Day 17 - Wake up at our leisure and go down to the pool and order breakfast. We decide to spend the lounging around and at sunset we will go to the Golden Temple. So the day is spend swimming, reading, sleeping and generally doing nothing.
At about 6pm we jump into an auto (Tuk Tuk) and go down town it takes about 15mins through the traffic to reach the right part of town. We give our flipflops in and buy a orange headscalves (20R) and make our way towards the temple. We go through a foot bath where I am challenged by a great big Sikh guard with a spear. "Do you have any tobacco or cigarettes?" he roars, "no" I squeak I don't smoke. and with that he smiles and I enter the temple. Inside I can see the lake and the Golden Temple in the middle. The place is busy with many hundreds of worshippers walking around. Now I had imagined the temple complex to be considerably bigger than it actually is. The lake is about 2 football pitches and the golden temple sits in the centre connected by a walkway. The temple is impressive and a spectacle. The queue to get to the temple by pilgrims was never ending. We walked around the outer complex. Some worshippers were bathing in the holy waters, some with their daggers strapped to the turbans. The loud speakers were chanting prayers out.
Occasionally people would come up to us and ask where we were from and ask to have their picture taken. These people were being welcoming to their temple. We took as many photos as we liked. We walked to the holy feeding centre where they serve between 10,000 to 20,000 free meals a day to anyone who wants one. We did not go into the dining hall but from outside we could see those going in and coming out. Never ending. There was any army of volunteers washing up. Our German friends managed to get into the kitchen and said there was 2500L vats of Dall and rice pudding. Very impressive and this is all funded by the temple.
So after spending some time around the temple and watching the sun set over it we left recovered our shoes and walked into the town. We found a Domino's pizza shop and decided to have pizza for tea. No meat in this pizza shop. An auto took us back to the guest house to relax by the pool.
Day 18 -19
We left Amritsar, it was sad to leave the oasis of calmness and enter the silliness of Indian roads. We left by the main highway. Usual stuff fighting the autos, rickshaws, mopeds, trucks, cows etc. We turned off the main highway to take a more scenic route. Not my idea as I wanted to stay on the main trunk road but went with the decision. Actually the NH71 was calmer than the main road and in fact was a great road to return back to Delhi. We cruised along not really caring how or where we go to. When it came time to find a hotel.....could we find one.....no. It was another 50km on in a small town called Sangrur where we found a cheap hotel. 600R=£6 and the bikes were kept in the hotel lobby. The hotel was a bit grim but at least we had a cute baby gecko running around the bathroom. We all shared a room. We had a meal at a restaurant across the road - Curry of course 270R=£2.70 for three meals inc drinks.
Early rise bikes out of the lobby and on the road, easy drive now into Delhi. Now you know I mentioned the cute Gecko....about 45 minutes into the ride we stopped for Chi and I thought I felt something move in my boot. I took off my boot and you guessed it a disfigured gecko...oops, must have climbed into my boot during the night.
Anyway we carried on and it was fairly easy. Well easy until we got to Delhi. We entered the city of ultra silliness. OMG, it took a while but we got to the hotel and I was glad to be stepping off the Enfield.
We booked in and showered, quick curry and off to bed and some heavenly sleep.
Day 20
We woke up late and the reception wanted to know if we were coming down for breakfast?
Simon arrived about 10.30 and following a drink rode the bikes back to Lallis workshop. (no helmets, shirt sleeves and flip flops - Indian style bike protection)
We sorted all the paperwork out and got our deposits back. I was charged for a crack on the pannier frame which needed welding.
We then jumped on the Delhi Metro system and went into Old Delhi. Well I thought new Delhi was crowded and noisy......triple this and make the streets narrower. Its hell, you spend more time sat in traffic than moving. So we went to see various markets and they took down all the back streets to look at the shops. Why do they need 50 shoe shops all next to each other all selling the same thing????? Who is buying multi-coloured flip flops everybody is wearing old dirty one or none at all.
We went to the Jamal Mosque in the centre of Old Delhi. This for me was the worse experience of the whole adventure and personally feel disgusted by the way tourists are treated in a house of God. I shall explain.
Firstly as we entered we removed our shoes and were told it was a 300R=£3 entrance fee. When I asked why the Indians were not paying they told me Indians go in free. Turns out the fee was to take in a camera and not an entrance fee. So we walked around admiring the view where we were accosted by youths wanting English coins for their collections.....They got told to politely sod off.
