Amritsar and Chandigarh Trip

Let me take you through our recent trip to Amritsar and Chandigarh which was filled with colors, fun and joy. This was a short trip but we enjoyed each and every moment of this four day trip. And our journey started with an experience that was no less than a thriller.

Our train from New Delhi to Amritsar was scheduled at 4.30 pm on 16th March. Me and my friend Ashish (who had come to my place earlier in the morning) had planned that we will book the cab at 2.45 and the cab will be at our place in 5-10 mins. Then it will take one hour to reach the railway station and we will reach there before 4.00 pm and we will have 30 mins in hand to board the train. The cab also arrived but the driver refused to go due to some issues. Then we had to cancel and book another cab. The next cab took 15-20 mins to arrive and by that time, it was already 3.15 pm. The expected arrival time at NDLS railway station was showing as 4.18 pm. That meant only 12 mins before the train would leave. The one hour in cab was very stressful as we were not sure if we would be able to catch the train. On top of that, one of my other friends Pankaj (who was also a part of this trip) called me and told that he had reached the railway station but there is a long queue at the gate to go inside. It was already 4.05 pm and we were still 1 km away from the railway station.

At that time, I lost all hopes and regretted thinking we should have left early. But nothing could be done now. The car was moving at snail's pace due to the traffic and even the driver said - 'Ap log ki train na pakdi jaye ab' (You won't be able to catch your train now). Amidst this panic situation, we reached the railway station at about 4.15 pm. The driver stopped the cab few miles away from the entrance and suggested that we should get down here because there was a traffic jam ahead. He also suggested us that we should take the help of coolie, give him some extra money and he may be able to take us through some shortcut route. That was the only possible way now to reach the platform on time.

So we took our luggage and rushed towards the entrance. By the time we reached the main gate, it was already 4.20 pm. That meant we had only 10 mins left before the train would leave the station. At the gate, we asked a coolie to take our luggage and also told him that we have our train in next 10 mins. There was a queue at the main entrance. It was not a very long queue but it would take 8-10 mins if we got in the queue and that meant missing our train. We looked towards the coolie in anticipation. He understood our concern and assured us that he will take us through a shortcut and we won't miss our train. As expected, he demanded 500 Rs. for taking us through the backdoor. We were not in a situation to negotiate as reaching the platform on time was the biggest concern for us. I quickly gave him a 500 note rupee and in 5 mins, we were standing in front of our C11 coach. I thanked him a lot for helping us in this situation where it seemed almost impossible to get to the train before 4.30. That was no less than a thriller for us, but by god's grace we had been able to get in the train just 5 mins before it's departure.

The six hour long journey was very comforting and relaxing and our AC chair car was also very comfortable. Without any hassles and in no time, our train reached Amritsar railway station after a 6 hour journey. We booked an auto and reached our hotel in 20 mins. After planning how our next day would be, we switched off the lights and went to sleep. That was the end of Day 1 of our trip.

The next day, we had planned to roam around Amritsar and visit all the iconic and famous places. So after getting ready, we stepped out for breakfast first. The receptionist at the hotel told us there is a famous dhaba here named Khalsa Kulchya wale which is famous for its chole-kulche. This dhaba is in 'baba deep singh colony', and it was at a walking distance from our hotel. We ordered three different types of kulcha (aloo, paneer and one special). They serve this with a plate of chole which is very spicy and delicious. It was really lip-smacking and the taste was simply superb. You can check out this place if you are in Amritsar and want to try their authentic Amritsari kulche.

After enjoying this delicious breakfast, we went towards our first destination that was Jallianwala Bagh. It was at a walking distance of 1.3 kms from our location so we simply followed the Google maps and reached the place. Basically there is a huge complex in which you can see not only Jallianwala Bagh but also Partition Museum, Golden Temple nearby, and enjoy a lot of street food. So first we went to see the Jallianwala Bagh which we have heard about and studied in our history books. The signs of the bullet marks where the bullets have penetrated the walls and the sight of the well in which so many people had to jump in order to avoid severe rounds of firing by the Britishers will make you feel the pain of the people who had to go through all this. It also has a gallery where you will get to know relevant information and history of that time.

Note - The bullet marks have been marked in white in the pic above. This wall had 26 bullet traces in total. The same information is written in a slate beside.

Next we went to the Partition Museum which is a museum that conveys the stories and incidents related to the post-partition riots that led to division of British India into two independent countries - India and Pakistan. If you are fond of history, this is a place that will satisfy your quench of knowledge and it feels we are back in that era of partition. Such is the vibes and atmosphere of that place.

Later, after having some refreshments like kesar lassi and ice cream, we took an auto and reached the Golden Temple. This place also needs no introduction and is a spiritual site of Sikhism. The view is also very beautiful and when the sunlight strikes the water, that is a sight to watch and capture in the eyes.

After seeing the Golden Temple, we hired a taxi and went to Wagah Border. So there are shared taxis that run from Golden Temple complex and they will take you to Wagah border and bring you back in the same taxi (200/- per head). So we reached Wagah border by 4.00 pm and took our seat in the stands. There is a parade and flag hoisting ceremony by both the countries and there is a very patriotic vibe when the BSF jawans do the parade and also cheer the crowd to chant 'Vande Mataram' and 'Bharat Mata ki jai'. After this half an hour ceremony, we returned to our hotel in the same taxi.

After taking some rest for a while, we went to the Golden temple again at night and the temple complex was a treat to watch at night with amazing lighting. We also had langar inside which was another enriching experience for everyone of us.

Note - The actual sight was way more beautiful than it looks in the picture.

Finally we returned back to our hotel at about 11.00 pm and that marked the end of Day 2 of our trip.

The next day, it was the festival of Holi we had our pre booked cab from Amritsar to Chandigarh. For breakfast, we again went for Amritsari chole kulche (from a different restaurant this time). The cab arrived at about 9.20 AM and we started our road trip to Chandigarh. The total distance of 229 kms was covered in almost 3.5 hours and we reached our hotel in Chandigarh at about 1.00 pm. After relaxing for a while, we got ready and went to the famous Rock Garden which was at 20 min drive from our hotel. Rock Garden is a famous sculpture garden which is made out of industrial waste. The sculptures in the rock garden are made from recycled ceramic. It's a beautiful place and a place where you can capture your next Insta pic. 😀 I got mine!!

After roaming around the rock garden, we went to Sukhna Lake that is another famous place in Chandigarh. The occasion of Holi added more colors to this already beautiful place. Several people including college students and local people gather here to play Holi and almost everyone's face there was smeared with gulal and abeer. I wished we also had some colors to apply to each other's faces. Just then as were roaming around, a random person came and wishing us Happy Holi, he applied gulal on our faces. Such is the vibes of Chandigarh that people are so welcoming and jovial. That day, it was a full party like atmosphere at that place, with young guys and girls enjoying Holi and dancing in their own way. It was so good to see this, specially after these two years of Covid and implied restrictions in our lives.

After having our fun time at Sukhna lake, we decided to visit Elante Mall of Chandigarh and spend the rest of our day there. We played games like bowling and enjoyed VR experience at Pyramid - which is a gaming complex. Later, we had buffet at one of the restaurants and headed back to our hotel. This marked the end of Day 3 of our trip. A pic of Elante Mall -

The next day, we had our train from Chandigarh to New Delhi at 12.15 pm and we reached New Delhi in almost 3 hours. So that marked the end of this amazing trip. Special thanks to my friends Ashish and Pankaj for being a part of this trip and making it a memorable one. 

Please do comment your views if you liked reading this blog. Till next time, keep travelling and keep exploring life.