Amritsar - City of Gold

As I ticked another place of my bucket list, I choose to visit Amritsar in 4th week of August. At the time of planning there was no issue, booked tickets from Goibibo and stay at AirBnB. I choose AirBnB as I wanted to experience home stay. I did the planning of what to visit and where to go. When I reached Amritsar, riot broke out in the city which didn't affect in any way for my stay.

Day 1: Amritsar

I landed in the morning and was picked up by taxi arranged along with stay arrangements. I already had list of things I needed to do before my trip. First on my list is to see the places in the city, Gobindgarh Fort, Golden temple, and Jallianwala Bagh.  Unfortunately, due to crisis of MSG verdict the place was on complete lock down. When I landed, the mobile service was suspended that meant no data or voice service available. I managed to locate the taxi driver at the airport. When I reached the the house hosted by Hargun, I was given a room that was attached to the main house. Hargun is staying with her husband at the house located a little away from the city and is very cheerful lady. She was very welcoming and hosted me like a family member. The room had balcony and had garden view from the bedroom. 

I took the taxi back to city to enjoy the Amritsari food. I am not great fan for 5 star food. I felt if I need to taste the authentic food I need to get it from the restaurant which had the authentic feeling. I told the driver to take me to local dhaba. He took me to a restaurant next to bus stand. Mind it, its not about having clean place, its about the taste of food. I ordered for a Chole Kulcha. 

You got to believe me, this was the best Kulcha that I had in my life. Awesome taste and was filling. How can I end the meal without the lassi. I had heard a lot about the Gian Chand Lassi Wale which I wanted to visit. Driver now drove to the place for me to get the taste of the first glass of lassi in Amritsar. Tastiest Lassi I had till now. As they say there is something in the waters of Amritsar that makes the food the tastiest. 

Now my next stop was in the "Golden Temple". I was dropped off at a distance from the temple as there was no parking space in the vicinity. Now you might be thinking how is she managing communicating with taxi drive. Key is communication to any problem, I had told him to be near the place where he dropped me and not change the location. Few things to take care when you are in "Golden Temple". Both genders need to cover their head. Mostly in north the ladies cover their head with shawl or dupatta or saree pallu. Being from south of India I am not used to this culture. But I respect the sentiments and decided to wear suit. When I reached the main door of the temple, I observed people washing their legs in a small arena which contained water. Observing people helps you to follow the crowd. There was huge box kept next to the water. Men could pick small scarfs to tie to their head to cover their head. I covered my head with the dupatta and entered the temple. I was struck at the scene before me. I did not have words to describe my thoughts. I just stared at the mesmerizing view and forgot when the dupatta fell from my head. Next thing I felt was a soft bang on my head 😆. I did not know whether to laugh or cry at this gesture. One of the uncles told me to wear the dupatta again on my head. I wore that and continued walking to the temple. When I told this to few of friends they told even they experienced this. I am not the only one 😁

 

The temple formed a scenic beauty by reflecting itself on the pond which overlooked from the temple. Even with the crisis, the temple was brimming with enthusiastic devotees singing in praise of Guru Nanak. It was day of celebration. I proceeded towards the temple door which lead me inside the temple. I passed by devotees singing and taking small steps, their face showed the hope and fulfillment. I went ahead and finished the entire temple tour in a hour or two. I came out and took the prasad offered by the temple authorities. It's said take half and return half back as part of sharing concept. I came to sit right in front of the temple and taking in the peaceful night. I felt sense of fulfillment. Golden temple has been long awaited in my list. 

I returned back to the taxi. He suggested me to eat at a restaurant. I did try the Punjabi thali which was nice in the taste and quality. I got back to home where I was staying. I freshened up and retired early to bed.

Day 2: Gobindgarh Fort and Wagah Border

I freshened up and took the same taxi to visit the Gobindgarh Fort. I had breakfast on the way.  It's a historic fort located in the center of the city of Amritsar. There is a Sher e Punjab which is a 7D paid show which you can watch if interested, I decided to give it a skip and take walk inside the fort. You can also see the Toshakhana which is a coin museum and also museum which has statues of war heroes. The entire structure took me an hour to explore and come out. It was post lunch time when I was out of the fort. 

   

I decided to proceed to Wagah Border and on the way to stop for lunch. Driver stopped at a road side dhaba for lunch. It was my turn to enjoy Punjabi food again. We reached the border at around 3 pm for the Beating Retreat Ceremony. The parade started 5:15 PM and lasted for about 45 minutes. As it is crowded, I was told to arrive at least an hour before the ceremony. From the moment the car was parked, sellers approached me with Indian flags and hats. To which I kept on saying "No" and in the end purchased a hat to protect myself from the scorching heat. When I walked further, I was approached by the auto rickshaw, who wanted to drop me to the main entrance. I decided to take the 1 km walk in the super hot desert-like heat. 

