Pakistan vs Hindustan

A sardine tin accelerated us to the infamously entertaining India and Pakistan (Attari/Wager) border 30 km west of Amritsar and 20 km from Lahore, Pakistan.

“Every late afternoon, just before sunset, the Indian and Pakistani military meet at the border to engage in an extraordinary 20-minute ceremony of pure theatre. The border crossing ceremony elicits machismo and posturing from the proud young soldiers on both sides, but also, despite the two countries’ uneasy relationship, a stunning display of harmony…” so says the Lonely Planet, and we have to agree. It was mental, the tallest, broadest, loudest Indians and Pakistanis you could imagine face off against each other, sending high kicks that skim past each others ears, all this while wearing massive peacock hats on their heads. The crowds love it, chanting Hindustan (India) and spurring their ‘side’ on. Queue the music and the women crowded onto the road en masse dancing and shaking their bootys as if there were in a Bollywood 'So you thing you can dance' dance off! While the men retaliated their movements from the stands as if they were the cast of Grease!

There was high entertainment in our jeep also as we were made up of a great bunch including; four fun Indians, who were on holidays from Bangalore, two Americans, a Kiwi and an Israeli. Although the high spirits were interrupted at one point by our lunatic driver crashing into the car ahead- thankfully it was a minor hit and nobody was hurt bar the bumper. Excepting the Indians who had their own plans we all agreed to meet the next day to catch the bus to Dharamasala.