DAY 104 - AMRITSAR TO LAHORE, PAKISTAN

CRAZYJOURNEY HITS PAKISTAN

Rhys reflecting by the Badshahi Mosque, Lahore

We were up early in Amritsar to head west and hit the Pakistan border. This was a relatively painless process. The Indian and Pakistani customs officials were wondering if we had any magazines or DVDs with western women in them, not for confiscation but for their own viewing pleasure, so we gave them a copy of Playboy that was lying in the back of the car. Needless to say they were delighted and let us through without any problems!

The Hummer enters Pakistan

On the Pakistani side we were met by an official from the Punjab Government. Our whole Pakistani itinerary and accommodation had been kindly arranged by Toheed Ahmad, the former Pakistani ambassador to Ireland who is friends with Fintan’s parents. It was a nice to have an escort into Lahore as we were a bit apprehensive coming into Lahore due to recent suicide bombings in the city.

We weren’t really sure what to expect, but were genuinely surprised by the relative organisation and cleanliness of Lahore in comparison to most Indian cities. We were escorted to our accommodation at the Gymkhana club near the citys Canal Road, where we would spend a few days.

Us with Toheed, his wife and some other members of the Punjab Government at Cuccos

That evening, we were brought for dinner by Toheed and his wife Nausheen to Cucco’s Den, a famous rooftop restaurant in the city centre with magnificent views of the Badshahi Mosque. Built by the son of the Taj Mahal’s creator, this remarkable red sandstone and marble structure is one of the world’s largest mosques. After dinner, we took a stroll around the Mosque and went to bed to get some sleep before a busy day in Lahore tomorrow.

The view out of the Badshahi Mosque

DAY 104 ROUTEMAP - Amritsar to Lahore, Pakistan

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