Golden Temples, High Kicking Men with Guns, Monks, and Mountains

For our fall Diwali week long break, we were joined by our friends from St. Olaf, Amanda and Christian. After a few sights in Mumbai, we flew to Amritsar, in the state of the Punjab (northern part of India near the Pakistani border). Amritsar is the home of the holiest place for Sikhs, the Golden Temple (you may have seen this in one of our favorite movies- Bride and Prejudice).

The Sikh religion is fairly new on the scene, founded in the 15th century in the Punjab- a region that before partition covered much of northern India AND western Pakistan- and is based on the beliefs of faith and justice, one God, the pursuit of salvation through disciplined, personal meditation, led by chosen gurus. Sikhs are very open and welcoming to peoples of all faiths. The Golden Temple is actually an entire complex, complete with a massive kitchen and multi-leveled eating hall that serves between 20,000-60,000 meals A DAY, free to all people who come. Many pilgrims spend the night, either in the hostel or just sleeping in the gardens. It was fascinating walking around, listening to the 24hour sung prayers, watching the men take a holy bath in the water, walking through the elaborate inside of the temple, learning about the rather gruesome history of the Mughal persecution involving some of the worst torture I've ever heard of. The most memorable experience though for us was eating a communal meal with hundreds of other pilgrims- many of whom volunteered to help wash dishes or shell garlic. It was a fantastic insight into another religion, one we knew little about, other than the turbans and small dagger, and the fact that they are amongst the highest number of Indians living abroad.

Because we were so close, that evening, Reid and I took a taxi to the Pakistani-Indian border closing ceremony. I have no idea how best to describe this bizarre and goofy event, other than to relate it to a Vikings vs. Packer game with the two sides cheering, dancing, and the players strutting their stuff and showing off for the crowds (complete with the

silliest walk ever invented complete with high kicks that touched their own nose and loud shouting of what sounded like the announcer at a Mexican soccer game when a player scores-- "GOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLL", though, I'm guessing that's not what they were saying.) Except, these were actual soldiers, with very real guns, on a very real and tense border. We walked away not sure how to feel, but, glad we had the chance to experience the phenomenon.

The four of us then headed to the Himalayan town of McLeod Gange, in Dharmasala, the current home of the Dali Lama and the Tibetan government in exile. I can safely say all 4 of us felt like we were in a different country. The Tibetans are a quiet, kind, peace promoting, and accepting people. What happened to them and their homeland is unbelievably appalling, as I think many of

us acknowledge, but have probably forgotten about, or never really knew the details. The Chinese literally walked into Tibet under the guise of "liberating them" and since then have tried to erase all trace of Tibetan culture. Many have escaped (and continue to do so even now) by trekking through the Himalayas, often alone (even children), arriving with injuries or, well, not surviving the journey. I think the saddest thing for me was wondering how our country could just let this happen, and continue to let this happen, and now that we seem so indebted to China, knowing that we will probably never stand up in any real way for this peace loving, amazing and ancient culture.

In addition to getting to know and understand Tibetan culture, including Buddhism, monk/nun life, fantastic food, crafts, and art, and a trip to the Tibetan Children's Village (an amazing school and home for refugee children), we also enjoyed just being in a fantastic new landscape. We have both experienced being in different mountain ranges before, but, the Himalayas are by far the most fierce, and intimidating I've ever seen. Jagged rock peaks that soar high above, creating the world's largest wall, challenging any to dare to try and cross- going on for miles and miles. We had 4 fabulous days of small and big hikes up and down the foothills (including a day where we got incredibly lost, continually clawing up and down steep, rocky, grassy, or loose dirt hills trying to find some semblance of a path before we finally realized we were NOT on the trail we thought we were), culminating in a much more successful hike to an incredible viewpoint, called "Triund", which also doubles as a rest spot for those that wish to hike on to the snow line (maybe next time!). It was a week that was somewhat reminiscent of the Fall season back home, with 45 degree temps at night, fresh mountain air, and apple flavored drinks.

We purchased a set of prayer flags, which I finally learned are meant as a reminder (like the prayer wheels that the Buddhists turn in the temples and around the town) to "pray for the happiness of all sentient beings".

So, Reid and I will continue to pray for happiness for all of you as we sit on our balcony, watching the bright colors flap in the wind, feeling thankful each and every day for the many gifts and opportunities we have been given.

Love,

Rachel