Our flight to Delhi via Frankfurt on Air India included more than an hour delay in Newark due to heavy rain and thunder storms, not full flights so we had room to stretch out and sleep, a movie selection including movies from many different regions of India, an introduction to Indian food, and an hour to enter the Frankfurt terminal, go through security there and return to the plane that was parked next to the one we’d arrived from Newark on. On arrival we were struck by the extremely clean and spacious (thus very empty feeling) hallways and lobby. Being offered a paper towel (from the adjacent dispenser) by the woman minding the bathroom felt uncomfortable. The prepaid taxi (mini mini van) from the airport was terrifying due to the lack of traffic rules we are accustomed to (the taxi driver pulled in his side mirror so that he could squeeze between narrower gaps between cars/trucks/people/rickshaws) and he turned off his lights when passing other cars for brief moments of blind driving. Our prearranged hotel was in the Tibetan colony area of Delhi which is a few narrow alleys that even this small taxi could not fit in. We convinced him, however, to take us to the hotel door before paying him as looking down the dark alley he pointed to was a bit intimidating.
We spent the next two days here recovering from jetlag and beginning to adjust to being in a new environment. The Tibetan colony was perfect for this as it is quite laid back and we were able to take brief forays out into the alley way, each time seeing a bit more. Eventually we managed to buy some food, a SIM card for cell phone access, and book a train ticket. We also enjoyed the Tibetan food available –momos (steamed dumplings) and a steamed bread with wonderfully spiced vegetables. I was a bit shy about taking pictures of people though so I don’t have any photos to give a true feeling for this area.
On the 20th we woke up at 5:30 am to get to the train station for our 8:30 train to Amritsar. It was hard taking a rickshaw and having someone work so hard to carry us and our bags to the metro station in the high heat and humidity for so little money. What a very tough job! Since then we’ve taken two more rickshaw journeys and are getting somewhat more used to it, though it still feels uncomfortable as I think it should. The metro station is very clean and includes a metal detector/security check (though their check of our bags was cursory). After locating the departures info board in the train station, we found our train wasn’t listed. The tourist information booth mentioned in the Lonely Planet was nowhere to be found so we got into the “line” that was half enforced by occasional police whistles. Eventually we made it to the front only to be told our train left from the other Delhi station (in 15 min.). Luckily there was a helpful man behind us who told us how to get on the local train to that station which we did (getting to see glimpses of everyday Delhi life alongside the train tracks), only to arrive and see the Amritsar train pulling out of the station. Now what? We went to the ticket office, used my gender advantage which allows line cutting sometimes in India, and found out how to buy a reserved ticket for the next train to Amritsar, departing at 12:00. We then headed out into the rain to explore a bit of Old Delhi and find some breakfast. I was so concentrated on where to put my feet I’m afraid I didn’t see very much of the area. The streets of India are a complete sensory overload for me and I know if we return to that street again, I will see much more as I have learned it takes a few visits to the same place for me to be able to really see it. We returned to the train station (the 1st one we went to in the morning) in plenty of time but then the train was delayed. Our second class seats were cushioned and the ceiling of the train had fans and open windows (once it stopped raining and people opened them). When the train was moving it was fine but when we stopped the smell from the toilet was pungent. Throughout the journey people went through the aisles selling food, drinks, toys and just asking for money. I was frustrated to not have a window seat to take photos of the beautiful green farmland passing by and the people in bright colored clothes and turbans waiting on train platforms in beautiful evening light. We arrived in Amritsar 8 1/2 hours later (22:30ish) and took an auto rickshaw to a hotel. We decided the autorickshaws were scarier than the bike rickshaws as they were more aggressive about getting in among the cars instead of just letting the cars pass around them.
The next morning we walked through the town with our bags to the center of the old town where the Golden Temple is. This is the most holy site for the Sikhs and we have perhaps tainted our experience here in India by beginning with such an extraordinary place. After some walking back and forth and talking to several different people we ascertained that the Lonely Planet once again was wrong and that it wasn’t possible to have a room inside the temple grounds as a foreigner (just a free dormitory bed with other foreigners). So we found a room nearby, rested from the exertion of walking in the heat/humidity and then went to find lunch at a veg. restaurant.
We ended up spending 2 nights at this hotel, visiting the temple 4 times (including sunset and 2 sunrises), eating in the enormous free dining hall for the temple visitors and pilgrims (an amazing feat of organization), watching the temple volunteers cleaning and carrying out all the tasks connected to the maintaining of the temple and handling of the 60,000-80,000 visitors each day (handing out water, washing the dishes, etc.). Amritsar is a city of 1.1 million people and the streets are full of honking motorbikes, taxis and trucks. We did begin to get used to it though crossing the street remained a challenge for me at times. They drive on the left side in India and this is also disconcerting when trying to determine if it is safe to cross a street. We also visited the Jallianwala memorial where in 1919 a British general ordered the massacre of 500-1000 Indians gathered to protest a British law giving them the right to prosecute anyone without trial on suspicion of subjugation. This event was shown in the Ghandi film as he responded to this event and increased his efforts to protest the British actions. We also wandered the narrow streets of the old town seeing people busy with all sorts of jobs (printing press, cooking, carpentry, metal work, selling cloth, etc.). One evening we found our way to a Hindu temple (which we found too noisy after the peaceful setting of the Golden Temple) and upon return got lost in the maze of streets. When we finally had proof that we were going in circles, we took a rickshaw back to our hotel and found that we had been quite close! Throughout our visit in Amritsar, people approached us to ask to take a picture with us or to shake our hands. This helped me feel less shy about taking photos of people myself.
