The Wagah Border: Party Time!

After hanging with my baba, I headed up to the Wagah Border which is the Pakistan/India border. I never in a million years thought I would get this close to Pakistan in my life! Each night at 5 pm, they have a ceremony to officially close the border for the evening. Both countries participate, although there weren't too many spectators on the Pakistan side, compared to the cramped conditions on the India side. I thought it would be a solemn, serious ceremony, but it was really raucous and exciting. They started things off with a dance party....seriously, they just cranked the music and people danced in the street and in the aisles. The biggest hit was when they played "Jai Ho." I thought the bleachers were going to collapse. The ceremony is full of a lot of yelling and drawn out screeching. I have no iea what they were saying, but it was quite an an experence. I took some videos too which you can watch at: http://picasaweb.google.com/Shellyneves1
The guards do this fast walk/run with lots of high kicks as they make their way to the border. The offical ending is when both countries lower their flags. I was sitting next to a group of high school boys from Kasmir who were so amped up and excited. It made it that much more fun.

On my way out, I made the mistake of agreeing to take a photo with a family, and boy was that a huge mistake. The floodgates opened and I was literally surrounded by people and flashes were going off all around me. It was almost blinding. I so wanted to take a picture of the wall of people around me, but my camera battery had died. As soon as one picture ended, another person was right by my side asking for one. It could've gone on for hours. I kid you not. Finally, I just put my sunglasses on, started walking, and ignored all other requests.

I waited in four different lines for two hours to get in. They turn away hundreds of people for the ceremony. And this happens every night!

High school boys from Kashmir - they were so much fun to sit with. The Border Patrol would yell "Hindustan" and then we would yell it right back.

The gate between India and Pakistan. The people in the bleachers are in Pakistan.

The peeps representing Pakistan - not nearly as many as on the India side.

The border.

            My favorite Border Patrol Guard - he loves his job. You can tell by that smile :)