The border between India and Pakistan is one of the most geopolitically sensitive areas of the world. After the disastrous 1947 Partition, Pakistan and India have been enemies and despite having both been part of British India, terrorism, nuclear weapons and a strong sense of nationalism on both sides are some of the most commonly used words to describe their relationship.
I have been wanting to travel through Pakistan for years and because I love nothing more than a good challenge, I decided that 2020 was going to be the year that I finally made it there. Getting a Pakistan visa was a bit of a challenge as I was currently living and working in India, which I will explain more in another post. However, once I got my approval email, I started making concrete plans.
Step 1: Train from Delhi to Amritsar.
While there are obviously options for flying into Karachi, Islamabad or Lahore, none of these were applicable to me as I was currently based in India. Luckily, Lahore is just a hop, skip and a jump from Delhi so I snapped up a train ticket. These can be booked on the IRCTC website. My 6 hour train ticket cost approximately $14.
Step 2: Spend the night in Amritsar.
The train schedules don’t allow you to make it to Amritsar in time to cross the border (unless you take an overnight train) so I knew for sure that I would spend the night in Amritsar. My initial plan was to sleep in the Golden Temple itself but the logistics of it proved to be a bit difficult so I booked a hotel instead. In the morning, I did a quick run-through of the temple itself and had lanagar (the free meal that they give to anyone who wants it) and started the journey to the Wagah border.
Step 3: Journey to the border.
I asked around while walking through the touristy areas of Amritsar about how much it would cost to get to the border which was around an hour away. While there are lots of touristy buses that go for the border closing show, it seemed nearly impossible to find a shared taxi or bus early in the day. I was finally able to negotiate a tuk tuk down to $8 and was on my way. The ride ended up being VERY cold and when I got to the border itself, I felt like my ass and legs were frozen. In hindsight, I should have paid a bit more for a taxi.
Step 4: The Border Crossing – The Indian Side
When you arrive at the border, you need to walk for about 3 minutes to the “Passenger Terminal.” I was a little worried about wandering around lost on such a sensitive border but the border staff were very helpful and kept pointing me in the right direction. When I walked into the main building, I had to go through a metal detector with my bags on me and then they only put my purse through the scanner rather than my backpack. It seemed a bit pointless and not overly effective but it is India so nothing is overly shocking.
After “security”, I went through immigration. There was only one guy working and I was the only person going through at that point. Despite having an Indian work visa, he didn’t ask any questions about why I was going to Pakistan.
Next, I went into the waiting rooms/customs area where I found a bunch of Pakistanis with tons of luggage being checked. It was clear that they were parallel importers but “customs” didn’t seem very concerned about what they were carrying. They did a quick search through my bag which basically included shuffling around the top layer of clothing and then let me through.
I waited for about 10 minutes for a bus to arrive and boarded along with my fellow passengers. The bus lasted about 5 minutes and we were dropped off at the border itself. It looks like a stadium because it is the same location of the border closing ceremony (You should youtube videos of this. It is nuts! I felt like I was at Rockefeller Center watching the Rockettes high kick rather than at a border crossing.) There were a few Indian guards sitting where the bus dropped us off. They checked my passport quickly and then sent me on my way.
Step 5: The Border Crossing
The border crossing is inside of the stadium. You simply walk through to the border itself. The gate was open and after one more passport check, I was in the no-man’s land between borders. I took a few selfies and then officially crossed into Pakistan. A border guard checked my passport, asked me how tall I am and then posed for a picture with me. He looked at my Indian work visa for awhile and I began to get a bit nervous but he sent me onmy way. I took a few more selfies and videos inside the stadium and then made my way into Pakistan.
Step 6: The Border Crossing – The Pakistani Side
After you leave the stadium, you have to walk around 300 meters to Pakistani Immigration building. Along the way, a nice Pakistani woman and I took photos for each other and made jokes about how I was going to Pakistan and she was going to India.
Once inside immigration, I had to wait behind around 5 other people but we were processed quickly. My immigration agent was holding a sleeping little boy on her lap and doing everything one-handed. I knew then that I was going to like this country! I had to write my name and details in a register and then continued to customs. Pakistani customs was a bit of a mess as everyone else who was going through was carrying about 15 bags each. They saw me standing and allowed me to cut the line. I put my bags through a scanner and handed my immigration/customs slip to a guy sitting at a desk. He asked me about my trip and was shocked to hear that I am only staying 3 days. He told me that when I come back, he will be my tour guide. He then gave me a little Pakistan flag button and sent me off.
Step 7: Celebrate!
From immigration, I had to walk around 15 minutes to the end of the border area to pick up a tuk tuk to Lahore. I was able to negotiate with a driver to take me for around $3.50. Altogether, the border crossing took about 2 hours and I was one happy girl!
