The Beat Goes On--Amritsar

Friday night I boarded a train and arrived in Amritsar by morning। I checked into the hotel, and to my amazement I found pancakes and maple syrup (...oh boy...).

Amritsar is home to the Golden Temple--the holiest shrine in the Sikh religion। Guilded in gold and surrounded by a large pool, the temple was an amazing place to see. Not far from the temple is Jallianwala Bagh--the site when hundreds of unarmed demonstrators were fired upon by the British in 1919. Bullet holes are still visible in some of the walls surrounding this park.
My final visit in Amritsar was to the India-Pakistan Border at Wagah. Here the two countries flags are lowered at the end of the day. Before this ceremony begins, there is blarring music and the crowd dances in the street. Then the bleechers are filled and ceremony begins. A man in semi-formal wear begins getting the crowd going in a manner that would fit a rock concert or monster truck show. He doesn't let up for the full half hour while the guards march and goose step on either side of the border. Each side performs the same routine so it is almost a mirror image of the pagentry.