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Published: April 12th 2011
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After much contemplation about where to go on my winter vacation I couldnt help remember all of the amazing things I learned and discovered 18 months ago on the Indian subcontinent. The choice was an easy one- back to India and this time roam around its neighbor to the west- Pakistan. Rawness, unique culture, Qaawali music, beautiful landscapes and Pakistani hospitality are just a few of the elements that initially drew me to this often misunderstood land.
It's 1AM and I find myself once again back at Indira Gandhi Airport in India's capital city. What to do now? As opposed to finding a guesthouse for three dollars and resting for the night my excitement took over and I decided to pull an all nighter and go directly to the bus stand and catch the 5AM bus to the Pakistani border city of Amritsar. While waiting at the bus station and sipping my first authetic chai and masala snacks I really soaked in my surroundings and was overcome with pleasure to be back. The first thing that brought back the nostalgia was the distinct Indian smell- a mixture of chai, incense, spices, urine, vehicle exhaust and rotting garbage.India- exotic and at
the same time comforting- all the stimulation around me felt so natural and exciting. The aggressiveness of the chai and food salesmen and food stand owners who were even sleeping for the night at their stands, catching some zzz's to recharge for the morning rush of passengers. Indeed it was good to be back as this pleasure to the senses sparked many of the unforgettable moments from my three month introduction to the subcontinent. The more I reflected on my first trip to India, the more I was confident that I would return soon and there I was listening to all the bus drivers yelling the name of their destination. "Amritsar! Amritsar! Amritsar! Amritsar!" Take off.
This India was much different though from the one of my memories. One thing etched into my mind forever about the subcontinent were the harsh summer months I experienced. Whenever I think back to my India experience, walking around in my sweat soaked Tshirt and even sweating during cold showers at night are experiences I will never forget. Now is the perfect time to be here and this will make my experience much better than last time I thought, as I had to
be careful to ration out my energy throughout the day and drink liters and liters of water the last time around.
Twelve hours of bus riding later, I was once again in the border town of Amritsar and was ecstatic to cross the border this time around. "Which places will you go to in India?" many of the friendly local people would ask. In order to preserve my safety I decided to tell a remixed version of the truth "only Delhi and Amritsar" while leaving out the details of my plans to enter the land of India's rival nation and save myself from any potential anger or hostility. Safety first!
I made my way back to the Golden Temple and enjoyed the company of the friendly Sikh people as I slept and ate for free on their holy grounds. I was lucky to meet a college student who spoke very good English and was eager to explain and answer many questions about Amritsar and the famed Golden Temple and all its mystic. One thing I was curious about is why the Sikh people grow out their hair and beards. "If you look at a lion's mane, the male
lion has full grown, large, thick hair while the female lion's mane has a more clean and kept appearance. We Sikh males aspire to be like the male lion and take pride in having a mane like the male lion." Also, during the time of Indira Gandhi, the government sent tanks to Amritsar in order to attack the golden temple. However, once the tanks approached a portrait of the famous Sikh guru, the tanks magically sank into the ground and the people of Amritsar were spared from bloodshed. Another legend has it that when the Sikhs fought the Moguls, in order to intimidate their intruders, the Sikh guru decapitated himself with his sword and kept on fighting with head in one hand and sword in the other. Flabbergasted by this sorcerer, the moguls retreated and the Sikhs attained a victory fending off their rivals.
After spending the night on the Sikh holy grounds and soaking up the atmosphere, I took a bus to the Wagah border. I decided to walk the final three kilometers into Pakistan and was approached by many friendly locals offering rides for free in their horse and carriages with sincere, wide mouthed smiles. Once I
arrived at customs and immigration, it was perhaps the quietest border crossing I have ever seen and perhaps the most heavily armed after the DMZ (North/South Korea border) with numerous sniper outposts and security men that looked more like Indian and Pakistani giants.
Once I was officially in Pakistani territory, there was a stark difference already. No touts, shop owners, or rickshaw drivers coming up to you attempting to make money off of the foreign guy with the funny looking ears. In fact, as I approached a few rickshaw drivers they were just waiting and talking amongst themselves and even declined to take me to the bus stop where I would catch the bus to Lahore! What a refreshing feeling after always being hounded in heavily traveled India-"Where are you going my friend? Do you need rickshaw? Buy carpet? Spices? Come to my shop?"- where people look at tourists and see dollar signs. "I am really going to like this place" I thought to myself.
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Dr.Muhammad Younus Khan
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friendly journey
I wish the travelling between India and Pakistan were so easy as looks in George ,s journey.