I got surrounded by a group who wanted to ask questions and take a photo but one deliberately stood on my foot (maybe a distraction but the whole encounter put me on edge) and I got out of there.
We then were going to go up one of the minuets to see the view of the city, that was another 100R=£1. At the bottom of the minuet we were told to leave our shoes and then climbed the narrow staircase to the top. Wow it was a view but it was packed. A small crowd of boys had had followed us up. We were packed in tight. Very conscious of pick pockets I noticed one of the boys hands going for Andy rear trouser pocket. I challenged him and the other boys and started taking pictures of them. The one who had gone for Andy disappeared down the stairs very quickly. That for me was the experience ruined so I went down and decided to leave. When I go to my shoes I was fuming....The boy there wanted 50R for looking after the shoes. I told him he was not getting a penny picked up my shoes and walked away. I went to the main courtyard and waited for Andy and Simon who both had told the boy 'where to go'. We left to get back to our cycle rickshaws and the man who charged us on the way in wanted the tickets back, needless to say I did not speak to him either and walked away.
Disgusted and after the experience of the Golden Temple, I will never go back to Old Delhi Mosque. They have a few things to learn from other famous Mosques in world. If I knew who to write to complaint I would.
The rickshaw drivers then showed to a great little place where we bought the last of our presents and then a whistle stop tour of the Red Fort and we were back at the Metro Station.
Two rickshaws 3 hours and gave them 1000R=£10 but they did work for it. We gave them the money out of sight of there boss. Andy at the Metro station had a street shave by a bloke with a chair in the street. Off came that 3 week old beard he had been growing, 50R=50P well spent. It was during this that the rickshaw drivers returned and bought us a cup of Chi - how nice these guys have nothing but stopped and bought it for us - out of the handsome tip we gave them but its the thought that counts. Faith restored and yes the rickshaw driver was Muslim.
Back to Karol Bagh on the Metro with a slight detour (wrong platform). We went out for a chicken dinner and back to the room. Hunger Games on the telly and Skyping home. We have booked a room for the last night in the 5 star Vassant Continental Hotel, we get to us their pool etc for the day. Web check done and Sunday evening we touch down in Blightly Air India AI 111.
At about 6pm we jump into an auto (Tuk Tuk) and go down town it takes about 15mins through the traffic to reach the right part of town. We give our flipflops in and buy a orange headscalves (20R) and make our way towards the temple. We go through a foot bath where I am challenged by a great big Sikh guard with a spear. "Do you have any tobacco or cigarettes?" he roars, "no" I squeak I don't smoke. and with that he smiles and I enter the temple. Inside I can see the lake and the Golden Temple in the middle. The place is busy with many hundreds of worshippers walking around. Now I had imagined the temple complex to be considerably bigger than it actually is. The lake is about 2 football pitches and the golden temple sits in the centre connected by a walkway. The temple is impressive and a spectacle. The queue to get to the temple by pilgrims was never ending. We walked around the outer complex. Some worshippers were bathing in the holy waters, some with their daggers strapped to the turbans. The loud speakers were chanting prayers out.
Occasionally people would come up to us and ask where we were from and ask to have their picture taken. These people were being welcoming to their temple. We took as many photos as we liked. We walked to the holy feeding centre where they serve between 10,000 to 20,000 free meals a day to anyone who wants one. We did not go into the dining hall but from outside we could see those going in and coming out. Never ending. There was any army of volunteers washing up. Our German friends managed to get into the kitchen and said there was 2500L vats of Dall and rice pudding. Very impressive and this is all funded by the temple.
So after spending some time around the temple and watching the sun set over it we left recovered our shoes and walked into the town. We found a Domino's pizza shop and decided to have pizza for tea. No meat in this pizza shop. An auto took us back to the guest house to relax by the pool.
Day 18 -19
We left Amritsar, it was sad to leave the oasis of calmness and enter the silliness of Indian roads. We left by the main highway. Usual stuff fighting the autos, rickshaws, mopeds, trucks, cows etc. We turned off the main highway to take a more scenic route. Not my idea as I wanted to stay on the main trunk road but went with the decision. Actually the NH71 was calmer than the main road and in fact was a great road to return back to Delhi. We cruised along not really caring how or where we go to. When it came time to find a hotel.....could we find one.....no. It was another 50km on in a small town called Sangrur where we found a cheap hotel. 600R=£6 and the bikes were kept in the hotel lobby. The hotel was a bit grim but at least we had a cute baby gecko running around the bathroom. We all shared a room. We had a meal at a restaurant across the road - Curry of course 270R=£2.70 for three meals inc drinks.