I could see people rushing to form the lines when I reached the main gate. As I slowly proceeded further, I saw people rushing towards the parade ground. It looked like a mad rush. When I reached the venue where the parade was going to commence, I saw a stadium like seating. I got a seat near to the main parade but place was already full. The place had people from villages who looked like "Scene from mother India", singing "Mere Desh ki Dharthi" & "Mere Rang de Basanti". Their enthusiastic faces made others also enjoy the event even more. 

This ceremony takes place every evening before sunset at the Wagah border. The ceremony is hosted by an Army represented, whose voice was as strong as his personality. He was able to keep the crowd on toes enjoying every moment. He kept the crowd engaged with patriotic songs from movies and our freedom fighters. The crowd includes both Indian and Foreigners. I could see people from remote villagers lining up in the front railing just to get closer to the event. They looked and sounded so enthusiastic that their fierce patriotism bought few happy tears in my eyes. Not sure how many of you have ever felt the goose bumps while hearing the National Anthem. I have always felt it when I have heard it. And looking at everyone singing and showing the emotions with smiles, shouts of "Vande Matharam" and "Bharath Mathaki Jai" slogans, bought  tears in eyes making me a Proud Indian. The ceremony had not yet begun, the host called few girls and ladies from the crowd to join the main parade path to hold the flag. I saw the crowd going crazy at this as everyone wanted to be part of this event. I saw more than 30 ladies, girls and kids lined up to perform this act as directed by the Host. 

As the beating parade started, the army men and women lined up in perfect pair, and each displayed Patriotic feeling in fierce parade from both the sides. Soldiers tried to outdo each other side by marching and performing drill and impressively very high leg kicks. The parade was led by two lady officers and followed by 9 Male officers.

As the sun starts setting, the iron gates at the border are opened and the two flags are lowered simultaneously. The flags are folded and the ceremony ends with a retreat and handshake between soldiers from both sides. I could hear people humming to tunes of patriotic songs.  

The ceremony has been filmed and stored in my memory to relive for years to come. This was worth the wait and the journey amidst the riots and no service zones. 
I started towards the parking area to return back to Amritsar by the car in which I had come. I wanted to take the bus to Dalhousie which is 193 kms away from Amritsar. As he drove back, I took couple of pictures of the evening. I could see the greenery all round me. I just had seen this part of Punjab and already had fallen in love with it. People, Place and food is just awesome.

Banaras (Varanasi) - City on banks of Ganges

I have always been fascinated with the prospect of visiting Banaras. I had heard so much about its beautiful monuments and it being the knowledge hub. I had read lot of material on internet about Banaras being an incredible place for both tourists and pilgrims to visit. While I planned to go to Banaras, I did my usual research and inquiry with family and friends. This takes time to decide as people were giving varied information for Solo traveler. I still decided to go Solo with just my back pack. I did the flight booking and booked a hostel which had bunk beds and usually used by travelers. Thus giving me opportunity to meet people whom I did not know.  

I was going to visit for two days as this was only available time for me before the summer started. I was visiting Banaras at the end of March, as it was last week before the summers started which will be intolerable. I wanted to do the trip during the Holi but its difficult with the place being crowded during the festive time, hence last week of March suited me.

Day 1 Mumbai to Banaras:

The Spice Jet flight costed me approx. Rs 6600 included return from MakemyTrip. I had done lot of research for my stay arrangements. I decided to make my stay arrangements via Booking.com. I had selected goStops Hostel which costed me Rs 499 for one night stay. One reason I selected goStops was the proximity to the Ghats and reviews. I departed from Mumbai at 7:25 am and reached at 9:30 am on Saturday morning. When I landed, I wasn't sure what is my transport to Hostel going to be. Moment I stepped out I could see stalls of prepaid taxis who were calling tourists to come to them to book the taxis. I overheard someone mentioning Ola cabs, so I checked my Ola app and found the cab availability. I was happy as it saves time to negotiate the prices and is easier to book. The Ola ride costed me Rs 489 and took me right next to Hostel. The travel took me through the Varanasi city among-st the traffic and people. I reached the Hostel around 11:30 am. The Hostel is 27 kms away from the Airport. I got down from the taxi and took 2 mins walk to the hostel as it is tucked inside the lane. Looking at my lost face, people directed me to the goStops hostel. This had wonderful first impression, as it shows the helpful nature of the people. 

