Headed to Peshawar

I'm in Islamabad right now, but I'm headed to Peshawar later. It's only four hours away and close to the Khyber Pass (and Afghanistan). It's in the Northwest Frontier Province, areas of which are not under the control of the Pakistani government or police, but Peshawar is relatively safe as it is a touristy city.

A different look for Buddha

A different look for Buddha
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

Alexander the Great brought in Greek influence to the Gandharans in Northwest Pakistan around the 3rd c. BC. You can see the influence on a more masculine and musclar version of Buddha here.

Fasting Buddha

Fasting Buddha
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

I made a trip to the Lahore Museum. It houses, among many things, a lot of Buddhist relics .

Mosque of Wazir Khan

Mosque of Wazir Khan
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

This mosque was built in the 17th c. by Wazir Khan, royal physician, and later governor of Punjab.

Colorful vans

Colorful vans
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

The buses and especially trucks are elaborately decorated in India, Pakistan, and Nepal.

Alamgiri Gate of Lahore Fort and Hazuri Bagh Baradari

Alamgiri Gate of Lahore Fort and Hazuri Bagh Baradari
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

Lahore Fort is another Mughal fort from 1566. It actually is't that interesting inside as its Shish Mahal (Palace of Mirrors), the highlight, was still being renovated.

Archway at Badshahi Mosque

Archway at Badshahi Mosque
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

Entrance to Badshahi Mosque

Entrance to Badshahi Mosque
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

Mori gate to Lahore's old city

Mori gate to Lahore's old city
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

Lahore's Old City has a 9-meter-high wall with 13 gates. It dates from the Mughal period. It is a maze in there with lots of stores.

The Golden Temple at night

The Golden Temple at night
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

Hordes lining up to go inside the Golden Temple

Hordes lining up to go inside the Golden Temple
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

What's inside? I don't know, I didn't line up, but I suspect that it contained the holy book for Sikhs.

The Golden Temple at Amritsar

The Golden Temple at Amritsar
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

This is the holiest site for followers of the Sikh faith. It also lies in the middle of a water tank. Hundreds of followers circumambulate around the temple; some of them stopped to bathe (performing a puja like in the Ganges for the Hindi) and even fill up plastic bottles with the sacred water. It was so beautiful seeing the colorful clothing on the backdrop of the white marble. I actually enjoyed this far more than the Taj Mahal. It was free to visit. They also had a dormitory here for foreigners and a dining hall serving dhal and chapatis -- all free. This was a very cool place to visit.

Wash your feet?!

Wash your feet?!
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

You have to remove your shoes and step through a water trough before entering the Golden Temple complex. The water trough was filthy and it had rained earlier that day so all the mats stank. Keep in mind that many folks there do not wear footwear, so you can imagine how filthy the water trough was.

Entrance to the Sri Durgiana Temple

Entrance to the Sri Durgiana Temple
Originally uploaded by bastchild.

When I got to Amritsar, it was already past 1400, so I ended up getting on a minibus headed to the Wagah border closing ceremony. I was the only foreigner on board (the rest were Indian tourists), so we stopped at this Hindu temple first. It sits in a big water tank.

I'm in Pakistan!

From New Delhi, I caught a train to Amritsar, a holy city in the northern state of Punjab. It is the holiest city for Sikhs. There, I caught the closing of the border ceremony in Wagah. It was a very cool event with a lot of patriotism on both sides. I also visited the Golden Temple in Amritsar, which is the holiest temple to Sikhs. It was magnificent.
Today I took a local bus to the Indian-Pakistani border and crossed into Pakistan. So far the infrastructure is similar to India, but there are no cows around (cows aren't sacred in this predominantly Muslim country), so there is less poop on the streets. Actually, in Amritsar the cows were in a barn, so there wasn't very much poop on the street there (except from the wagoncarts). The colorful saris that many Indian women wear are gone too. In fact, the buses are divided in half for the women to be in the front and the men to be in the back, although I think the separation is optional for the women; they can sit in back if they want or if there is no room up front.
The people I have met on the streets and the buses are very friendly and helpful. On each bus I took, someone got up and insisted on letting me sit in their seat. They were also very helpful in getting me off at the right stop. I think that may be a benefit to a lackluster tourist industry; people aren't used to foreigners so they are much more gracious. Also, there are no tout so far, so that makes travelling much easier. I will try to load some photos and videos in the next few days.