Amritsar The Golden Temple and BED BUGS

My Arm Swollen Like a Bitch

I'm really not wanting to be the ignorant little westerner that is nattering away in my head as I write this. But guess what, so is the case! Amritsar...I'm neither here nor there with this place, would 'indifferent' be the appropriate word to describe this feeling of blah... perhaps it is just my calm sense of being right now and the observation of my surroundings.

My travel buddy, Martina is pretty sick today so I'm off doing my own thing, at intervals of course, to check in on her and its also pretty intense out on the streets on your own. But I don't feel unsafe and if I did, I could sprint to the Golden Temple.

Besides the Golden Temple there is not allot to do in Amritsar except perhaps explore the tiny, narrow, cascading back streets, which I must say are pretty interesting to browse if your a wholesaler looking for something specific. I on the other hand bought cookies and felt proud! I was also proud not to have been knocked over by Sikhs on motor bikes and cycle rickshaws all weaving through the foot traffic at lighting speed to probably get no where special... Fast!

The mood here is sombre, yet alive. Or it could be me just being a indecisive GIT!

The majority of the population here are sikhs. They were turbans and have long uneven beards. I have never seen or felt such dedication by being in a place. It's pretty much the first thing that comes to mind when you arrive here, after of course... "where the fuck am I". Sikhs are totally devoted to their faith, you can immediately see that they live by it. Not sure what or whom the gods are but it has to be pretty special as the vibe you feel upon entering the temple after being gobsmacked with the temples beauty and the number of people in there is of course the purity, and the "vibrations" from the chanting continuously played through a 'Bose' sound system. The temple is open 24 hours, provides free accommodation for foreigners, free food and has shops and amenities surrounding the perimeter. You could hang out there all day or even live there if you were a pure devotee. I left the next day and headed to Dharamashala.

I'm now sitting in a great little restaurant plugging away at the iPhone, blogging, after inhaling a vegetable "Vegetable Dosa" and half of my first "Banana Lassi". All so yum and tasty!! And gone in 60secs.

So before I pay the bill... Let me just say, you ain't seen nothing yet girlY!! I'm sure of it, this place proves it. Love or Hate it there is so much more to see, learn experience and taste... And I can't fuckinG wait!!

WARNING. I may as well add here, that if you travel to Amritsar DO NOT stay at the Lucky Guest House (recommended by lonely planet) near the Golden Temple.  I got BED BUGS here and 4 days later I'm still itchy and worried that they may scar....just a tip. The place to stay if you want a recommendation is the Hotel Sapphire, closer to the Golden Temple in a quieter location. More Expensive, but the only clean place we found once we upped the budget to 1500 rupees.