 

 

 

 

I checked into the hostel, as I had booked the dormitory which had 14 bunk bed, they give me a bunk bed which had people from all around world. Very few hostels in India are maintained and friendly. goStops was one of them. They are three storeyed building with 14, 8 & 6 bunk bed (with storage space, must have a lock to keep valuables tucked away while outside) suite rooms and tents. 14 bunk bed room is fun as there will be people from all over the world. There are common toilets on terrace and as well on ground floor. As I had already experienced the tents in my other travels, I wanted to experience the Bunk bed. Each bunk bed has two sleeping compartment one above other. I got one which had storage space one each for bunk beds. All travelers get a storage space which you can either lock it or leave it open. I usually travel light and with non expensive items in my luggage. I left my luggage in the storage and carried my purse. Receptionist at the hostel told about the Kerala cafe restaurant so I went to have my breakfast. 

Restaurant has lot of things on menu, I had Dosa and Coffee. I gave 6/10 for the taste. One tip to travelers is, as they say "In Rome be a Roman", always eat local food available and not to try what does not belong to the place. I walked back to Hostel to rest till the sun went down. I am not great fan of walking in hot sun, so decided to stay in Hostel until my next meal. I saw the room mates had returned from morning stroll. I could see teenagers who wanted to experience the travel with friends. I could see men who came with friends to experience this side of life. I could see people who were solo travelers like me. I struck to conversation with one of the travelers from Europe who was asking about India. Usually Delhi is the place they start their India journey and finish at either Himachal or South or Rajastan. I took a small nap before going for lunch. I decided to take a stroll outside to check out the light snack at 3 pm. I had heard a lot of stories of the food being awesome. Even though I am not a foodie I decided to step out. I was clueless where to go so decide to just walk around and check out. I found a roadside vendor selling chat, it was better than what I had in morning. I went little more further, saw smiling faces, local men and women in groups talking and having good time. I wanted to try the matka lassi malai marke, so walked up to a local diary. 

I could see dahi/yogurt in big flat vessel. He took some out in a spoon and made lassi and gave it in a earthen pot/matka. The topping of malai is added in the end. The lassi was sweet and cooling. This ended my stroll and I decided to return to hostel. I inquired with Hostel about the tours arranged by them. They usually give Ghats tour, morning Boat ride, market tour and food tour. I decided to take the Ghats tour and booked it for evening. I went and rested in the room. I took the 4:30 pm tour. When I stepped out of the room found group of people from different parts of the world. We introduced each other and waited till the tour guide told us to follow us. Staff especially Sonu was very good guide, funny as well very good with his hospitality skills. Staff is always helpful and smiling. We were around 15 people in group. As we took 15 mins walk towards Ghat, I could see shops selling variety of food, silk fabrics, perfumes, and sculpture. When we reached the Ghat, our guide took us to a boat which was specially booked for us. 

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We all got into the boat, we sat around each other facing each other. Sonu narrated fascinating stories and kept us entertained as we enjoyed the boat ride. The boat was driven by equally entertaining man, it looked like there was a competition between them to keep us entertained. Sonu explained the legends and origin of the ghats and why it was the most sacred places for Hindus. Some stories that Sonu narrated was out of RamanadSagar's Ramayan or some other mythological story on TV. I did correct him in few places. 

We had time before the Aarti, hence we stopped by the banks of the Ganges and enjoyed the stroll on the banks of the river. As I began clicking pictures and observing people, rest of the group walked up to the Aghori hut. As they peeped inside to look for Aghori baba's Sonu explained it was not occupied at present by them. They walked excited towards me and explained what they found inside the tent. 

When it was around 5:30 pm we started our ride towards the Dashashwamedh Ghat. On the way we stopped to see a crematory ceremony. 

We all had mixed feeling, few felt we were invading their privacy, others felt it was good to know and learn the ritual. We left to Dashashwamedh Ghat which was most sought out ghat for watching Aarti. You can either watch it from boat or from steps leading to the ghat. As last of the lights disappeared into the night, the start of the Ganga Aarti ceremony began with Priest performing by chatting Aarti songs. The Aarti is performed with small offerings to the Goddess Ganga. 

As Aarti came to an end, my boat mates started lighting the diyas / candles and placed it on the river water. I could see emotions of hope and wishes of people around me floating down the river and reaching the Goddess Ganga. This ritual happens every single day and is so intense and magical that every single person present in the Ghat was feeling it.

Irrespective of where they were from the prayer was a feeling which had no language or religion. I could see each of us closing eyes and praying. If wishes came true, mine did, to witness this with all of them. It’s an intense experience with the drums beating to a set tune, mantras being chanted, singing, prayers, the Aarti performed by all the priests and smell of the incense sticks. All this mixed with huge crowd who have traveled from all over India and world to witness the holy ceremony. As the night met with the river rim I could see the diyas were floating and forming small light of hope in the dark. This is a wonderful experience to witness.

