Legs 1 & 2 / Etape 1 i 2

1st Leg:  Belgrade – Istanbul

 

We began the trip by catching the train to Istanbul on 20 June 1974.

1. etapa:  Beograd – Istanbul

 

Na put krecemo vozom za Istanbul 20 juna 1974.

Istanbul

 

    • We were not interested in Istanbul as a tourist place only, but more as the starting point of our trip.
    • The first impressions:
      • The Link b/w Europe & Asia
      • Overcrowded city
      • Terrible traffic
      • Everywhere mosques & minarets

Istanbul

 

    • Nije nas iteresovao samo kao turisticko mesto vec vise kao “odskocna daska’ ili “prozor u svet”.
    • Prvi utisci:
      • Spona Evrope I Azije
      • Prenaseljen grad
      • Uzasan saobracaj
      • Gde god pogledas dzamije I minareti

Two things that I remember in Istanbul:

  1. The first decision about the trip

Since we didn’t have enough info before the trip, we couldn’t plan the trip in details.  So, we had to make plans from place to place on the basis of hitch-hiking possibility, bus, train etc. So, the first decision meeting (Belgrade excluded) was held in Istanbul.

My proposal was the route towards the South and via Baghdad, Babylon and Basra to go to Iran.  And via South Iran to enter Pakistan and via Karachi to go to India.  On the way back we would go through Afghanistan and North Iran.

My co-travelers wanted to go via North Iran and on the way back travel via South Iran, Basra, Babylon and Baghdad.  So it was the decision (Votes 3:1).

The decision was good. If we had accepted my proposal, we would have spent more money at the beginning and the trip would have been even more reduced.

I always remember that first agreement about the trip. Actually, it was a good school.  At that point we realized that, before any discussion about the trip, we had to do it after food and without being nervous, to listen to everybody’s opinion and then to vote. We had always chosen the best decision at certain points. Nobody was dissatisfied and unhappy.

 

  1. Drastic reduction of my finances

In Istanbul, the first step of the trip, I spent ¼ of my total budget. I spent USA $260; USA$160 for the camera alone. I also bought a few rolls of Kodak slides, $6.5 each for the set of 24 slides. For the rest of the trip (Bali was still the target) I had $800 in my pocket.

Istambul pamtim po dve stvari:

  1. Prvi dogovor o nastavku puta

Kako smo imali samo okvirni plan puta jer u nedostatku informacija nismo mogli da planiramo put detaljno to smo onda pravili planove od mesta do mesta a na osnovu mogucnosti auto-stopa, autobusa, voza i sl.  Prvi dogovor o nastavku (ne racunajuci Beograd) bio je u Istanbulu. 

Moj predlog je bio da idemo na jug, u Irak, I da preko Bagdada i Babilona idemo do Basre, udjemo u Iran i onda preko juznog Irana udjemo u Pakistan i preko Karacija idemo u Indiju.  U povratku bi isli severnim delovima Pakistana, Avganistana I Irana.

Ostali su bili za to da idemo direktno za Teheran a u povratku da idemo na juzni Iran, Irak I ponovo u Tursku.  Bio sam preglasan I odluka je bila da se ide direktno za Teheran.

Odluka je bila ispravna.  Da smo postupili po mom predlogu, verovatno bi potrosili vise novca pa bi duzina puta bila jos vise redukovana i pitanje da li bi stigli i do Nepala.

Ovog dogovora se uvek secam.  To je ustvari bila velika skola.  Tada smo shvatili, da pre svakog dogovora (a bilo ih je puno u toku puta) moramo biti prvo siti I napiti a da zatim, bez nervoze, saslusamo svacije misljenje i onda vecom donesemo odluku.  Nije se desilo da smo imali slucaj 2:2.  Uvek je preovladalo najispravnije misljenje I nije bilo sukoba I nezadovoljstva.

  1. Drasticno umanjenje mojih finansija

U Isambulu, prvoj stanici puta, potrosio sam cetvrtinu moga buzdeta tj $260.00; kupio sam kameru (Praktica Super TL za $160.00) I nekoliko rolni Kodak slajdova od po $6.5 za set od 24. Tako da za nastavak puta (Bali je jos uvek bio cilj) ja imam oko $800.00 dzepu.

Aja Sophia

 

  • Patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, now a museum
  • Built in 6th century by Justinian
  • It was the largest cathedral in the world for nearly a 1000 years
  • Served as a model for Ottoman mosques
  • Dome diameter 31m, interior height 55.6m
Aja Sophia

 

    • Crkva, dzamija a onda muzej
    • Izgradio je u 6 veku Justinijan
    • Bila je najveca katedrala na svetu skoro 1000 godina
    • Sluzila je kao model za Otomanske dzamije
    • Kuipola je precnika 31m, a visina je 55.6m
Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque)

 

  • Built beginning of the 17th century
  • Dome 23.5m diameter, 43m high at the central point
Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Dzamija)

 

    • Izgradjena pocetkom 17 veka
    • Kupola je precnika 23.5m a, u centalnom delu visoka 43m
Topkapi Palace

 

  • Palace, official residence of Ottoman Sultans
  • Home for 4000 people
  • Built in the 15th century
  • It held mosques, a hospital, bakeries and mint (where money was coined)
  • Beginning of 20th century, museum
Topkapi Palata

 

    • Palata, zvanicna rezidencija Otomanskih sultana
    • Zivelo je 4000 ljudi u kompleksu
    • Izgradjena je u 15 veku
    • Sadrzavala je dzamije, bolnicu, pekare I kovnicu novca
    • Pocedtkom 20 veka postaje muzej

2nd Leg: Istanbul – Tehran

 

We travelled to Teheran by bus with a few stop overs in Turkish and Iranian cities:, Sivas, Erzurum, Tabriz.

We didn’t take a lot photos at that point.  We kept films and slide negatives for more exotic destinations.

2. etapa: Istanbul – Teheran

 

Za Teheran smo krenuli autobusom 23 juna 1974, sa nocenjima u nekoliko Turskih I Iranskih gradova (Sivas, Erzurum, Tabriz).

Usput nismo nesto mnogo slikali.  Cuvali smo slajdove i film (Ilford, crno beli koji smo kupili u Beogradu “na metar”) za kasnije tj za malo egzoticnije destinacije.

Tehran

 

Iran Gate (King Memorial Tower)

 

      1. Built 1971 to mark 2500th anniversary of the Persian Empire
      2. Museum in the basement

Teheran

 

Kapija Irana (King Memorial Tower)
      • Izgradjena 1971 kao obelezje godisnjice 2500 godina Persijskog carstva
      • Muzej u podzemnim prostorijama