Stepping off the edge

Keith and I explored around our hotel and found a coffee shop to have breakfast. The name was different from what it said on Google Maps. It was attached to a convenience store and looked closed but we tried the door and it opened. A few people were inside. The screen was playing Bollywood style Indian music videos. Like so many places looks are deceiving, the coffee and food was good!

We went to the memorial of the massacre at Jallianwala Bagh. British troops opened fire on 1500 unarmed men, women and children on April 13, 1919 who had gathered to protest a law that allowed imprisonment without trial.

The gardens are beautiful with water lilies and frangipani trees.

Inside the museum were photos of people considered heroes, some had ” Canadian” after their name which meant they migrated to Canada. 🇨🇦 Canada and the Punjab continue to have close ties.

This beautiful entryway is to the Partition Museum. This museum documents the horrific time when India was divided to create a homeland for 20 million Muslims in Pakistan in 1947.

We travelled out of town to the India Pakistan border for the lowering of the flag ceremony. This ceremony occurs at dusk every day of the year, come rain or shine.

It’s like an American football game with hawkers selling ice cream and chips, a warm-up band, cheerleaders and over the top entertainment with wildly dressed guards doing exaggerated steps and high kicks.

It culminates with the border fences opening and two of the guards shaking hands before lowering the flags of India 🇮🇳 and Pakistan🇵🇰.

We ended the day with a true Indian experience, a train ride.

More on the train experience in tomorrow’s blog!