My original plan was to volunteer on another farm, or more precisely on an organic orchard since yesterday. The last message I got from the farm contact person was over a month ago. There he says he would be in Delhi for business most likely until the 29th or the 30th. I have written him three times after that, but there has been no e-mail from him since. Unfortunately I don't have anything but his e-mail address, so there's not much I can do, but wait. Last night in Bhagsu, I decided I would not wait for any longer in McLeod Ganj or the area around it. I've seen enough of it now. I had heard a lot of nice things about the city of Amritsar, about seven hours to the southwest, so I made a decision to go and check it out, since it's still a reasonable distance away from the orchard in case I end up volunteering there after all.
The bus ride was pretty awful, but that wasn't a big surprise. Bumpy roads, broken seats, dust and loud honking coming in through the open rattling windows really makes you consider choosing a train for the next trip. The connection was pretty good, only one change in Pathankot after four hours of coming down mountains and hills mainly.
There were five other western people in the bus, all with big rucksacks. We had to climb to the roof and fasten our bags on the rails there (amazingly enough, everything stayed there through all the bumps). In Pathankot we had to take them down and put them back on another bus roof. While I was on the roof taking the bags down with another man, the bus started moving. Luckily the driver heard our screams and saw people pointing at us, so he stopped driving after just a couple of meters and we managed to get down on our own terms, not on gravity's alone.
The bus arrived in Amritsar around six in the evening. Three of the western people who were traveling on the same bus with me had an idea about a place to stay and they asked me to join them. In the bus I was thinking about spoiling myself a little with a nice private room with its own bathroom. Well, it didn't happen... I'm now on my bunk in a dorm of seven beds, surrounded by three smaller three bed dorms. But I'm really happy I said yes to the three people after getting out of the bus, because this place is something amazing.
So where am I? The biggest sight in Amritsar is the Golden Temple, which is the most famous Sikh Gurdwara (translates: gateway to the guru, their place of worship). It was built over four centuries ago. We're staying right next to it in a huge complex called, Shri Guru Ramdas Niwas Pilgrim’s Lodge. It accommodates pilgrims and guests from all religions and countries. It's also completely donation funded, meaning it's free if you decide not to pay in the end. There's a lot of hustle and bustle going on, but everything is very clean. For example, the toilets are the cleanest I've seen in India so far.
Even the food is free in a big dining hall, a Langar, where all the guests are served by volunteering Sikhs, who are learning to serve others according to their religion. Last night's dinner was rice with cheese with a very tasty dal and some sweet rice porridge as dessert. The serving itself is a spectacle, as the food is served quickly and from some height onto your plate on the floor. Still everything gets cleaned very quickly after a row of people is done with the meal. On an average day, 60 000 to 90 000 meals are served, but during bigger festivities the number gets much higher. Not only is the serving interesting to look at, so is the dishwashing and cooking. Everything works like a gigantic and well oiled machine.
The main attraction, the Golden Temple is definitely worth seeing. Today I only went there quickly after dinner, but today I'm giving it a longer inspection. Photos will follow soon.
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