Chaos at the border and a beautiful temple
Trip Start
Jan 18, 2010
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18
44
Trip End
Jul 30, 2010
Amritsar, Punjab, India
Monday, March 29, 2010
We arrived in the afternoon on Sunday and were convinced by our hotel manager to go to the India/Pakistan border closing ceremony at Wagah that evening. We weren't sure whether to go or not but since it had been made so easy for us we thought it'd be rude not to. Our expectations weren't particularly high as we'd seen it on the tv and knew that the numbers of people there would make it impossible to see anything.
We shared a taxi with an English couple and a really nice elderly Indian couple who were very talkative! The taxi driver first took us to see a Hindu temple (this happens a lot when you ask people to take you somewhere, they decide to take you to other things that they think you might like to see) which was almost more like a theme park than a temple! We had to walk up and down stairs through narrow corridors and crawl through low tunnels past various shrines and life sized plastic statues of gods. I found it very difficult not to crack up throughout especially when Annie was handed a child for a photo op! Back to the taxi for a breakneck drive to the border to make it in time for the ceremonies start!
When we arrived near the border we joined hundreds of other people heading towards the border gates and the grandstands. When we got there the crowds were vast and there were hundreds of people between us and the action. We managed to scrabble to the top of a very over full grandstand and catch a glimpse of the build up. Pop music was blaring out of loudspeakers and people were dancing on the road in front of the border gates. After about 10 minutes of being squashed and drenched in sweat (our own and many, many other peoples) we decided to try and get down from the grandstand and find an alternative spot to stand. Just when we thought we wouldn't see anything we managed to do the dumb foreigner routine and walk past the guards to sit on the kerb directly in front of the action!
The border is closed every night and they do the most over the top ceremony! Border guards in crisp uniforms with ridiculous wafer hats and outrageous moustaches try to out do each other on each side of the border while an mc whips the crowds into a frenzy. The guards began by shouting into a microphone for as long as they could and then proceeded to march towards the border gate. The march entailed a guard raising his leg above his head and then stamping several times before marching as fast as possible towards the gate and then pulling a pose! After all the guards have had a turn at this they lower the flags and slam the gates shut! The whole time the crowd are chanting 'victory to India' and cheering. This is repeated on the other side of the gate to roars from the Pakistani crowd. It was a truly incredibly experience and we were so lucky to have got so close.
The next day we went to visit the Golden Temple which was unbelievable. Upon entering the complex you are greeted with the most amazing sight of the golden harmandir floating on a pool of water. Devotional music is piped around the complex and the whole place feels very special and spiritual. We spent a couple of hours wandering around the complex and watching people who were worshiping and bathing in the pool. We were regularly approached by friendly families who wanted to find out about us and introduce us to their children. Another experience to add to our ever increasing list of trip highlights.
