Borderline - 2016

Something in the way you love me won't let me be I don't want to be your prisoner So baby, won't you set me free?

So first full day in Punjab the two main things on the must see list here, the Golden Temple - and the closing ceremony of the India-Pakistan Border at Sunset. Initially as part of the five week tour I had included a visit to Kashmir unfortunatley more famous for it's border conflict than it's soft knitware. I did ask whether an excursion to Kashmir would be possible only to be greeted by ‘you are the first people in 4 months to want to go there’ and a polite no, it must be bad if the ever-enterprising Indian turned down a chance of a Rupee or ten!

So after minimal haggling – they really don’t push it here it’s a simple want it?, yes/no , No ‘best price’ ‘Asda Prices’ or ‘Lovely Jubbly’ so we opt to share a cab between four of us (two Indian IT people –who prove to be good company) for under a tenner return per couple including entrance we’re sorted from our ABTA-ish Travel Agent and we’ll meet back at the Office in a few hrs time, which should still be a Travel Agents and not suddenly re-invented as a Linen/Dried Fruit/Money Exchange (delete as applicable).

We are in Bernard Bresslaw country here and the world's capital of proper beards long before they became trendy again in the UK

This is the friendlist part of India I have expierenced so far with so many happy kind people who just want to say hello and ask about your travels. I will cover our visit to the Golden Temple in another Blog as that merits a seperate article. But back to our highlight of Day seven on our Indo-Nepal wander.

A little history really about the Border Ceremony it’s basically a show of strength and passion between these two fierce rivals , I’m told it’s up there with the local derby’s in England although with the armoury these two sides have got let’s hope it’s not a West Ham v Millwall flavour and more just of a non-contact exchange.

Traffic as per normal i.e. shocking/smoke/smog etc but after 30 mins we find a chink in the solid traffic blob and head West, the road is a bit like something out of a Mad Max movie, burning stuff on the side of the road (not of the Varanassi body parts – see earlier blog) long straight road with vehicles of all shapes and sizes overtaking undertaking in and out of the continuous dust clouds. We get within about 1km of the Border and only 23km from Lahore in Pakistan before being turfed out and ordered into various queues in the checkpoints, Ladies, Children, Men and Foreigners. Clare lumped into the generic female queue, I stand alone in the non-Indian queue and get push to the front to get ‘fast tracked’ through. . Thereafter it’s chaos, as the four-five queues merged into typical Indian order i.e. none and it’s like Black Friday in Asda when the cheap TV’s go on sale.

Not hard to find Clare really as not a surplus of European Blonde women on parade with loads of small Indian Children following her, so we meet up and head towards what is going to be a stadium like viewing spot, that is once the building is completed but for now it’s a march across bricks, rubble and trying our best to avoid the holes and concrete. Another queue to get into the terraces but fast tracked again by one of the Army who shouts out ‘ Foreigners' in a voice similar to ‘It ain’t arf hot Mum’. We get directed up a vast concrete terrace away from the already full Indian sections, shame as they looked more fun and noisy but not an option and a slight movement gets another ticking off to return to where we were put.

Dead on 16:30 the event commences, 10 of probably the tallest Indians they have and two women again not short and suspect not wearing heels, line up against the opposition, we can’t see their full line up but from what we can of the one’s nearest the gates they’d be ok for the Harlem Globetrotters. Much noise from both sides of the gates, the ‘Basil Fawlty’ type walk to the gate is a real sight as they can kick as high at their own head’s – (don’t try this at home) much snarling and arm movements before in unison their respective flags as lowered and folded away before the gates on each side are slammed shut for the night.

Just a six ft no-man’s land between the two sides but in terms of unity polls apart. A wonderful experience and I plan to see the same ceremony from the other (Pakistan) side soon.