David Foranand Fintan Gillespie
WEEK FIVE: After possibly the world's biggest U-turn and an unexpected trip to Japan, we arrived in the Indian city of Calcutta. The manic taxi ride to our hostel was an eye-opener; the sole rule of the road seemed to be every man for himself, with all communication through the medium of the horn. The poverty where we stayed, on Sudder Street, was overwhelming. It was here that Mother Teresa did most of her work.
The Hummer was released from Calcutta port after a week of Indian bureaucracy. Due to the arrival of Dave's mum and sister in Delhi, we were left with just 26 hours to race 1,600km on some of the most unorganised roads on earth. With no sleep, and stops strictly for petrol and junk food, Dave navigated through camel crossings, elephants, oncoming trucks on the wrong side of the motorway, and the constantly looming disaster of hitting a cow. It was a miracle that we made it on time.
We spent three days in India's capital, organising visas, and, while at the Irish Embassy, we were invited to a Paddy's Day function at the Ambassador's residence. We were lucky, as Delhi must be the only city we've been to without an Irish pub. There, we met ÉamoÓ Cuív, Minister for Gaeltacht Affairs, who was good enough to give a donation.
After the event, a younger contingent pushed on to the only open bar in Delhi, which happened to be in the British embassy. We had a great laugh signing in, with Fintan claiming the alias of Michael Collins and Dave as Pádraig Pearse.
Hitting the road again, we took a short trip south to Agra, home to arguably the world's most incredible structure, the Taj Mahal. It was built as a memorial to a Mogal emperor's wife and is aptly described as the most extravagant monument ever built for love.
We are apprehensive about the prospect of entering Pakistan next week, especially after reports of suicide bombings in areas we plan to visit.
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