Hi!
I am currently in Manali near the Himalayas. We left Mumbai by sleeper train - a 16 hour journey to Dehli. The train was much nicer than the other ones we have been on - there was even toilet paper in the toilet! The journey was uneventful and we arrived into sweltering New Dehli. We went to tourist information and booked a four day tour of the golden triangle for later in the trip and then had another Pizza Hut! In the afternoon we caught another train to Amritsar - a 6 1/2 hour journey this time.
The next day we hired an a/c car and had an amazing day! We went first to a Hindu Temple which was like a maze through which we crawled through tunnels and waded through streams. The walls and ceilings were covered in coloured glass in different designs. My pictures just don't do it justice! We then went to a joint Hindu and Sikh Temple and then to the Golden Temple, the Sikh's holiest shrine. We removed our shoes and covered our hair and walked around the sacred pool in the middle of which is the Golden Temple. It was so busy! 4 priests keep a constant chant of the holy book through loud-speakers; it takes them 2 1/2 days to complete and then they start again. We then went back to the hotel for some lunch and a power nap.
In the afternoon we headed towards the Indian-Pakistani border. We saw the last train station and village in India then went to watch the daily ceremony at the border. The atmosphere was incredible! The Indians on one side of the gate were chanting and cheering whilst the Pakistanis on the other side were doing the same. The guards put on an amazing show. They were huge and were wearing incredible uniforms. They would march to the border and salute the guards on the other side and then they raised the flags. Every time they did something the crowds just went wild!
That evening we caught a rickshaw back to the Golden Temple to see the holy book being moved from its day place to its night place. It was all lit up and looked incredible. It was a lot more spiritual at night with fewer people there. There were people meditating around the sacred pool, and in the temple the crowds chanted along with the priests. We were able to go into the temple proper this time and it was so beautiful. There were 3 stories, each with a priest reading a copy of the holy book. The art was very different from the Hindu temple we saw that morning. It was more Islamic but still very unique, with rich reds and blues and beautiful mosaics. After we had looked around the temple we followed the procession of the holy book which was carried in a representation of the temple and covered in flowers. 2 of our group were hard-core enough to get up at 4 in the morning to see the book being moved back again, but I stayed in bed!
The next day we caught the train back to Dehli again. We were lucky we left so much time before our train because when we arrived we realised we had got the time wrong and had to leg it to the platform to catch the train which was about to leave. We got into Dehli very late and just headed to a hotel for a sleep.
The next day we had a few hours in Dehli before catching the bus to Manali. We headed over to Old Dehli where the famous fort is and where the largest Mosque in India is. We looked around the shops for a bit and then caught our overnight bus to Manali.
It was a surprisingly comfortable journey, until we had to switch buses at 2 in the morning which was a bit annoying. We arrived in Manali this morning, excited about the adventure activities for which it is famous. Unfortunately as it is monsoon season many of the activities are banned. So today we walked around Manali for a bit and visited a Buddist Monastery, which was so colourful. It is very different here from anywhere else we have been. It is much cooler and has a strong Tibetan influence. It is so peaceful and I am looking forward to a couple of days of relaxing!
xxx
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