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Published: August 9th 2007
We definitely agreed that PIA stands for 'Perhaps It Arrives', not Pakistani International Airlines, as we waited at Skardu airport for hours for our plane, then had to get on a bus and endure another two days bumping down the KKH. I finally left Islamabad for Lahore - on a PIA flight that did run!
In Lahore I experienced true Pakistani hospitality as I was looked after splendidly by the brother (Sohail) of a Pakistani guy, Usman, who I'd met on the trek. What luxury - I was picked up at the airport by Sohail's driver Hafiz, and ferried around in an air conditioned car. First I was taken to Sohail's house, even though he wasn't there, where I was given breakfast and chatted to his son Sharez who luckily spoke good English. It was a very interesting to see inside an up-market Pakistani house. It was a very irregular shape, with none of the main rooms rectangular and with lots of small gardens inbetween them. They had a wonderful combination of madern and antique furniture and the whole place had lots of character. I resisted taking any photos though, as I thought that'd be too rude. I was then taken to Lahore's Old Fort and huge Mosque and shown around by a guide they had arranged for me, who could fill me in on the details/history which made it much better than wandering around on my own.
Hafiz then took me to the border which I crossed at 2pm in the sweltering heat. There was no one else around and I felt a bit odd walking the few hundered metres from one country to the other across no-man's-land, although I did have two guys with me carrying my bags. On the Pakistani side they wore green overalls, then at the border with India they passed my bags over to two older guys wearing blue overalls.
What a difference as soon as I got through customs and into India - immediately I was surrounded by 6 or so men all trying to sell me beer, water, taxi, etc. I wonder what it would have been like going the other way? I was not hassled at all in Pakistan, although most of the time I was with a guide, or Hafiz, but even when I wandered around Islamabad at the start I was not hassled. However, the Indian men are not so reserved! I got a taxi to my hotel in Amritsar, then went back to the border to see the evening border closing ceremony.
Well, it certainly was a spectacle. There were thousands of Indians there seated on boiling hot concrete steps on either side of the road. I was squashed in next to two very hot Indian women in the Ladies section - I don't think I've sweated so much apart from when I've been in a sauna! The Indians certainly got into the swing of things. They had music blaring away with a few people dancing in the street, racing towards the border gate and back with the Indian flag, and the crowds chanting something or other about Hindustan. I couldn't see what was happening on the Pakistani side as the gates were shut at this point, but it looked more subdued. At 6.30pm the performance proper started with the tall army guys strutting up to the now open gate and trying to out-perform the Pakistani soldiers who were doing exaclty the same highly choreographed routine on the other side. There seemed to be a big competition about everything from who could stamp their legs the highest, to shout for the longest, to lower the flag the slowest - the crowds loved it and shouted encouragement at every opportunity. I resisted buying the DVD of it though...
The next morning I went to visit the Seikh Golden Temple in Amritsar which was a haven of tranquillity compared to the busy streets. The actual temple is in the middle of a square lake, surrounded by lots of subsiduray temples. I resisted the tempation to bathe in the lake to cleanse my bodily ailments, or to drink the said same 'holy water'! As I was queing to see the actual Golden temple I had thrust into my hand a gooey mess of something sweet looking. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do with this, and I definitely wasn't going to eat it, so as discretely as possible I fed it to the huge goldfish that were swimming in the lake! No one came rushing up to me to tell me off, so I reckon I got away with it.
I then flew to Delhi, which was equally as hot and even busier. It's changed a lot in the 20 years since I was last there - then most of the cars were the old rounded, colonial Ambassador type, now they are mainly Japanese. The road surfaces are much better, which means that the traffic goes faster, which is even more scary, as they seem to follow the same 'rules' of the road as in Pakistan: 1) Do not hit anything, 2) Give way to anything bigger than you, 3) use your horn at every opportunity - other than that it's a free-for-all. At least there seems to be a limit of two people max per motor bike and helmets seem to be compulsory, except for women riding pillion! Delhi now has a posh modern Metro, which the travel agent I bought my flight ticket from was keen to show me, so we walked a few circuits of Connaught Circle in the cooler evening air to see it.
The next morning I had to get up at 3.30am to catch my early flight to Leh. When I arrived at Leh airport there were crowds gathered outside with some monks in fancy headgear singing and dancing. What a nice was to greet visitors I thought, then realised they were there to welcome the Dalai Lama who came in on a flight 15 minutes after me. I got a fleeting glimpse of him in the front of an Ambassador car as he was whisked away, but I'm hoping to see him later on in the month, as he's in Ladakh for a while.
Again the difference between Ladakh and India is amazing - the Ladakhis are very friendly but not at all pushy, so I feel so much more at ease here.
I then got a taxi to SECMOL, which is literally in the middle of no-where. It is 3 km down a dry, dusty dirt road from the main road, or 4km from the nearest village. Still, it looks an interesting place and the people seem friendly enough - more about it in my next blog.
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Bob Ingram
non-member comment
Hello Helen
What an amazing journey. It just happens I was watching a TV programme where an Indian actor is tracing his family history and he crossed the border from India to Pakistan and had the same experience as you and commented on the contrast between the Indian and Pakistan sides. The programme also showed the border closing ceremony and visiting Amritsa. Its facinating that you are actually there and doing it and I can visualise what you are describing. Climbed up around Napes Needle on Great Gable with Christine, Pete and Tim on weekend camping trip. Nothing compared to your experiences. My atlas shows that Leh is at 5578m, not far from Aksai Chin. Are you living at that hieght? Hope you are keeping well and enjoy the rest of your adventure. Cheers, Bob.