Sikhism is a monotheistic religion founded in India’s Punjab region and based on the teachings of Guru Nanak and his successors. The Sikh philosophy focuses on the equality of all people, and is said to be summed up by Guru Nanak as, “Realization of Truth is higher than all else. Higher still is truthful living.”

The Sikhs are extremely gracious in welcoming visitors and helping them to understand the Sikh religion and customs. Visiting a gurdwara, the Sikh meeting place for worship, is open to everyone – regardless of beliefs, caste or color.

Based on my experience, here are some guidelines to follow for a respectful visit, and notes about what to expect.

Dress modestly.
Like any other sacred space, you will want to plan on dressing modestly when visiting a Sikh temple. It’s best to wear loose-fitting clothing as you may sit with others on the floor in the main prayer hall.

Check-in before entering.
The Sikh temple I visited had a reception area for visitors. There was staff on-hand to welcome and educate visitors, and to loan them a head-covering cloth if they did not have one. The representative I met was delighted to share information and answer all my questions about Sikhism before I entered the temple. Any trepidation I may have felt about entering this unknown world were completely wiped away by the hospitality of the first Sikhs I met.

Cover your head.
Everyone must cover their heads before entering the gurdwara. Sikh men customarily wear turbans, while Sikh women typically wear head scarves as part of their traditional dress. If you do not have a head covering, inquire about borrowing one when you arrive at the temple. During my visit in Delhi, there were large bandanna-like cloths available to use.

Remove your shoes and wash your hands and feet.
Many gurdwaras have a fountain or small moat just outside the entrance of the main prayer hall. It is customary to remove your shoes here and place them on the shoe racks provided, and wash your hands and feet. Mere steps from the chaotic streets of Delhi, this small ritual upon entering brought an immediate feeling of peace and tranquility as I stepped inside.

In the main prayer hall, be aware of the Guru Granth.
Entering the main prayer hall, I found an immediately uplifting and soothing feeling. Musicians playing traditional Sikh devotional music filled the room with a beautiful sublime song. Many sat and prayed on rugs on the floor, while others bowed and placed offerings before a raised platform containing the Guru Granth (the holy book). I sat cross-legged and felt the positivity of the atmosphere, being careful not to point my feet towards nor turn my back on the Guru Granth. During a worship service, women and men each sit on a different side of the room.

Take part in Langar.
Langar is a beautiful tradition that takes place every day in every Sikh gurdwara around the world. Langar refers to full vegetarian meals that are funded and prepared completely by volunteer worshipers and served to anyone who wishes to partake in them. In the langar kitchen, I was welcomed to help prepare and cook thousands of roti, the Indian flat bread staple, with a host of local volunteers. The kitchen was a hum of activity as people stirred giant pots filled with lentils and the women laughed with me as I struggled to make my roti look as perfect as theirs. Peering into the langar hall I saw a great cafeteria-like room where people shared in the great meal, and everyone pitched in to the dishes. The sense of true community and care was profound.

Accept prashad if it is offered to you.
Prashad is a small sweet which is a sanctified offering served to every person who enters the gurdwara. It is customary to eat it with your right hand. If you do not wish to eat it, it is disrespectful to refuse it or throw it away, so it is best to accept it and take it with you.

I stepped out of the Sikh temple and back onto the dirty, noisy streets of New Delhi with a feeling of lightness and joy. As I traveled on in India, I encountered many Sikhs, all of whom were very approachable and kind to a stranger like me. I related how much I had enjoyed learning a bit about their traditions in visiting a gurdwara, and without exception, they were happy to further the connection. If you have the opportunity, a visit to a Sikh temple is a rich travel experience.

Planning to visit a Buddhist temple? Here’s some tips to do so respectfully.

Sikh temple exterior photo by Hari Singh
All other photos by the author

But Thais are resilient people, always looking forward, and they have picked up the pieces and worked together to rebuild their lives. Perhaps the best example of this positive growth that I have encountered is Andaman Discoveries, a community-based tourism organization that formed following the tsunami to bring much-needed support and income to the region. As a staff member of partner org Crooked Trails, I’ve watched their track record of effectiveness – in fact, they’ve just won the 2010 Wild Asia Responsible Tourism Award!

