Pilgrims to the Holy City - Amritsar

The pilgrimage to the Holy City of Amritsar in the state of Punjab became our little aventure this past weekend. Mollie flew up from Hyderabad to accompany both Louise and I on the Shatabdi Express train out of New Delhi. Amritsar is known best for its Golden Temple, which attracts Sikhs from all over India and the world. Although our pilgrimage was for different reasons, we traveled alongside many people coming to the temple for religious reasons and to gain a better understanding of the Sikh past. Amritsar is a beautiful place with many temples, and a great theatrical/cultural experience can be had at the Pakistan-India Wagah border.

Our journey started on the Shatabdi Express, one of the nicer express trains in all of India. I'd say that half of our ticket went to food costs, well not that much, but it seemed like every 10 minutes they'd come around with another course of food. Arriving in Amritsar late at night, the three of us made our way to a hotel which was recommended by others. After a failed attempt to get some food at the hotel restaurant, we immediately took to the streets to find something to fill our stomachs. We came across Crystal's, serving Indian and Chinese food. We ordered veggie chow mein - two gelatos and five minutes later, two huge plastic bags full of noodes came out of the kitchen. We emptied the bags onto plates we got in the hotel lobby and there before us was enough food to feed an army. It was awesome.

Amritsar is an amazing city. Tucked up against the Pakistani border, there is a different feeling and mix of cultures with Punjab and India. The sites in town are amazing, of course highlighted by the Golden Temple. Pilgrims from all over come to bathe in its waters (for men only), pray, and see the temple where so many things have happened. Mollie and I saw almost every temple in town and had a good time eating a lot and some shopping (Louise wasn't feeling well for most of the weekend and got to know the hotel room very, very well). All in all, a spiritual, mystifying, educational, hot, and exciting weekend in Amritsar.

Blog Photos - Here's a link to my photos of Amritsar in Google Photos (also links from the slide show below).