A flavour of the Orient
Rai & Stephie in Asia

From the mountain valleys of Kashmir we headed to the fertile plains of Punjab and the Sikhs' holy city of Amritsar and what a brilliant city it is. Yes it is congested, yes it is dirty, yes it is noisy but it has the amazing Golden Temple which sits in the middle of the atmospheric old town. And the locals are super friendly and photo crazy !

The Sikh philosophy is that everybody should be treated equal...no difference between poor and rich, between ordinary and VIP. This might explain why Barack Obama and his entourage were recently not allowed to have the palace all to themselves....Worshippers from all religious backgrounds come here to bathe in the purifying waters of the temple tank. There is also free accommodation and a free communal canteen where more than 10,000 chapatis and black dhal dinners are prepared every day...very tasty indeed. All this is done with the help of volunteers....noooooo sadly rai did not help out in the kitchen ! The temple is opened 24 hrs a day and there is continuous  sublime singing and readings. Very relaxing indeed....

Soooo next time you are in Delhi take the train to Amritsar....you are in for a very unique experience away from the main tourist trail!

Http://www.stephieandraigoasia.blogspot.com