Amritsar- the location of the golden temple and Sikh headquarters. I have to admit that I was very ignorant about Sikhs and their religion. My only previous exposure and contact with Sikhism was through a pure-bred Swedish co-worker with a big red beard. All I remember was that food crumbs would get stuck in his beard and he was dating an over-the-top jealous Sikh girl whom would call constantly all day long! Not the best scenario to get a feel for what Sikhism is really all about. As soon as we reached Amritsar we felt that this was a place with a completely different atmosphere and much of it was due to the people. We found that the Sikhs were not only very proud and majestic people, but they were also very kind and helpful. It also helped that we didn't see a single Sikh litter or spit in the street. That always is a plus in my book :)
The Golden temple is the holiest temple of the Sikhs and it was with much anticipation that we visited it. It was beyond our expectations. After following the crowd (to make sure we behaved appropriately, which included hand and feet washing and headscarves for both of us), we were completely blown away by the beauty of the Golden Temple and it's marble surroundings. Through the loudspeakers chanting and hymns were heard, which added to the magical feeling. If there's one place that I truly do recommend to visit in India, it would be here.
Despite the glorious sight and the peaceful feel to the temple, we finally had to get going and get something to eat. Food in India has been great and we both like Indian food a lot. However, it does get to a point where every curry is just another curry and you start craving for some variation. We've been pretty careful with what we eat, probably more so than most fellow travelers. I've had some bad experiences with food-related belly upsets in the past, so it is called for to be a bit paranoid and we also did not want to waste time being sick if it is possible to avoid. Considering that probably 90% of the Indian people are vegetarians, we have followed suit. Their reasons may be religious, but our reason is that we both studied microbiology! Being a short-term vegetarian, if you're not used to it, is actually a bit difficult. Dan, in particular, has been obsessing about meat and protein for over a week at this stage. He's been talking everyday about what he will eat once we get to Dubai and Oman, that apparently have really good Shawarma. Also during this meal he was talking about it with watery mouth and great anticipation while eating his noodles (a quick alternative to his usual curry). Now there's one thing you should know about Dan. He has proven to have a talent for finding hair in his food. On numerous occasions he's managed to pull out even the smallest eyelash or dare I say armpit hair (or so we think/ hope?!) from his food. Suddenly, Dan stops eating and I think "oh no another hair", but instead he fishes out a baby cockroach. Eeeewwww, I think I would've preferred a hair from any part of the body......or maybe I take that back, almost any part of the body, to this find. I absolutely hate cockroaches and definitely the ultimate disgust is to find them in the food. True that Dan has been wanting some source of protein, but this was not it! Dan being gentlemanly and all, takes it out discretely since he didn't want to make a scene and continues to eat!!!! His comment is that "at least it was a baby cockroach so there shouldn't be any eggs", but he is looking carefully before each mouthful. Now, I too fully concentrate to scrutinize and examine every bite of my meal. We almost finished everything, but I felt slightly uneasy, worrying about what I might have missed spotting in my food. The waiter brings the bill and mumbles something about service charge. We don't regularly tip here so that was a bit unexpected. The waiter of course doesn't know about the cockroach incident, but we could not make ourselves leave a tip. The waiter clearly got annoyed and we ended up looking like cheap tourists....
The Golden temple is the holiest temple of the Sikhs and it was with much anticipation that we visited it. It was beyond our expectations. After following the crowd (to make sure we behaved appropriately, which included hand and feet washing and headscarves for both of us), we were completely blown away by the beauty of the Golden Temple and it's marble surroundings. Through the loudspeakers chanting and hymns were heard, which added to the magical feeling. If there's one place that I truly do recommend to visit in India, it would be here.
Despite the glorious sight and the peaceful feel to the temple, we finally had to get going and get something to eat. Food in India has been great and we both like Indian food a lot. However, it does get to a point where every curry is just another curry and you start craving for some variation. We've been pretty careful with what we eat, probably more so than most fellow travelers. I've had some bad experiences with food-related belly upsets in the past, so it is called for to be a bit paranoid and we also did not want to waste time being sick if it is possible to avoid. Considering that probably 90% of the Indian people are vegetarians, we have followed suit. Their reasons may be religious, but our reason is that we both studied microbiology! Being a short-term vegetarian, if you're not used to it, is actually a bit difficult. Dan, in particular, has been obsessing about meat and protein for over a week at this stage. He's been talking everyday about what he will eat once we get to Dubai and Oman, that apparently have really good Shawarma. Also during this meal he was talking about it with watery mouth and great anticipation while eating his noodles (a quick alternative to his usual curry). Now there's one thing you should know about Dan. He has proven to have a talent for finding hair in his food. On numerous occasions he's managed to pull out even the smallest eyelash or dare I say armpit hair (or so we think/ hope?!) from his food. Suddenly, Dan stops eating and I think "oh no another hair", but instead he fishes out a baby cockroach. Eeeewwww, I think I would've preferred a hair from any part of the body......or maybe I take that back, almost any part of the body, to this find. I absolutely hate cockroaches and definitely the ultimate disgust is to find them in the food. True that Dan has been wanting some source of protein, but this was not it! Dan being gentlemanly and all, takes it out discretely since he didn't want to make a scene and continues to eat!!!! His comment is that "at least it was a baby cockroach so there shouldn't be any eggs", but he is looking carefully before each mouthful. Now, I too fully concentrate to scrutinize and examine every bite of my meal. We almost finished everything, but I felt slightly uneasy, worrying about what I might have missed spotting in my food. The waiter brings the bill and mumbles something about service charge. We don't regularly tip here so that was a bit unexpected. The waiter of course doesn't know about the cockroach incident, but we could not make ourselves leave a tip. The waiter clearly got annoyed and we ended up looking like cheap tourists....
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