David Foranand Fintan Gillespie
WEEK SIX: After an eventful fortnight travelling across India from Calcutta we headed north out of Delhi towards Amritsar, close to the border with Pakistan. Amritsar is home to Sikhism's holiest shrine, the Golden Temple, which devout Sikhs travel from all over the world to visit. After removing our shoes, washing our feet and covering our heads, we caught our first glimpse of the incredible structure. Glistening at the centre of a sacred pool, the marble temple is coated with 750kg of gold. We were moved by the spiritual atmosphere.
After reports of suicide bombings and instability, we were apprehensive as we headed into Pakistan the next day. Attari, 30km from Amritsar, is the only border crossing between India and Pakistan. The extraordinary border-closing ceremony is a bizarre battle of bravado as soldiers from both sides engage in a theatrical routine involving marching, stamping, high kicking and even a yelling contest. This daily ritual has become so popular that grandstands have been built.
That evening, in Lahore, we ate at Cooco's Den, a popular rooftop restaurant with glorious views of the Badshahi Mosque. Built by the son of the Taj Mahal's creator, this remarkable red sandstone and marble structure is one of the world's largest mosques.
We spent the next day with a Pakistani news crew, filming a piece about our visit. They took us to play cricket. After our dismal performance, the locals had no idea how Ireland could have beaten Pakistan in last year's world cup.
After a quick overnight stop at Bahawalpur we headed to Quetta, capital of Baluchistan province. As we entered this starkly beautiful mountainous region, it was clear that we were moving from the Indian subcontinent towards the Middle East. Just 60km from Afghanistan, Quetta is a melting pot of tribal groups, a large proportion of which are Afghan refugees. The town felt edgy and lawless, so with the Hummer and our blond heads sticking out like sore thumbs we left the next day, travelling through the barren and desolate Baluchistan desert towards Iran.
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