We were now in the closing stages of our drive. Heading towards the final destination, Amritsar, we took night halts at Mandi (that serves as the zonal HQ of the central zone, including the districts of Kullu, Bilaspur and Hamirpur) and then at Hoshiarpur (our entry point to Punjab, and also known as the land of saints or the land of “choes”, that is, seasonal rivulets).
As we got closer to Amritsar, we took a diversion towards the Wagah Border. Wagah is a village located near a road border crossing, a goods transit terminal and a railway station between India and Pakistan. We got to watch the lovely Wagah border ceremony, with a flag ceremony conducted jointly by the Indian Border Security Force and the Pakistan Rangers as well as a sweet song-and-dance routine where ladies from the audience danced to patriotic tunes blaring at full volume. We wrapped up our drive on a rather auspicious note, with a visit to the Golden Temple wearing proper turbans in accordance with the spirit of the place.
This drive was more of the same, yet a different experience for me. For the first time, I experienced J&K, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab in all their beauty and splendour at a relaxed pace, not in our typical frenetic style. There is a lot to enjoy driving through these parts, so if and when you get a chance, do not think for even a minute — tank up, stock up, and get set go! 
