooked food always available, and huge bowls of fresh fruit, curd and cereal for breakfast. There was also unlimited chai on tap.

The next day we ventured out to see the India Pakistan border ceremony. It was a bizarre show of strength and showmanship to officially close the border for the night. We arrived in the scorching sun and took our seats on the steps on the Indian side. We were frisked several times on the way in and had to show our passport a few times too. The compare warmed up the crowd before the show started by chanting (unfortunately in Hindi) but the Indians around us responded animatedly with shouts and cries. The main purpose was to create more noise than the crowd watching the ceremony from the Pakistan side. Then the ceremony stated and members of the Indian Border Security Force started their march towards the Pakistani Punjabi Rangers to face off and see who could kick their legs the highest. Many of them managed to kick their hats, meaning constantly having to adjust their flamboyant headgear to make sure it was still in place. The whole thing was ridiculous but good fun. The entire routine was based on high kicks (the spice girls would be proud of) and power poses which made us wonder if these guys spent their days stamping Visa applications, or stretching to prepare for each evenings show?

We also went to the Mata Temple, which was the most bizarre place of worship we've ever been to. You are lead through a maze of narrow walkways with hundreds of statues of deities, glitter and tinsel everywhere, walkways that lead through lions mouths and bizarre rooms of mirrors. It really does have to be seen to be believed.

In the evening we went to the Golden Temple for the first time. It was incredibly beautiful, reflected in the holy pool of nectar that surrounds it. The building is gilded with 750kg of pure gold. To enter the temple complex you must first remove your shoes, bathe your feet and cover your head. Will looked brilliant in his bright orange turban and was complemented by several Sikhs inside the temple! We went with a guide who explained many aspects of the Sikh religion, it's history, and why their holy book is so special. We ate in the temple dining room, where approximately 50,000 people eat everyday. Anyone can come and eat here for free, meaning the wealthy and the poor sit side by side on the floor, completely equal for the duration of the meal. Dealing with this many hungry pilgrims in one day is a massive undertaking that couldn't be done without the army of volunteers that sign up everyday. Anyone can turn up and help, a couple of girls from the hostel helped make chapatis and were shouted at by an elderly lady for not making them round enough!

The overwhelming feeling I got when we were in the temple was calmness and inclusiveness. When we walked around in the day time, we were invited to sit with many people who wanted to chat with us about their life and their faith. I have never been in a religious building that felt so alive and so central to the community. We met people that would come everyday and sit for hours. It was a place to hang out, to reflect, to meet people and to chat. The temple complex is always open, and people often sleep here, either round the pool, or in one of the many rooms provided for free to pilgrims.

On our last day we went on a village tour run by the hostel to see where some of the guys who work there live and meet their families. We ate some delicious pakoras, attempted to milk a cow, played a game of Kabaddi, rode a cow and cart, learnt how to roll chapatis and met a beautiful puppy that we wanted to adopt as the hostel pet. It was a fun day out and a great chance to spend more time with the party bus crew (more on that in the next post)

I must also mention Sanjay, the owner of Jugaduus hostel. 

He is a 28 year old Indian guy, who spent a few years travelling in Europe before deciding he would open a hostel in his home town. He is a self confessed 'creepy Indian guy' and tries to explain using a leaflet in the hostel why Indian guys can come across as creepy to Western girls. His main aim when he opened the hostel was to ensure that travellers interacted with the local community, understood and respected their beliefs and traditions. He also wanted everyone in the hostel to always be having fun, meaning he cracked jokes all the time, joking that if you stayed for longer than 3 days, his routine would start again. We learned a lot about Indian life from him, and we also learned a lot of crude jokes.

I wish we could have spent an extra day in Amritsar to soak up the atmosphere at the Golden Temple one more time. But unfortunately, the party bus waits for no one...