Who knew it would be such a big deal?


I am talking, of course, about the ceremony at the Pakistani-Indian border between Lahore and Amritsar. But I won't get ahead of myself...let's go back to the beginning.

The local bus ride from Chandigarh to Amritsar was largely a blur. I do remember getting out to push the bus, so the driver could start it while rolling in neutral. Unlike the last bus experience, this one was relatively uneventful, so I won't bore you with the details.

Amritsar, for those that don't know, is the Vatican or Mecca of the Sikh religion. There is this incredible structure called the Golden Temple in the middle of a lake inside a larger structure. The temple itself is actually made out of gold, as well as some other parts of the Sikh legislature building. Needless to say, this is one popular place...24/7. We happened to get there at 4 AM and there were still hundreds of people. The city is also the site of many historical battles between Sikhs and Muslims, as well as the infamous massacre of hundreds of people by the British in 1919.

In terms of city structure, Amritsar is similar to most other northern Indian cities. Roads were too narrow for cars, people were everywhere, and so on. Oh ya, and the power lines were of a precarious nature. All of this certainly has its charm, though.

The other big event in the area is the ceremony at the border with Pakistan. Thousands come from Amritsar and a somewhat lesser amount from Lahore in Pakistan. I must say that this is an incredible event for two countries that don't seem to like each other too much. I would guess that this act of friendship occurs because the Punjab extends into Pakistan and so the people are basically of the same group, but just happen to be in different countries.

I didn't lie when I said thousands come to see this. The countries have set up grandstands to seat all of these people. There is a gate in between the two sides and the ceremony culminates in the lowering of the flags that rise above the gate. What got me was the chanting and rallying that was done. There was an obvious sense of national pride, and yet no animosity between the two sides. That alone made the experience a memorable one. What will stick in my memory, though, is the one constant in India...the heat.

I'm note sure how these people would handle this ceremony during June when the temperature is 50 (122) degrees celsius (fahrenheit), alebit a dry 50 degrees (that makes it all better, doesn't it?). There may only be one thing worse than dry heat...humid heat. We were there at 6 PM and I would place the temperature between 35 and 40 with 100% humidity. I was practically swimming in the air. I know you all want to hear this, but my sweat glands were just relentless. I was trying to video the precedings, but was having trouble because the sweat just kept pouring into my eyes. Now when I watch the video, everytime the camera shakes I know that my eyes were burning. Good times. This may sound weird, but I was definitely longing for the frigid temperatures of Mongolia.