18
Location: Amritsar
This morning I woke up anticipating heavy amounts of travel and hot weather, but I was ready and excited for it! I had a delicious bowl of oatmeal with banana slices; I licked the bowl clean knowing that I’d be on the road for quite some time unable to devour lunch at our usual time of 12:30. We soon set out for our long car journey. The four-hour car drive wasn’t nearly half as bad as I had initially thought, it went by as fast as you could say, “Oh my gosh I’m going to Amritsar to see the Golden Temple!” Once we arrived at The Golden Tulip Hotel I felt so relaxed and content: the AC was on full blast, the rooms were fabulous, and the service was great; there was nothing to complain or feel anxious about. It was absolutely and incredibly appreciated that we got time to relax in the hotel for a few hours before visiting the Golden Temple because let me tell you, a little bit of rest and rejuvenation was needed!
Lunch was scrumptious. I love naan and chai, and I don’t think I could ever get tired of them. A few hours following our lunch filled with an array of different Indian dishes, we headed on our way to the Golden Temple. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and kind; her teaching style was perfect because she was able to reach and teach every single one of our group members and leave a lasting impact. The temple itself was gorgeous; I loved every aspect of it; the intricacy of every crevice and design was breathtaking! After admiring the temple itself, we toured and volunteered in the dining hall and kitchen. The beautiful thing about this dining hall is that every meal is free for everyone, at any time, and you can have as much as you want. Also, everyone who works there is a volunteer, anyone can volunteer when they want and for as long as they want. In my opinion, it’s a great system that needs to be shown to other countries and people around the world.
After leaving the Golden Temple, everyone seemed pretty exhausted, so hot they were practically melting snowmen, and hungry. We met back up at the Golden Tulip Hotel for a late dinner that was accompanied by live Punjabi music, which I thought was awesome! Soon after dinner I rushed back up to my hotel room, took a quick rinse, and practically jumped like spiderman into my bed and fell asleep almost as fast as my dad can. Overall I’d say today was very successful and I’m sad to see this trip coming to an end, this has been an incredible experience I’ll cherish forever; thank you once again, India and most importantly thank you Patrick and Rabsel!