When I was in Thailand earlier this year, I was able to do some site visits in the Andaman region, and got to check out the home stay and work project for Crooked Trails’ international volunteer program. I was thoroughly impressed with what I saw!

The Homestay
The home stays in this area are particularly fascinating and rewarding. Staying at Jojo’s home stay was a unique, memorable and surprisingly comfortable experience.  Jojo lives with her husband, son and mother in the village of Muang Kluang, an enclave of Muslim Thais – she’s the powerhouse behind the community-based tourism project in her village. Jojo’s house was quite comfortable, and her family (as well as the surrounding neighbors) had a certain ease, and a constant sense of genuine cheer. Like everyone I met in Thailand, they’re not just OK with you being in their lives for a few days, they are genuinely excited about it!

I settled into one of Jojo’s guest bungalows and toured the grounds with her husband, who proudly showed me all the tropical fruits they were growing and mounded piles of rambutan, tamarind and mangosteen into my hands.

Dinner time was a joy at Jojo’s house, not only because their “modest” meal was a true culinary delight, but because grandma invited me into the kitchen to help prepare it. She showed me how to prepare massive bean pods that grew in the tall trees outside, and fish from the sea just down the road. We dined together, casually reclining on the matted platform that serves as their table.

As we finished dinner, one of grandma’s sons stopped by on his way home from the mosque where he’d just come from evening prayers. Grandma must have sensed my hidden curiosity at this religious tradition that I know so very little about, and she engaged us in an open conversation about Islam via Tuey, my wonderful guide and interpreter. She was sincerely eager to share as much as she could about her tradition and what it meant to be a Muslim to her everyday life. The heart of the teachings of Islam, she explained to me, was to care for others and selflessly give. She talked passionately about the way her community looked out for each other, sharing food among their families, looking out for each other’s children, even pooling money and resources for to support all members. Tolerance was a cornerstone of her beliefs, and she stressed that she would never limit her generosity and charity to Muslim families only. I was struck not only by her passion and commitment to the values of community, care and generosity that guided her life, but the vigor with which it obviously filled her. It wasn’t just that she was strong in her beliefs, she was buoyed by them. The resilience and hope I saw in this community in the wake of the tsunami started to make more sense.

The Work Projects: Water Conservation Project, Ban Na
The primary project site I visited focuses on the village of Ban Na, where travelers will be working to build a check dam system along one of the village’s main waterways. The community of Ban Na is made up of mainly of Buddhist Thais who came from the Isaan region in northeast Thailand. As I understand it, they were tired of working poor soil and dealing with harsh growing conditions, so they relocated as a community to southern Thailand to take advantage of the fertile greenery of the Andaman coast.

I had a delightful day with the partner community in Ban Na. After driving away from the coastal highway off on a winding jungle road, we met with the crew and transferred by jeep up a dirt track to access the path to the project site. A short hike along a gurgling creek provided a look at the three sites where the community plans, with volunteer help, to build a series of check dams. This stream is an important part of the local watershed for the community, and the check dams will give them much greater control and access to this life-sustaining resource. The check dams allow the locals to trap and release water to relieve both times of drought and flooding.  I‘m sure I don’t need to explain to you the importance of access to and control over a water source for a village! But you may be surprised to learn, as I was, that the village is on the ready and can complete the entire check dam project in just a handful of days with simple materials. They just need our group of volunteers to show up and work with them, and the project funds that will be provided as a part of CT travelers’ participation fees.

My hosts in Ban Na hiked with me along the stream, helping me negotiate slippery rocks and excitedly pointing out a resting monitor lizard (they said it was the protector of the stream). Through my translator, they asked me excitedly when my crew of volunteers was coming to work with them. They can barely wait to get started, and with the help of just a handful of volunteers for a handful of days, along with the funding needed for the materials, this project is as good as done!

Burmese Learning Center, Kuraburi
I also spent an unforgettable day at a local school that has been set-up for the children of Burmese refugees. I wish I could share some photos with you of the beautiful children I met when I visited; however, out of respect for their own safety (the majority of their families are refugees in Thailand) I was asked not to post any of those publicly.

