Our visit to Amritsar last weekend was as smooth as our previous trip to Agra was needlessly complicated. Indian Railways, it turns out, is stunningly efficient -- the trains leave right on time, and the departure is followed by a steady sequence of tea and snacks. After the five-and-a-half hour train ride, we arrived at 1:30, giving us just enough time for a quick lunch of Punjabi food before visiting the Harmandir Sahib, or Golden Temple.
The difference between visiting the Taj Mahal and the Golden Temple is the difference between being part of the spectacle and being a mere spectator. At the Golden Temple, even Westerners with only a rudimentary knowledge of Sikhism (like myself) understand that they are visiting a shrine of immense spritual significance to the religion's followers. Were it not for the welcoming nature of the Sikhs present, I would've felt uncomfortable, like an intruder. At the Taj, on the other hand, tourism is largely the point -- most of the people there have made the trip so they can cross it off their list of must-see Indian landmarks.
Unfortunately, we did not have time to go to Wagah, on the Indo-Pak border, to see the flag-lowering ceremony. That will definitely be one of my stops when I take a week or two off in the fall to see more of the country.
Pictures from the trip can be seen here. No trip this coming weekend. I am going to take Sunday to explore more of Delhi.
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