5 best of Amritsar: Good times for free!

I seriously don't understand why the Taj Mahal is considered to be the number one attraction in India - at least if we are talking about buildings. That notorious title ought to belong to Amritsar's Golden Temple. But thankfully it doesn't. Now Amritsar is visited by a relatively small amount of foreign tourists and thus has very few qualities off a tourist trap. Here's why:

1. You get to stay here for free. For foreign tourists the temple offers basic accommodation in a few small rooms of three people and one bigger dorm.

2. You get to eat here for free. The food at the dining hall is basic dal, rice and chapati, but hey, rice and dal never stopped being tasty.

3. The turban wearing guards are a great source of information on sikhism and the history of Golden Temple. Not only are they extremely knowledgeable, most of them speak really good English. They are so friendly as well! One of the guys I spoke to had a good laugh when I asked him if I could be a sikh and then he went on explaining how sikhs welcome all. And you know what, I think these guys are kind of hot too! I would not have guessed I was into turbans.

4. I'm not even streching it: Amritsar has the nicest ricksha wallahs in the whole of India. I intended to walk from the railway station to the temple when I arrived, but then bumped into this sweet sweet bicycle ricksha wallah. The man was so nice that I figured I might as well take the ride. I negotiated the price down from 40 rupees to 20 but ended up giving the guy 50 - he was just so genuinly helpful. So if you ever bump into Surinder, who can be reached at 97-809-15869, do ride his ricksha. Or if you've got friends at the UN, give them this man's number. His doing a world of good to the itchy relationship between backpackers and ricksha drivers. Lesser men have been awarded the Peace Prize.

5. Other wallahs and shop keepers understand the meaning of "no thank you". They just let you be!

Previous stop: Delhi.

Next stop: Srinagar.