then (1974) and now (2024)

TIME AND BUDGET

The main difference between my first visit ito India and now is reflected in the time and budget:

• 1974. We had an almost unlimited amount of time, but an extremely limited budget.
• 2024 is the other way around: Limited time but budget, not exactly unlimited, but still enough not to be a problem.

• In 1974 we slept in "hotels" with ½ (0.5) stars (the main criteria were a roof over our heads, a shower (a bed was not mandatory since we slept in our sleeping bags). Also, sometimes, we used to sleep outside on the beach, in the park, on a bench...
• In 2024, we stayed in 4 and 5 star hotels.

What's better?

I think that in 1974 I got to know India better, not only because of the many more places I visited and the more time I spent there, but also because of the fact that due to the limited budget we had to improvise, we "pocked our noses" in many holes that would not think about that today.

VREME I BUDZET

Glavna razlika izmedju mog prvog boravka u Indiji I sada ogleda se u vremenu I budzetu:

• 1974. Smo imali skoro neograniceno vreme ali ekstremno limitiran budzet.
• 2024 je obratno: Limitirano vreme a buzet, ne bas neogranicen, ali ipak dovoljan da ne predstavlja problem.

• 1974 smo spavali u “hotelima” sa ½ (0.5) zvezdice (glavni kriterijumi su bili krov nad glavom i tus/kupatilo (krevet nije bio obavezan obzirom da smo spavali u vrecama). Nekad se spavalo i napolju na plazi, parku, klupi...
• 2024 smo boravili u hotelima sa 4 i 5 zvezdica.

Sta je bolje?

Smatram da sam 1974 bolje upoznao Indiju i to ne samo zbog mnogo vise mesta koje sam posetio i vise vremena koje sam proveo tamo vec, i zbog cinjenice da smo zbog limitiranog budzeta morali da se sanlazimo, “zabadali smo nos” u mnoge budzake sto mi danas ne bi palo na pamet.

TECHNOLOGY, INFORMATION AND THE WAY OF TRAVELLING

1974

• no internet
• no mobile phones
• no digital cameras
• and the worst of all, no enough valid information

Due to the limited budget, we travelled only by land; by trains and buses.

Due to the lack of information, it was impossible to plan the trip in advance (the rough plan was to go to Bali, Indonesia) so we were going from place to place and in each place we were

considering the options about the continuation of the trip.

In addition to India, we visited Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nepal.

In India itself, we visited more places than we did this time: Amritsar, Chandigarh, Delhi, Agra, Varanasi, Patna, Aurangabad, Pune, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and many more in between.  Also, we visited Elora and Ajanta Caves, my favourite destinations in India.

I spent about 3.5 months on the road.

2024

Thanks to technology (and, normally, a budget) the trip could be well planned down to the last detail.

We travelled by airplanes and buses (locally).

This made it possible to see as much as possible in a relatively short time and to get real and concise information about each place.

This time, the trip was focused on the "Golden Triangle of India" Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, plus Varanasi.

The trip was only for 10 days.

TEHNOLOGIJA, INFORMACIJE I NACIN PUTOVANJA

1974

• Jos nema interenta
• Jos nema mobilnih telefona
• Jos nema digitalnih kamera
• I sto je najgore, nema dovoljno validnih informacija

Zbog ogranicenog budzeta, putovalo se samo suvozemnim putem; vozom i autobusom.

Zbog nedostatka informacija, nemoguce je bilo isplanirati put u detalje (okvirni plan je bio da stignemo na Bali, Indonezija) pa smo putovali od

mesta do mesta i odlucivali o nastavku puta u svakom mestu.

Sem indije, obisli smo Tursku, Irak, Iran, Avganistan, Pakistan i Nepal.

U samoj Indiji, obisli smo vise mesta nego sada: Amritsar, Chandigarh, Delhi, Agra, Varanasi, Patna, Aurangabad, Pune, Mumbai, Ahmadabad i jos puno toga izmedju pomenutih mesta.  Izmedju ostalog pecine Elora i Adzanta, moje omiljene destinacije u Indiji.

Na putu sam proveo oko 3.5 meseca.

2024

Zahvaljujuci tehnologiji (i, normalno budzetu) putovanje je moglo detaljno da se isplanira.

Putovalo se avionima i autobusima (u lokalu).

To je sve omogucilo da se u relativno kratkom vremenu vidi sto vise i da se dobiju prave i sazete informacije o svakom mestu,

Ovoga puta, put je bio fokusiran na “zlatni trougao Indije”; Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, plus Varanasi.

Na putu smo proveli samo 10 dana.