Well, after 3 days audience with Ramesh Balsekar in Mumbai, I am in Amritsar, Punjab, India. It's stunning to sit in silence and gaze at the famed Golden Temple of the Sikhs. The entire main dome is plated with pure gold and sits in the center of a pool of water, i.e., pool of nectar. The holy scripts are chanted continuously by holy men and broadcasted to the entire complex throughout the day. It's one place that feels really spiritual.
The last few days with Ramesh plus the ambience here has brought me a lot of peace. It's just different when you don't have to deal with the daily monotonous routine of daily life. Though conditions are rudimentary and travel difficult at times, there is plenty to keep one's cheer up. The people are all genuinely so friendly... and especially if you're a caucasian woman, they all want to take photos with you.
Interestingly, today I also visited the war memorial in Amritsar in commemorance of the 1919 where british soldiers open fired on unarmed indian protesters, killiing over a thousand and wounding over 2000. The irony of it is that I went there with another british girl I met, but all the local men wanted to take a photo with her - i mean, clearly the sign says the Brits massacred the Indians here!
Well, I'm in northern india now. It's cold and I don't have adequate clothing. I'm heading to Dharamsala next to see the Daila Lama in exile and then taking a LONG train to Varanasi, and then Bodhgaya, India before heading over by land to Nepal. Which will be colder. Wish me luck. Happy new year all! And sorry, internet access is still rather spotty.
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