Just back after 7 weeks in Calangute, during our stay we went with another couple to visit The Golden Temple at Amritser. The trip was organised for us by Eddie at Daytripper. We flew up around early evening with Spicejet to Delhi and were met at the airport by the tour company that Daytipper employ and taken for dinner to a restuarant close to our tourist hotel in the Karol Bagh district. I,ts the same area thats used on the Golden Triangle trip We left at 7.00 the next morning for a 6 hour journey throgh the Punjab by express train This area is known as the bread basket of India and is fertile and green at this tme of year with crops of grain. We were met on arrval by vinnet, our guide for the next 2 days He had studied hotel management in London before returning to help run the family tourist business He collected us in the late afternoon and took us to the border with Pakistan to watch the ceremony of Beating Retreet. Anyone who saw Michael Palins recent film will recall it It's just pure theatre as the crowd of about 10,000 cheer on the army. As vinnet seemed to bein the know with some of the officials we manage a seat in the front row in the v.i.p. section! After returning to our hotel for a freshen up we were collected and taken for the first of our two visits to the Temple As the guide books explain it is the heart of the Sikh faith and every Sikh makes an attempt to visit it once and bathe in its holy water It's immensley powerfull and spiritual We entered the complex and were met with the vision of the Golden Temple in the middle of the lake wth access to it by a causeway We entered the temple itself at about 9.30.pm and were lucky enouh to witness the ceremony of the holy book being put to bed It is then carried on a Pallanquin over the causeway to where it will remain in the main complex until it is brough back at 3.00a.m. the next day It,s difficult to convey the whole electric atmosphere of the temple as its a lifetimes experience for those taking part The next morning we returned for a second tour which included the kitchens which provide a free meal to all who wish it. At any one time, both day and night, there are thousands of Sikhs visiting and it was one of the most moving places I have ever visited Words here cannot describe the whole experience There are not many tourists present owing mainly I think to it's location which made it all the more special We got the train back to Delhi arriving about 11.00pm We spent the next day touring Delhi, then flew back to Goa the next morning We all had travelled widely in India and elsewhere in the world but we all agreed that this was the trip of a lifetime The spectacle alone is staggering and coupled with the spiritual feelings of the thousands visiting made it so special All I can say is if you can only ever make one big trip whilst in Goa, make it this one, as it really is a trip of a lifetime Alan