(very imposing border security guard man)
(Vikki and Luanna chilling at border)
The second you arrive at the boarder you're confronted by hoards of people selling drinks and snacks and bags of popcorn along with postcards and DVDs of the ceremony, its like being at a major sporting event not a minor border closing. We had to queue for ages to get through security, women on one side men on the other. There were about 20 men to the one femal security guard so the womens line soon escalated from an orderly single file to a mass crowd heaving towards the tiny space we all had to get through in order to enter the stadium (I'm not kidding, its actually like a stadium). As we waited the border guards confiscated all the snacks that every one had just purchased. It quite a surreal experience elbowig ladies in Sris to get them to stay behind you while carrier bags of popcorn fly over your head.
Once we were through our white faces got us quickly shooed through to the foreigners seatng section (other less obvious non-indian poeple had to queue and show passports) as we got closer the atmosphere became electric people were running towards the stairs to try and find a good spot. Loud music filled the air people were shouting and chanting from the main gate all along the road people were crowded into the graduated seating, I'm not good at guessing numbers but there were thousands of people, then at the end the seating curves round so you can see the gate directly. This is all mimicked on the Pakistan side, so it really is like you're sitting in a massive oval sprts stadium. There was a compare encouraging the chants, battling with those happening on the Pakistan side, music, young girls dancing in the centre of the road, flags waving and amongst all this the poor border guards rush around blowing there whistles and finding people seats and trying to get everyone to sit down. We got some sweet front row seats.
Things did not calm down once the ceremony began. Basically a row of guards all wearing fancy uniforms and silly headresses come marching out, line up and then one by one march down to the main gate. It alternates between one guard from India and one from Pakistan. Once they're all at the gate the two flag are lowered, the gate is closed and the flag are marched back the main office. And thats it.
Except thats not it. Because while all this is happening the compare is encouraging all this crazy shouting, an elderly lady next to us tried to explain it but I can't remember, its something like "Man Zi Ba! Man Zi Ba!". Pakistan meanwhile is shoutig "Geo Geo Pak I Stan! Geo Geo Pak I Stan!". Then everytime a guard goes to walk down he does ome crazy impression of John Cleese's Ministry of Silly Walks and flings his legs everywhere hitting is head and when he finally skips off to the gate the whole crowd goes even more insane. Once there at the bottom theres a mad array of posturing and posing with out side kicking there heads with their feet and Pakistan throwing some crazy breakdancing shapes. It lasted for an hour, once the flag finally made its way back up the road you'd have though Rupees had just rained down from the sky while god announced India were the masters of the universe.. not, a flag has been folded neatly and put away. Then after, all the guards pose for photos! It was brilliant!
So, I guess what with the temple and the ceremony Amristar wasn't all that bad.
If my description wasn't good enough Michael Palin may do a better one here
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