Hello our friends,
does anybody visit this blog? :-) We would like to ask all of you to leave at least short comment here or to let us know in different way - via sms or email if you have these contacts of ours. We need to know if somebody is interested in English reports about our journey and thus if it is worth to translate the originally Czech reports.
Thank you very much!!
Petr and Michal
Thursday, 30 July 2009
Thursday, 23 July 2009
How we got to know Turkey
7th July 2009 19:31 Petr, Michal
Hello!
We have covered another distance on our journey and got further to the East again. At the moment we are being found in Urmie in Iran.
Now about what has happened since the last time we blogged.
After finishing the last report we got on the train in Istanbul and moved only to Izmit (70 km) because we thought that it would be better to hitchhike there. Really heavy storm started during the ride by that train and it continued after our arrival to Izmit as well. When we were waiting until it stops raining, we met a guy who wants to teach English so it was not difficult to talk to him. He took us to a restaurant and helped us to find quite cheap hotel.
In the morning we woke up and immediately went to find an appropriate place for hitchhiking. Of course, nobody stopped for us so we walked subsequently through Izmit up to the exit road towards Ankara. On the way we met two Kurds who were selling water to passing buses along the road. They invited us to a cup of tea and told us that it would be easier to go by train because it does not cost too much (20 TL for a person… that is 20 Euro for the way across all Turkey together). At the railway station we found out that the train was just 20 TL (Turkish lira), it was true, but it went only on Mondays and Saturdays. That is why we had to wait 4 days till the train would go. We went out of the city and after long searching we found quite comfortable heap of stones where we slept.
Next morning we bought some supplies of “ekmek” (bread) and “su” (water) and went to the mountains to spent three days till the train´s departure there. For two days we were eating pate, bread and water and lounged in tree shadow.
When we decided to go back to civilization, first we took a bath in a near pond in order not to smell too much. When we were sitting on a beach, some young guy on a motorbike stopped by us and started speaking Turkish English with us… After a while Samet (that was his name) found out that is was worthless so he gave us a fistful of hazelnuts and then we all were sitting there together, watching into the water and eating the nuts. Afterwards he called his friend Hasan who was said to speak great English and agreed with him that we would go for a dinner together. We went with Samet to the city to some restaurant and met Hasan there. We had delicious Turkish meal PIDE. After the dinner Hasan invited us to his apartment to sleep there… He had a student apartment and his roommates were gone so it was free there. Both of these guys attended the same class and studied engineering faculty. We had a splendid night then, drunk some beer, some slivovitz and talked a lot… We spoke even with Hasan´s father on the telephone, he said us „Hello friends“ in Czech because he had once worked with Czechs.
We got up early in the morning (round 2:00 PM) and Hasan and Samet made ready an amazing program for us for the entire day. We had Turkish butter-rolls and tea for breakfast and then the boys guided us throughout Izmit… We climbed to some lookout, visited fun-fair and went on a mole to see fishermen. Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to our friends in the evening because the time of our train´s departure was coming… However, we would like to say hello to Hasan and Samet!!
After that we spent 41 hours in a super-slow train that was overtaken even by a bumble bee sometimes… The train´s name was DOGU EKSPRESI and it stopped also there, where no station was situated… Possibly so that we could have seen how the Turks grew stones everywhere.
After the long journey by train we got to the town Tatvan in the southeast of Turkey (it was raining again). We turned into a pick-up there and were carried for some money to the town Van that was situated on another side of a short-distance lake. We arrived to Van yesterday late in the evening and found out that the simplest way how to get over the frontier would be to go by bus. However, the bus was not supposed to go until the morning so we went for some meal and then we wanted to wait in an internet café until the morning. Since the internet café was closed at midnight, we went back to the bus station to wait there. Around 2:00 AM a “captain” of a bus came to us with an offer to take us to Iran. It was not easy at all to arrange with him where we wanted to go. However, there were only 6 individuals in the bus who looked like a family rather than some passengers. At least, we had some space to sleep on. We were riding all night long.
So we are finishing our report for today. We are going to have something to eat somewhere and then we would like to have some tea in a teahouse.
Hello!
We have covered another distance on our journey and got further to the East again. At the moment we are being found in Urmie in Iran.
Now about what has happened since the last time we blogged.
After finishing the last report we got on the train in Istanbul and moved only to Izmit (70 km) because we thought that it would be better to hitchhike there. Really heavy storm started during the ride by that train and it continued after our arrival to Izmit as well. When we were waiting until it stops raining, we met a guy who wants to teach English so it was not difficult to talk to him. He took us to a restaurant and helped us to find quite cheap hotel.
