Day 70: Khanna - Ludhiana (40km) -Distance travelled so far 3,473 km "The Spittity Poops"
We woke up this morning.... fairly tired and have come to the conclusion that our days in Dehli have left a mark on our bodies. Brian has not being feeling at all well so we have decided to reduce the amount of kilometers and to rest as much as much as possible in the coming days.
We know that the biggest bicycle manufacturing plant in the world is in Ludhiana, so it may be a great time to stop, rest and take in the sights of Hero Cycles.....so thats what's on the cards today...
We got a fine tour of Hero Cycles by Gill (Operations Manager)..
He treated us to tea (chai) and cold drinks..He also offered us 5 star accomodation too...We reluctantly refused..Idiotic in the end by us....Hero cycles are a muti-national company built on 122 acres of land right here in Ludhiana. They supply cycles to 140 different countries...from Belguim to Brasil...and unleash close to 20,000 cycles out the company gates every single day. Labour is very very cheap though...and the work hours are long with huge emphasis on employee output/productivity.....Check out our video inside Hero cycles
A Punjabi tyre maker takes a break from his day's slog
Not sure about this monument but we do love anything "trio based" us..Mike in the foreground waiting at a red light...
With Brian feeling fairly bad, we decide to call it a day and stay in Ludhiana, purchase our own food and possibly take another handy day tomorrow. We find a Wall-Mart in Ludhiana so we stock up with some really fresh food food opting for soups, bread, protein/energy drinks and lots and lots of water.
We are once again minor celebrities with both the management and staff alike requesting photos
We park up the cycles at the Mid-Town Hostel. Hoteliers here request lots of ID for room check in. There are also lots of forms and signatures to fill-out to check in. Security is a high priority...with some hotels displaying mugshots of terrorists behind their check-in/reception desks....Our room is very basic. Brian hits the hay early and Paul and Mike wander around Ludhiana checking out its sites. It will be an early night tonight with the prospects of a warm front of diarrhoea coming in from the North extremley likely...This would of course be accompanied by strong winds...sometimes gale force....."The Spititty Poops are a comin Bubs"
Thats it for tonight from the Thaireland Met Office
The Lads.
Day 71: Ludhiana - Jalandar (60km) -Distance travelled so far 3,533 km "Gearing up for The Border"
Our night in Ludhiana was mixed, but we decide to push on towards Amristar and Jalandar (next biggish town ahead of us)....We do observe some beautiful signs and people on our way out...
Wait a minute...That's not our flag...
Ian Rush (ex Liverpool F.C great) was pretty impressed with our intended route into Pakistan
......as was Patrick Swayze
A pic of the wheat fields from the bike...The Punjab region is the bread basket of India
A Mosque on route to Jalander
We bed down in Jalandar for the night with our bodies still feeling weak....
Day 72: Jalandar - Amritsar (80km) -Distance travelled so far 3,613 km "The Golden Temple"
We head to Amritsar today knowing that we will only have 25km kilometers or so remaining till The Wagha Border (Paskistan) and a brand new country. This will be our sixth. Another milestone awaits. We are timing our cycle to the Wagha border to coincide with the massive evening ceramony which sees The Indian Rangers/Army standing off (battle style) against the Pakistani Rangers. The ceramony which occurs daily at 4:30pm should be a great spectacle so we are really exited.
Today we will head to the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Its Festival season at the moment so throwing Paint at people (especially at cyclists) is common practice...
Brian suffers from a drive-by paint bomb attack from locals
Mr Culhane does not condone any form of road-side/drive-by attacks....
The Man with The Golden Trumpet
This guy followed Mike by bike...We stopped in for a drink and little did we know all he wanted to do was to play us some trumpet....Enjoy the sweet sounds from our mate Tony
Insert Trumpet Vid here Brian Culhane
We reach Amritsar and check into the cheapest hostel there....we then go walk for a change to The Golden Temple of Amritsar....
Paul staging an anti-walking protest...forcing an old man to cycle him to the Temple Gates...
Rickshaw mechanics
.....you talkin to me?
The Golden Temple of Amritsar
Darbar Sahib informally referred to as The Golden Temple or Temple of God is culturally the most significant place of worship of the Sikhs and one of the oldest Sikh gurdwaras. It is located in the city of Amritsar, which was established by Guru Ram Das Ji, the fourth guru of the Sikhs, and is, also due to the shrine, known as Guru Di Nagri meaning city of the Guru.
Another beautiful region of Amritsar.....close to the Golden Temple...
Tomorrow we will head a small distance to the Pakistani Border in Wagha. We will stay for the ceramony/stand off between The Rangers of India and Rangers of Pakistan. Who will we shout for at this game...Stay tuned!!!
Slan agus Beannacht
Na Buachailli
Day 73:Amritsar - Wagha Border (27km) -Distance travelled so far 3,630 km "Wagha Border - Pakistani Rangers vrs Indian Rangers"
We zip out of Amritsar at 12 noon to complete a leisurely 25/30km's to the Border. The late start and rest is sweet. Border Control finishes at 4pm and the Border Ceremony commences at around 4:30/5pm, so it works well in our favour....
Leaving Amritsar for the Wagha Border
Beautiful friendship
Hello Pakistan..Thaireland are here!!
We reached our 6th country and again with ease. We decided to stay at the only hotel at the Border. It is a fine place with a monster room and 3 beds. We have hot showers and there is roast chicken and chips on the menu.....Life is good in Pakistan.
The Border is very high on security and we show our passports to officials about a dozen times. It is all friendly and the Pakistani Rangers are happy to welcome us. The Pakistani Rangers are possibly the biggest men we will ever see in our lives. We feel like children beside them. With the morale high we head get ready for this evenings ceramony. It promises to be something really special.
A view of the Indian Border gates from the Pakistani sidewith the crowds gathering for the ceremony
