Another long day of travellin g from Dharamashala to Amritsar, but the road always provides interest…

We were taken to the changing of the guard at the IndoPakistan Wagha border. It was like going to a football match with the two sides barracking for their team. There was dancing, singing, shouting to cheer on the Indian border soldiers. Both countries had their flags raised at the gates. The soldiers were very tall, dressed in full regalia and marched in a very upright manner whilst stamping their heels and sometimes raising a leg so high that it appeared to go above their heads. It was fantastic and I would recommend anyone to see it. Make sure you get there a litte early to get a good seat high up so you can view the entire display more easily.

Tonight we went to the Golden temple which is a famous Sikh temple. On the way, we had a sweet deep fried pastry cooked in clarified butter … it is also very famous in Amritsar according to the guide.

The temple is open 24 hours but at night there is a religious ceremony to “put the book to bed”. The priests go through various rituals and then carry the holy book to rest. There is another ceremony in the morning to return the book for the following day. The temple is beautiful to see at night. Heads needed to be covered and Paul used a turban.

We were taken to a high lookout area and again we were totally absorbed by the beauty of the Himalayas. We had marsala tea in the sun next to a cafe called Angel Cafe because it is close to the skies and heaven.

Upper Dharamshala iss where most the tourist action happens but also is where the Dalai Lama resides when he is here. We visited the Tibetan complex with its temples and was a place of high security with body search and no cameras or mobile phones. It was interesting to visit but no photos … here are some snapshots of the local market and restaurant areas including one of the butcher and one of the hairdresser.

The second day of 7 hour travel got us to Dharamshala and we felt relieved that at least we had two full days to enjoy. The journey from Nalagarrh was slowed by roadworks along the mountainous roads, mostly due to many landslides which occur regularly but may have been made worse last June. Really large boulders and rocks made the already narrow roads difficult to drive on, especially when the road works often took up half the road. Lucky we have such a great driver who seems to be able to negotiate almost any obstacle which is placed in front of him… whether it be static or moving … animal, vegetable or mineral!!

When we reached our room, the view from the balcony was stunning with the background of the Himalayan range with its snow-capped peaks.

Our hotel is out of town and in amongst some villages … I decided to use the vivid colour setting on the camera because the colours of the washing didn’t show up well enough!!!

We were taken to a Tibetan Centre with a Buddhist temple and workshops … all arts and crafts with painting, woodwork, sculpture and sewing.

Inside the temple there were many paintings and beautiful fabrics and wall hangings. There was a large Buddha statue and in front a photograph of the Dalai Lama.

We went to a Buddhist monastery with 1300 resident training monks including some children. The monastery also provides schooling as well as religious training. Something which it provides is the best ginger lemon and honey drink I have ever had… delicious and cost about 50 cents.

Speaking about food, many places we have eaten have a TV going all the time. This seems to provide entertainment both for the customers and the staff. This morning we had breakfast with cricket and tonight we had the Bollywood TV awards. One night in Delhi, the TV was continuous ads for chocolate condoms. Last night we had our first taste of Tibetan food. We are used to ordering spicy in Indian food so we did the same. The chilli factor was noticably different and my eyes and nose ran for about 1/2 hour continuously. Very tasty though.

We went a bit south to a place called Kangara and visted more markets and temples. The various presentations for rice is interesting, and there were Indian muesli bars and all sort of sweets with various seeds.

A stall for weddings and celebrations with all the dazzle and sparkle needed.