Feb. 9 - Amritsar, India
Thursday, February 9 :: Amritsar, India :: 79km today / 4133km total
An easy, short ride into Amritsar marked by a re-welding of my bottom bracket (pedal axle). The bike is still rolling though and will make it to Pakistan, inshallah. Amritsar is the holy centre of the Sikhs, highlighted by the Golden Temple, Sikhism's most important landmark. I made my way into the cheap hotel district neighbouring the Temple and set about doing various admin tasks that I've been delinquent on: haircut, picking up a Lonely Planet Pakistan, and of course lots of eating. I'll see the Temple tomorrow morning, its about a 5 min walk from my hotel. I always find early morning the best time for major tourist sites, before the tour buses roll in. There's no point in leaving Amritsar before noon, anyways; the border with Pakistan is only 30km away, and I want to linger at the border to see the fabled border closing ceremony that India and Pakistan do nightly. After the ceremony I'll have about an hour ride into Lahore, Pakistan, and I should make it in before dark.
India and Pakistan have a funny love-hate relationship that is quite interesting to observe and poke at, when talking to the locals. The same country until 1947, India and Pakistan share much of the same culture and history. They both celebrate Aug. 14, an important date in the kicking out of the British. India, at 12% Muslim, has about as many Muslims as Pakistan, which is 96% Muslim (Pakistan is much smaller). The currently ongoing cricket series really highlights their odd relationship; even though Indians root for India, one of the most popular cricket players in India is Pakistan's Inzy - there are even articles in the Indian newspapers written by Inzy. The first state I'll enter in Pakistan is called... Punjab, the same named-state I'm in now, in India. Yet they fuss and fidget with each other, mostly over the disputed Northern provinces of Jammu and Kashmir. I get the feeling that once that issue is settled (whenever that happens), India and Pakistan will draw very close to each other.
An easy, short ride into Amritsar marked by a re-welding of my bottom bracket (pedal axle). The bike is still rolling though and will make it to Pakistan, inshallah. Amritsar is the holy centre of the Sikhs, highlighted by the Golden Temple, Sikhism's most important landmark. I made my way into the cheap hotel district neighbouring the Temple and set about doing various admin tasks that I've been delinquent on: haircut, picking up a Lonely Planet Pakistan, and of course lots of eating. I'll see the Temple tomorrow morning, its about a 5 min walk from my hotel. I always find early morning the best time for major tourist sites, before the tour buses roll in. There's no point in leaving Amritsar before noon, anyways; the border with Pakistan is only 30km away, and I want to linger at the border to see the fabled border closing ceremony that India and Pakistan do nightly. After the ceremony I'll have about an hour ride into Lahore, Pakistan, and I should make it in before dark.
India and Pakistan have a funny love-hate relationship that is quite interesting to observe and poke at, when talking to the locals. The same country until 1947, India and Pakistan share much of the same culture and history. They both celebrate Aug. 14, an important date in the kicking out of the British. India, at 12% Muslim, has about as many Muslims as Pakistan, which is 96% Muslim (Pakistan is much smaller). The currently ongoing cricket series really highlights their odd relationship; even though Indians root for India, one of the most popular cricket players in India is Pakistan's Inzy - there are even articles in the Indian newspapers written by Inzy. The first state I'll enter in Pakistan is called... Punjab, the same named-state I'm in now, in India. Yet they fuss and fidget with each other, mostly over the disputed Northern provinces of Jammu and Kashmir. I get the feeling that once that issue is settled (whenever that happens), India and Pakistan will draw very close to each other.
posted by Graham Durrant at 4:55 AM
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