What I can tell you is this – kids are kids, all over the world. They all want the same things – to be loved, to have fun, to learn things, to have their basic necessities met. Burmese refugees pour over the border into Thailand because, even though they will likely live without the benefits of citizenship, they seek a standard of living that may be one step above what they can get in their junta-ruled homeland. Thailand and Burma have a long messy history that has never been friendly, and Burmese immigrants in Thailand really have to scrap their way through just to make it. The Burmese school provides more than just access to learning and maybe a simple daily meal. What I witnessed was a place where these kids, part of a marginalized group, were given a sense of self-worth and respect. This is by far the most important aspect of the school. But it’s sadly in disrepair and is constantly flooding in the rainy season. One day visiting and working at the school, which is currently at the edge of a Burmese shanty town down near the Kuraburi Pier, is instantly rewarding as the potential for positive impact is apparent.

If you’d like an experience the Andaman region in this way and help them thrive, you can book a holiday as part of your travels in Thailand directly with Andaman Discoveries. Also, Crooked Trails is always organizing groups of volunteer travelers for their program. The next Crooked Trails Thailand program runs January 22 – February 2, 2011 – you can see the details and apply on their website.

Any traveler making their way through Thailand is bound to encounter this query at some point along the way.

Chiang Mai is, in my opinion, well worth a place on anyone’s Siam Short List. It’s got the perfect balance of old and new, with lots of quiet corners just down the street from bustling epicenters.  It’s easy to get around, friendly, lively and laid back. It’s the kind of place I have seriously daydreamed about living someday.

On my most recent trip to Thailand this summer, my fellow travelers and I breathed an audible sigh of relief as soon as our wheels hit the runway and the green blur outside our windows was a curtain of calm. From Chiang Mai’s quaint international airport it was just a short jaunt to our new home away from home, the Tamarind Village.

Tucked away in the center of the old walled city, is it at once a hidden oasis of peace and directly in the center of so much of the action. Checking into one of their Lanna-inspired rooms, I found a soothing space with a subtle color palate highlighted by authentic decorations from the hill tribes of the surrounding area. The modern conveniences (tv, air-con) were present but tastefully tucked out of sight, and I loved the personal touches I found throughout – a handwritten note welcoming me, fragrant fresh flowers on the desk, a locally-made textile robe folded neatly on the bed.  The bathroom was outfitted with delicious-scented natural products, and even the sign encouraging guests to conserve on water was artfully printed on cloth hanging over the bamboo towel rack.

The on-site Ruen Tamarind restaurant provides a stellar morning buffet breakfast, included in the room rates, which I started each morning with poolside. Evenings at the Ruen Tamarind go a bit more upscale, and the dinner menu is an elevated take on the best of Northern Thai cuisine classics, such as Panang duck, taro spring rolls and spicy octopus. Chiang Mai is blessed with a plethora of amazing eating options, and rarely do I stick around the hotel buffet in a foodie’s paradise like this, but the food at Ruen Tamarind is worth staying in for.

Finally, I’d be remiss not to mention the sheer bliss that the shady pool at Tamarind Tree provides after a sticky, sweaty day exploring the markets and sois of Chiang Mai. It was the perfect temperature to slide into and float peacefully, with birdsong drowning out the distant sounds of traffic. Though I didn’t take advantage of it this time, Tamarind Tree also has an on-site spa offering massage, reflexolgy, holistic body and skin treatments, and I’m sure it will be well worth checking out on my next visit.

I’ve been coming to Chiang Mai for years, and always holed up at the simplest and cheapest of backpacker accommodations. With room rates starting at just 4,200 baht ($139) for off-peak rates, this is a very affordable splurge that I’m afraid I’m spoiled on for life.

Currently, Tamarind Tree has sweetened the deal even more by offering an early bird booking offer. You’ll get 15% off on all room categories when booking 30 days or further in advance until December 20, 2010. They’ve also put together a great-looking package to enjoy the upcoming Loy Krathong Festival; you can check out all their current booking specials, as well as some lovely shots of the hotel, on their website.