Phwoar! - what a day! I’m now just back (well, one beer ago...) from the sunset flag-lowering ceremony at the Pakistan border
In-, f*ing, credible, is all I can say
. It is a performance - but impossible to describe. Essentially, it’s a contest - like a major-league US football game - but on steroi_s. And it happens every night. Tonight, being Sunday, made it a biggie.
Each (military) side performs quasi-aggressive moves (kind of haka-like). The other side essentially yawns until it’s their turn for each manoeuvre , when they try to out-perform the other side.
There’s no judging - each side just knows theirs was better
. All very friendly, despite the assault weapons held by the pair of big dudes in sunnies on each side facing each other and looking really mean
. When the border gates open, following an hour or more of winding up the crowd (MASSIVELY bigger on the Indian side), what I’m guessing were the RSMs from each side shake hands across the border line and then it’s GAME ON.
The whole (reciprocal) message is: ‘Don’t mess with us, you bunch of loser cough’.
After the flags eventually come down - PRECISELY simultaneously - the RSMs shake hands and it’s all over.
Absolutely incredible stuff.
Foreigners have their own zone with pride of place nearest the gate. TKWWA.