Amritsar and the Western Foothills

If you want to have a fair chance to catch a few glimpses of the high peaks of the magnificent range of the Himalayas, February is about the latest you have to head the way we are taking on this trip. Going earlier in the year would make you brave even lower temperatures in the foothills. You just have to be aware that hotels in India do not have heating systems. Inside is as usually about as cold as it gets outside in the night and all they provide you are roll in heaters or an AC unit that tries to produce some hot whirl. As you will see and read in the following posts mostly sunny days, beautiful sights and down jackets made for great experiences.

Our overland trip starts with a visit of Amritsar in the Punjab the immensely fertile province – since 1947 divided between India and Pakistan – and is home to the Golden Temple the holiest shrine of the Sikhs.

On the way through town we pass a market where not only fish, clothing and savories are sold but you can also get your physiotherapy session right out on the street.

Passing a wedding ‘farm’ we crash the party – absolutely accepted practice – and had a look at a very stern looking ‘happily’ freshly married couple.

Heading towards the Golden Temple we pass the Jallianwala Bagh where in 1919 British troops massacred between 400 and 1’000 innocent civilians. This event dramatically changed the opinion towards the British rule over India back home. Today a peaceful garden is a memorial to this atrocious act.