As we docked near the ghat, few of us decided to have the famous chats on Varanasi. From the group of 15, 10 of us decided to follow our new lead Micheal. He was in Varanasi from almost a month and knew Varanasi. We walked towards the Kashi Chat Bhandar. 

Its a small chat joint and can have around 50 people at one time. Looking at the crowd I could see it was quite famous. As we waited outside, we booked for two tables for the group. As anticipation starting building up it added up with the hunger. We at last got the seats and we decided to order 4-5 chats. 

We ordered their signature dish tomato chat, Aloo Tikki, Dahi Bhalla, Chuda matar and Kesar Kulfi Faluda. Tamatar chat was made from tomatoes and potatoes served with chutneys and garnished with a crunch of onions. It is spicy and tangy. Dahi Bhalla and Aloo Tikki is like normal chaat. It is served with yogurt along with tamarind and coriander chutney and garnished with coriander leaves. Chuda matar tasted good and was different from normal chats that I had in other cities. We were full till brim and decided to dutch and leave for our next destination. While we decided to explore more, the group further broke to two and we were 5 of us including Micheal. 

We all wanted to try the Local Thandai. As we walked towards the famous Baba Thandai, I saw the place was brimming with small thandai shop every step of the way. We reached Baba Thandai, we took 2 thandai and shared it between 4 of us. 

We now returned to the hostel. The walk was awesome as the crowd had reduced and this gave us lot of place to walk in the narrow roads. We spoke about religion, mythology and lot of things. One thing was certain, India's diverse culture has a profound impact on people around the world. I understood why people got attracted to our culture. While we run out of India to find happiness, others come to India to find peace and happiness. The age old knowledge be it on vedas or yoga we attract people who want to find themselves in them. Sometimes they are misinformed about the culture. I felt happy to correct about few things with whatever knowledge I had and change their perspective about things. We reached Hostel and decided to continue our discussion in the terrace. When we reached the terrace we already had other the hostel mates deep in conversation. The conversation continued even after my decision to go to sleep. I bid good bye as tomorrow will be morning boat ride and visit to Buddha temple. 

Day 2 Banaras: 

I woke up in the Morning 5 am and came to meeting point near the reception to meet the group whom I would join for morning boat ride. Our boat driver came to take us from Hostel. We walked towards one of the Ghat to start our boat ride. 

He took us in the boat and docked in the Aasi Ghat. The morning prayer was awesome to listen to. As others went to watch it, I needed my morning tea. I followed the boat driver to a small tea stall. 

I sat on the steps and watched as the first sun rays hit the sky. The rays played colorful painting on the water making it a scene worth capturing on my camera. As I sipped the ginger tea, I felt wave of peace enter my mind and body. I closed my eyes to take the fresh smell of morning air. 

We returned back to the boat and started the boat ride crossing all Ghats. I could see all kinds of boat, crowded and as well single boats with just two occupants. I saw a boat which even had a musician playing a morning raga on flute. As music floated with the air it mixed with the morning sun rays. All this had a ever lasting impact on me. 

We docked back on ghat and walked back to Hostel. 

I freshened up and went for the breakfast. Breakfast was part of the stay and had white bread, butter, jam, omelette, pancake with banana & chocolate syrup, veg & non veg sandwich, cornflakes and milk, banana, tea and coffee from 8-10 am. It was quite filling. I decided to take tuk tuk to Sarnath. 

Its is located around 10 kms away from Varanasi. You will find guides who will tell you about the place. Its better to hire the guide to know the history of the place. The guide gave the details of the place and took me to near by silk weaving shop. They were selling hand woven silk sarees and materials. I purchased 3 sarees and left to Hostel. The same tuk tuk got me back to Hostel. I went to Hostel and rested for a while before I decided to go to Kashi Vishwanath temple. When I reached the place I saw big queue which is a total no-no for me. I decided to skip it and walk to near by market where I had heard they sell the namkeens. I found it to be closed as it was Sunday. I walked back to Hostel and had my lunch in nearby chat corner. I had now time until my evening flight. 

I decided to stay back in hostel to edit pictures on my camera. They serve tea at 3:30 pm along with few biscuits at hostel. They provide homely feeling which makes it easier to mingle with different people. Very safe and awesome stay.

As my stay ended, I felt trip was worth it and gave me my first awesome experience as a Solo Back packer. I took my evening flight to Mumbai at 7 pm and reached Mumbai at 10 pm.