Gold rush

First night (26th-27th):

When we got to Armristar we caught a rickshaw together to the Sikh's Golden temple (free trip for me) and then we went to find the accomodation.

this was a dorm room with a row of rooms coming off it. i opted for the dorm (all free but i don't need fancy) and the beds were all the same anyway (they all resembled giant slices of stale toast after two weeks of hardening in the sun with a white sheet over it). the room also had a 'shower' (two taps and a bucket) and some lovely communal toilets outside. the actual room we stayed in is for foreginers only (maybe for cultural and safety reasons) and it can provide a nice safe plce at times. after we locked our gear in the lockers provided in the rooms we went to explore a bit before bed.

i had also met an indian / english guy and a french girl who offered to show me the kitchen and so the first thing we did was eat. it was a good dinner of green dal (tasted like mince), rice, chipatti, and a fruit dessert. we also did a quick tour around the temple complex and a bit of outside around the complex but otherwise i was pretty tired and headed to bed soon after.

the temple itself is located in the middle of a man-made lake maybe 100m by 100m in area. the temple is maybe 40x40 i think. i'm not too good with judging distances. It is a real work of art on the outside with more fancy trimmings than the queens birthday cake and at night four bright golden lights are diirected at it and make it resemble a mini sun. it is shaped like the taj (i think) with the roof being an uposide down lotus flower.

The actual complex surrounding the temple is a lot bigger and has the rooms, museum, towers, religious areas etc inside of its walls. It is made of marble or some other white stone and looks amazing.

the whole place is well designed and has a relaxing atmosphere or almost. you'll see what i mean soon...