On the 23rd, we went to the train reservation office and waited in line (no cutting allowed for women here) for about 40 min. only to find out that the trip to Pathankot was too short (only 3hours) and thus couldn’t be bought at this office but only at the train station itself. At the train station we managed to buy a ticket but then had trouble finding out what track the train would be leaving from. After asking several people, we were left with three possibilities (1, 1A and 1 1) and we were starting to get worried as departure time was rapidly approaching and we didn’t want to miss another train. Luckily an announcement came over the loudspeaker telling us the train would leave from track 4 and there was a mass movement of people from track 1 to track 4. We followed, but just as we reached the bottom of the stairs from the overpass, there came another announcement saying it would leave from track 2 (again up the stairs to the overpass to get to the adjacent track – many people just jumped down to the tracks and crossed over to the opposite platform). And then, yes, another announcement: the train would leave from track 1! We shared expressions of amused exasperation with some of our fellow travelers as we headed to track 1 where we’d all started 5 min. prior. Getting into the train was an intense shoving match but we managed to secure ourselves seats and the 3 hour train ride squeezed together with our fellow travelers was hot and tiring, but also full of interesting sights out the window like bathing water buffalo with white egrets on their backs, brick factories, and people waiting at the train crossings. And two young men across from us were quite friendly and answered our questions (if you don’t have a train ticket you will be fined about 250 rupees or put in jail for 2 days –though no one ever came to check our tickets on this train) and shared their ideas about the state of India (too many people) and globalization. The train was way too crowded for any selling down the aisles and a highlight of the trip was witnessing a young man trying futilely to keep his seat and in the end giving it up for an older woman after much joking and teasing from the other women around him.
We arrived in Pathankot at 15:45 only to find out that the train to Kangra that we wanted to take was cancelled indefinitely. This was a very dusty military town and we decided to continue on by bus, rather than spending a night. Our rule of asking at least 5 people before deciding who to believe paid off and we found our way to the correct bus station without needing a taxi or rickshaw. The bus trip up to Dharamsala was pretty and not as scary as I’d expected (17:00-21:00ish). The driver was relatively cautious and used his horn frequently when going around curves. We were quickly up out of the plains and up into the foothills of the Himalayas and the almost full moon and setting sun over the mountains were beautiful. We saw our first monkeys seated at the side of the road and interesting roadside store signs such as Modern Beauty Saloon. We arrived in Dharamsala around tired, dusty and hungry but quickly found a hotel and food and had a good night sleep.
The next morning we walked around the town a bit (my favorite sight was a man repairing umbrellas –yeah reusing!) before taking a bus to Gharoh village 7km away. We have been staying here at an organic family farm for 3 nights and we will leave tomorrow to head towards Chandigarh. This is a very special place that people return to (a French Buddhist nun, a Swiss woman, and a German couple are also here). We have enjoyed learning about Indian culture, cooking, traditional healing as well as just spending some relaxed time with warm friendly people. The farm is almost completely self sufficient with a cow, chickens, bees, geese and many fruits, veg. and grains. Unfortunately due to it still being monsoon season, the farm work is still on hold and we have not been able to contribute with labor. I have seen ginger, turmeric and henna plants for the first time and other plants that I never knew existed including a fruit, amla, that is about 2 cm wide and that has more vitamin C than 2 oranges. We have also enjoyed seeing new birds, butterflies, evening swarms of dragon flies, immense bamboo patches and ever changing views of clouds and mountains. Conversations with the family have given us insights into things we have seen and experienced so far, such as, the fact that the ladies only lines, being allowed to cut the line and reserved seats on the bus are a relatively new thing and show a growing respect for women in the country which is important as they have historically been mistreated (as elsewhere in the world) but that it is important this differentiation does not stay or it will become a label for being different and not equal.
Yesterday we ventured back to Dharamsala to have some clothes ordered and to go on to McLeod Ganj to see the Dalai Lama’s residence and the temple there. The Dalai Lama is actually holding a teaching there tomorrow, but we’ve decided to move on instead of attending it as we were advised that he is speaking about a rather philosophical topic which may or may not be understandable without a lot of background in Buddhism.
Looking up at the mountain it is amazing to think of the many refugees who have passed over these mountains to come here.
