Coconuts to Crampons: A Golden Ending

For our last stop in India we wanted to visit Amritsar in the state of Punjab. It is a holy city for Sikhs located 28 kms from the border with Pakistan and home to the Golden Temple (like the Vatican to Catholics).

We also felt that considering how many Punjabis immigrated to Canada, this visit would give us an opportunity to further understand our fellow Canadians. Did you know that some of the largest Sikh communities outside of Punjab is Surrey B.C. and Brampton Ontario?!

Unfortunately there is no direct or easy way to get from Jaisalmer to Amritsar so we had to go through Delhi. We ended up on an 18 hour train ride that left Jaisalmer at 12:05am and arrived in Delhi at 9:20pm, and of course it was late...Nonetheless, we got comfortable in our little sleeping berth (with privacy curtains) and enjoyed the ride!

Delhi is a crazy and chaotic city! The streets are jam packed with cars, trucks, autorickshaws, bicycle rickshaws and even some with cow power!

Unfortunately we were in the city on a Monday when almost all the sites were closed so instead we wandered the streets of Old Delhi and visited the spice market.

After our one day in Delhi, we took a flight to Amritsar. When we arrived we found out that, lucky us, we are visiting on an "auspicious occasion" - the Guru Nanak's birthday! Guru Nanak is the founder of the Sikh religion and pilgrims from far and wide come to bathe in the holy waters that surround the Golden Temple and then pray at the complex. We were a bit worried about the crowds we would encounter but it turned out to be a great experience. The atmosphere, with the thousands of pilgrims, was amazing and made it so much more meaningful. There was not much signage around and because we had never been to a Sikh temple we didn't know what to do. With all the pilgrims we were able to just follow! The only two things that we knew we had to do that were different than Hindu temples was cover our heads and wash our feet before entering the complex.

And, of course, we made friends!

I really didn't know anything about Sikhism so here's a quick list of what I've learned: -Guru Nanak was a farmer who was frustrated with the caste system in India. He believed that all people were equal.
-There is only one God, unlike Hindus who apparently have 33 million gods and goddesses.
-They believe in hard work, family and serving others. At all Gudwaras (temples) they give free meals and there are no entrance fees.
-Sikhs are not allowed to cut their hair. They believe that God created us with hair that grows long and it should be respected.
-The wearing of a turban for men was made mandatory by the tenth Guru to manage the long hair, to promote equality and preserve the Sikh identity.
-Sikhs carry the qualities of a saint soldier. They must have the courage to defend the rights of all those who are wrongfully oppressed.
-Sikhs carry a Kirpan, which is a ceremonial sword, at all times. It is a representation of their saint soldier qualities.

For our last night in India we went out for a show at the Wagah border crossing. We jumped in a shared taxi for the one hour drive to the border to Pakistan! There were thousands of Indians and Pakistanis sitting in official stadium style seating on their respective sides of the borders and right along the highway.

Everyone was cheering for their countries. We were ushered into the foreigner section on the India side (I don't think they had any foreigners on the Pakistan side). The show started with some flag waving and some dancing with VERY loud music (should have brought ear plugs...).

Then these bad ass looking guys showed up.

Then these bad ass ladies marched down the street towards the gate.

Then these guys really showed off their marching and high kicking.

On the other side of the border, they were doing the same thing. It was really all about who can outdo the other. Who can march the best, who can kick the highest and which side had the loudest supporters. In turn, everyone marched down to the gate, met a counterpart on the Pakistani side, had a march or kick off, shook hands then walked back. The entire ceremony was about an hour. It was really funny and definitely a unique experience!

The food across India is so diverse and there is so much more than the butter chicken, naan, rice and palak paneer that we see so much at home. What we know as Indian food is actually North Indian since the majority of Indo-Canadians are from here.

Every bite is like an assault on your taste buds! There is just so much spice in their cooking: cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, chili peppers, mustard seeds, curry leaves, and the list goes on and on...The absolute best way to taste a bit of everything is to get thalis. Thalis are like a little personal buffet: you get one large platter with a bunch of little bowls with different regional items, a little rice, a papad and chapati or naan.

Punjab Thali

Gujurat Thali

Rajasthan Thali

There are so many dishes that we tried that it's hard to keep track of! Everything just tasted so good.

Breakfast: Aloo (potato) parantha with curd and pickled vegetables.

Kachori: stuffed pastry with potato, lentils and spices.

Laal Maans (left) is stewed mutton in a spicy tomato curry and Tandoori chicken (right)

And with every meal, we had a sweet lassi which is a drink made of yoghurt, water and spices, usually cardamom.

The locals all stop for chai regularly throughout the day. There are chai wallas everywhere! The chais are always so spicy and everyone seems to have their own version. My favourite ones include cardamom and fresh mashed ginger that gives it that spicy taste.

And then there are the sweets. There are so many different varieties but what you can be sure of is that the main ingredient will be sugar, and lots of it.