NEMY, AMRITSAR, INDIA

THURSDAY, MAY 6, 2011

AMRITSAR, PUNJAB, INDIA

Today we leave Amritsar and head to the foothills of the Himalaya and some cooler temps. We leave some friendly faces behind.

 I have through my life pocketed some useful tips and now we leave having put one to good use. “Only Mad Dogs and Englishmen go out in the mid-day sun”

A part of the Sikh religion is that everyone once in his or her lives must visit the Golden Temple. I am already looking forward to returning home and meeting the first Sikh I see. Can’t wait to rub it in that I was there if perhaps they have not journeyed yet.

My newfound respect and commitment to extending my hand to any Punjabi was immediately put to the test. We arranged a car-hire for our trip. Our driver arrived one hour late and clearly emitted a sense of let’s get this over with. Not the best prospect for a six-hour drive.  Maybe he got up on the wrong side of his pray blanket.

After assessing the situation of already aggressive roads and us in the mix with our driver, I pooled all the new Hindi Shiva I had been introduced to and all other matters of religion that I could name and asked “ Our Lady of Blessed Acceleration save us now”

Any drive here is like a moving sideshow. It’s like sitting and watching a six-hour movie. Some believable. Some not. Some G rated. Some “Viewer Descretion Advised” 

It also gives ample time to further the study the art of horn blowing (Horn honking is a completely different game.) My favorite blow is what I like to call the “Thread the Needle” It involves the thread, us poor souls, and the eye of the needle. This can be any combination of inanimate objects, any living or barely living thing or any form of transportation,(huge tinsel laden and vibrantly painted trucks) including water buffalo, cows

---- Cows are quite frequently found taking full advantage of their status and stand pretty much where dam want to. Often quite the inconvenience. I’m thinking of making up some bumper stickers” Can’t live with them, can’t eat them” ----

Back to the T.t.N. To truly qualify for a Thread the Needle there has to be least a twenty-kmh velocity difference between parties. The application of the horn is triggered by a significantly enough amount of pressure that driver is slightly off his seat and the potential of the steering column going through the floorboard exists. We being amateurs in this field of chauffeuring and judgment have proved us wrong more than once.  I was sure that we would be driving the last fifty kilometers without doors.

I have to note that I was also extremely disappointed with our Delhi-Agra-Delhi driver. He was a nice guy and we all felt comfortable travelling with him but he had a dust-up with a bus that is, how shall I say this, NOTHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT” No Daytona 500 highlight reel were, of course, we all walk away.  What it did teach me was that if I leave India and have learned only one thing that our two great nations have in common is “ Objects in mirror are closer than they appear”

Note in favor of driving in India – Pedestrians are definitely the lowest caste by far!!!

As we are flying across this great plain of India I think of my wish long ago that if I pass, I would like it to be in a far away, exotic place. A place when people learn of conjure images of adventure and mystery.  I then quickly study our driver and all that’s going on around us. I suddenly am leaning towards" He passed peacefully away on Kilman rd."  If anything a tragic goat misadventure. (More for all the goat lovers in us soon)  

We are now coming to the end of this part of our trip. The great plains of India goes on forever. The Himalaya are known for their sudden a sharp rise. I picture it as being on an endless beach with great and mighty tidal surf coming at us. We have gained over 2000 meters and with the Himalaya as a back drop are pulling into McLeod Ganj. Home of the exiled Dali Lama.

If I had ever wondered what I would be doing if I had travelled half way around the world to one of the great spiritual places in the world. I need not wonder again.

I would be shopping!