The border is only open between about 08:30 and 15:00, and I am expecting it to take a few hours from one side to the other. This border is the only road border between Pakistan and India, and given the length of the border between these countries, I can hardly believe there is just one.
Google maps actually plots a course for me going south of Lahore through the closed border of Ganda Singh Wala. This border was considered for reopening in 2005, but was later dropped. I therefore picked route 3, which should take me about four hours, over the Sutlej river, and on to Ludhiana. Considering how long it is likely to take to get through the border system, I doubt I will get much further today.
Across the only land border crossing to India
Wagah was the original village that the famous Radcliffe Line was drawn through. On July 15, 1947, the Indian Independence Act 1947 of the Parliament of the United Kingdom stipulated that British rule in India would come to an end just one month later, on August 15, 1947. The Act also stipulated the partition of the Provinces of British India into two new sovereign dominions: the Union of India and the Dominion of Pakistan. Separating the areas was a brave move, especially considering that the two countries were made up of many tribes. The British Government took this separation work upon itself with no outside help, despite the existence of the United Nations, which was set up in 1945, as a replacement of the League of Nations. It wouldn’t have been the British thing to be seen needing help to make changes to its own empire. These changes cut Wagah in two.
I am making a point of missing the closing ceremony that is held at the end of each day. The ceremony is a tradition that has run for years and years, and Sunday is just about the worst day to see it.
 East Wagah to West Wagah. |
 Lots of bluster and quite a spectacle. |
Previous travellers have had a mixed bag of experience getting through Wagah. Most seem to go through on the scheduled bus or train, which can make it much simpler a process. My virtual self, in the camper, will be a little slower. I will need a visa to cross, and if I were to want to go back into Pakistan, that seems to involve another visa, but is much harder to arrange. Anyway, I queue up and wait my turn. The guards pass you to another guard, and then to another. Each one checks your passport and papers. I am asked to get out of the camper. Asked to get back in and move to the next guard. I read a terrific blog by someone who was put through a few hours of grief, along with visiting family for no apparent reason, but that the guards could do as they pleased. I would like to think that if I kept my mouth shut and nodded when addressed, I could be in India in no time.