Early rise bikes out of the lobby and on the road, easy drive now into Delhi. Now you know I mentioned the cute Gecko....about 45 minutes into the ride we stopped for Chi and I thought I felt something move in my boot. I took off my boot and you guessed it a disfigured gecko...oops, must have climbed into my boot during the night.
Anyway we carried on and it was fairly easy. Well easy until we got to Delhi. We entered the city of ultra silliness. OMG, it took a while but we got to the hotel and I was glad to be stepping off the Enfield.
We booked in and showered, quick curry and off to bed and some heavenly sleep.
Day 20
We woke up late and the reception wanted to know if we were coming down for breakfast?
Simon arrived about 10.30 and following a drink rode the bikes back to Lallis workshop. (no helmets, shirt sleeves and flip flops - Indian style bike protection)
We sorted all the paperwork out and got our deposits back. I was charged for a crack on the pannier frame which needed welding.
We then jumped on the Delhi Metro system and went into Old Delhi. Well I thought new Delhi was crowded and noisy......triple this and make the streets narrower. Its hell, you spend more time sat in traffic than moving. So we went to see various markets and they took down all the back streets to look at the shops. Why do they need 50 shoe shops all next to each other all selling the same thing????? Who is buying multi-coloured flip flops everybody is wearing old dirty one or none at all.
We went to the Jamal Mosque in the centre of Old Delhi. This for me was the worse experience of the whole adventure and personally feel disgusted by the way tourists are treated in a house of God. I shall explain.
Firstly as we entered we removed our shoes and were told it was a 300R=£3 entrance fee. When I asked why the Indians were not paying they told me Indians go in free. Turns out the fee was to take in a camera and not an entrance fee. So we walked around admiring the view where we were accosted by youths wanting English coins for their collections.....They got told to politely sod off.
I got surrounded by a group who wanted to ask questions and take a photo but one deliberately stood on my foot (maybe a distraction but the whole encounter put me on edge) and I got out of there.
We then were going to go up one of the minuets to see the view of the city, that was another 100R=£1. At the bottom of the minuet we were told to leave our shoes and then climbed the narrow staircase to the top. Wow it was a view but it was packed. A small crowd of boys had had followed us up. We were packed in tight. Very conscious of pick pockets I noticed one of the boys hands going for Andy rear trouser pocket. I challenged him and the other boys and started taking pictures of them. The one who had gone for Andy disappeared down the stairs very quickly. That for me was the experience ruined so I went down and decided to leave. When I go to my shoes I was fuming....The boy there wanted 50R for looking after the shoes. I told him he was not getting a penny picked up my shoes and walked away. I went to the main courtyard and waited for Andy and Simon who both had told the boy 'where to go'. We left to get back to our cycle rickshaws and the man who charged us on the way in wanted the tickets back, needless to say I did not speak to him either and walked away.
Disgusted and after the experience of the Golden Temple, I will never go back to Old Delhi Mosque. They have a few things to learn from other famous Mosques in world. If I knew who to write to complaint I would.
The rickshaw drivers then showed to a great little place where we bought the last of our presents and then a whistle stop tour of the Red Fort and we were back at the Metro Station.
Two rickshaws 3 hours and gave them 1000R=£10 but they did work for it. We gave them the money out of sight of there boss. Andy at the Metro station had a street shave by a bloke with a chair in the street. Off came that 3 week old beard he had been growing, 50R=50P well spent. It was during this that the rickshaw drivers returned and bought us a cup of Chi - how nice these guys have nothing but stopped and bought it for us - out of the handsome tip we gave them but its the thought that counts. Faith restored and yes the rickshaw driver was Muslim.
Back to Karol Bagh on the Metro with a slight detour (wrong platform). We went out for a chicken dinner and back to the room. Hunger Games on the telly and Skyping home. We have booked a room for the last night in the 5 star Vassant Continental Hotel, we get to us their pool etc for the day. Web check done and Sunday evening we touch down in Blightly Air India AI 111.
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