We arrive at the Firozpur train station at 11am, and jump on a bus, that will be ours for the next 10 days or so. Unfortunately the bus is not big enough to fit all of us, so two must sit in a car. Also, the bus isn't big enough to fit our bodies. I mean - it's alright for little ol' 5'0 me. But for Chris Yoder....it's looking a little uncomfortable.
Today we are visiting the Golden Temple. One of the biggest Sikh Temples. Amanda and Kelsey live with Sikh host families, so today is about them. I didn't really know what to expect, but I definitely know I wasn't expecting such a crowd. I already don't like crowds. I become agitated by slow walkers, and people zig zagging aimlessly. And crowds with Indian men make me extremely uneasy. So putting me a huge crowd of Indian men was less than the best. I am tired from the poor nights sleep, I am alert of any Indians to look our way, I am irritated by the slow walkers, and I am very very grouchy.
This sets the entire mood of my day. We packed into the enormous line of Sikh's going to pray, being sandwiched up against strangers.
After a quick snack of pani puri, we get on our tiny bus and drive 30 minutes to the border between Pakistan and India. More crowds. More men. More anger. The border closes at a specific time, and when they do, they have a ceremony. We walk up and it looks like there's a cheer off that you see at high school football games. I am uninterested in that and more interested on being aware.
It ends and we head out. We're heading north to Dharamsala, the residing place of the Dali lama. Unfortunately we're stuck in traffic, and are planning on arriving at 2 in the morning, a solid 8 hours away. I am curious and very exciting about this. I'll be in the Himalaya's, only one of the most famous mountain ranges in the world. Will I see snow? How fresh is the air going to be? What kind of tourists will I run into?
Today we are visiting the Golden Temple. One of the biggest Sikh Temples. Amanda and Kelsey live with Sikh host families, so today is about them. I didn't really know what to expect, but I definitely know I wasn't expecting such a crowd. I already don't like crowds. I become agitated by slow walkers, and people zig zagging aimlessly. And crowds with Indian men make me extremely uneasy. So putting me a huge crowd of Indian men was less than the best. I am tired from the poor nights sleep, I am alert of any Indians to look our way, I am irritated by the slow walkers, and I am very very grouchy.
This sets the entire mood of my day. We packed into the enormous line of Sikh's going to pray, being sandwiched up against strangers.
After a quick snack of pani puri, we get on our tiny bus and drive 30 minutes to the border between Pakistan and India. More crowds. More men. More anger. The border closes at a specific time, and when they do, they have a ceremony. We walk up and it looks like there's a cheer off that you see at high school football games. I am uninterested in that and more interested on being aware.
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