Ka Pai Kiwis

After a very nice breakfast we set off in search of SIM cards. We grabbed a tuktuk, they are torture and I usually have to navigate but they are reasonably efficient and cheap.  We just crossed directly in front of this traffic- as you do!  We went to Vodafone but were told we needed a local address, there was another supplier around the corner but we were told the same thing.  So back to the hotel for help, the manager gave us a card and said the shop should ring him and he would help.  Back to shop and things were going well, it took quite a while but at the final hurdle the system indicated “unknown error” we went through the system at least 3 times but in the end were told the only option was to come back another time. Great.  Back to Vodafone, the phone call to the manager took place and then we were told unless the manager came to the store personally we could not proceed. Bugger. So no SIM cards.   Maybe we can get them in Ludhiana where we are stayi...

We set off in good time and retraced our route to the Wagah border from yesterday.  Massive cows! There is a donkey pulling that- if you look hard you’ll see the tip of his ears.  Super Tiger for the super Tiger.  Gone were the crowds and fanfare and the gates were firmly closed.  Formalities were straightforward on the Pakistan side and the gates opened for us to pass into India. We have had a really nice time in Pakistan, people have been genuine and friendly. They sure have their challenges and raising the incomes of people is probably the largest of them all.  The “Kashmir hour” of protest didn’t start until 12 so we had left Pakistan before it began.  The Indian customs was just a shambles, we filled in silly forms and information was entered into many books along the way. No one seemed to know where I should go or when, but we finally got through, thankfully the border was incredibly quiet today.  We set off for our hotel in Amritsar and the firs...

Today we are up for a bit of sightseeing. We arranged a car with a driver who took us to the Lahore Fort, we hired a guide on site who have the grand tour of both the Fort and the adjacent mosque. This place must have been a very impressive place in its heyday, it has seen a few different rulers over the years and parts are original and some restored, there is also evidence of different vandalisms that have occured during different periods.  We entered the fort through one of the many gates. This one was high and wide to allow the elephants bringing in the quests.  This staircase was designed for the elephants to go up - big wide steps. The ladies could sit above unseen and see the guests arrive. This is an old email system, the holes in the walls are for the message pigeons to return with their messages. It was highly decorated and very old. This was where performances took place. Part of the women’s quarters.  Looking from the fort towards the mosque.  Badshahi Mos...

I had a great nights sleep last night and am feeling much better. Robyn is having a bit of a relapse so we will have to wait and see.  We have a lovely park opposite our hotel, we managed about an hours walk through it and decided that was enough for today, it is really humid and hot. My Pakistani princess.    The walk was nice though with many botanical specimens well preserved and looked after dating back to British times. The gardens are well kept and many beds are being prepared for annual planting.  Given the circumstances we decided not to eat here.  A couple of street scenes on the way back to the hotel.  Back to rest up and continue the recuperation.