In the morning we woke up and immediately went to find an appropriate place for hitchhiking. Of course, nobody stopped for us so we walked subsequently through Izmit up to the exit road towards Ankara. On the way we met two Kurds who were selling water to passing buses along the road. They invited us to a cup of tea and told us that it would be easier to go by train because it does not cost too much (20 TL for a person… that is 20 Euro for the way across all Turkey together). At the railway station we found out that the train was just 20 TL (Turkish lira), it was true, but it went only on Mondays and Saturdays. That is why we had to wait 4 days till the train would go. We went out of the city and after long searching we found quite comfortable heap of stones where we slept.
Next morning we bought some supplies of “ekmek” (bread) and “su” (water) and went to the mountains to spent three days till the train´s departure there. For two days we were eating pate, bread and water and lounged in tree shadow.
When we decided to go back to civilization, first we took a bath in a near pond in order not to smell too much. When we were sitting on a beach, some young guy on a motorbike stopped by us and started speaking Turkish English with us… After a while Samet (that was his name) found out that is was worthless so he gave us a fistful of hazelnuts and then we all were sitting there together, watching into the water and eating the nuts. Afterwards he called his friend Hasan who was said to speak great English and agreed with him that we would go for a dinner together. We went with Samet to the city to some restaurant and met Hasan there. We had delicious Turkish meal PIDE. After the dinner Hasan invited us to his apartment to sleep there… He had a student apartment and his roommates were gone so it was free there. Both of these guys attended the same class and studied engineering faculty. We had a splendid night then, drunk some beer, some slivovitz and talked a lot… We spoke even with Hasan´s father on the telephone, he said us „Hello friends“ in Czech because he had once worked with Czechs.
We got up early in the morning (round 2:00 PM) and Hasan and Samet made ready an amazing program for us for the entire day. We had Turkish butter-rolls and tea for breakfast and then the boys guided us throughout Izmit… We climbed to some lookout, visited fun-fair and went on a mole to see fishermen. Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to our friends in the evening because the time of our train´s departure was coming… However, we would like to say hello to Hasan and Samet!!After that we spent 41 hours in a super-slow train that was overtaken even by a bumble bee sometimes… The train´s name was DOGU EKSPRESI and it stopped also there, where no station was situated… Possibly so that we could have seen how the Turks grew stones everywhere.
After the long journey by train we got to the town Tatvan in the southeast of Turkey (it was raining again). We turned into a pick-up there and were carried for some money to the town Van that was situated on another side of a short-distance lake. We arrived to Van yesterday late in the evening and found out that the simplest way how to get over the frontier would be to go by bus. However, the bus was not supposed to go until the morning so we went for some meal and then we wanted to wait in an internet café until the morning. Since the internet café was closed at midnight, we went back to the bus station to wait there. Around 2:00 AM a “captain” of a bus came to us with an offer to take us to Iran. It was not easy at all to arrange with him where we wanted to go. However, there were only 6 individuals in the bus who looked like a family rather than some passengers. At least, we had some space to sleep on. We were riding all night long.
So we are finishing our report for today. We are going to have something to eat somewhere and then we would like to have some tea in a teahouse.
Saturday, 18 July 2009
Turkey – gateway to Asia
29th June 2009 14:57 Petr, Michal
MERHABA,
We are just sitting in Istanbul, in some strange internet cafe … or more likely smoking room.
After finishing our last report we got by public transport to the outskirts of Nis the same day where we caught a car luckily in a while – soldiers, who had fought in Serbian wars, took us as far away as border of Serbia. After a few conflicts with customs officers we put our sleeping bags in the grass and then started to rain as usual.
In the morning we woke up in wet sleeping bags and walked over the frontier to Bulgaria again… There was a plenty of various small houses where we were still asked for something.
We got behind the frontier and shortly after two young Bulgarians, who went to Sofia, gave us a lift. They did not speak English very well so we hardly explained them that we need to get off at such place where it would be easy to set forward to Grcka (= Serbian expression of Greece). In the suburbs of Sofia they dropped us – fortunately it was really way to Grcka. We were suprised that a lot of people offered us a lift although they were not going where we needed. Then an older man took us (of course he wanted money for the lift) but we managed to bargain with the help of Russian, Polish, German, English and Czech that it would be free… Finally, he took us further than we hoped to and we started hitchhiking again. Then we got a lift from a young guy who wanted just money for the gas (ONLY 50 Euro – for a lift to the frontiers with Grcka what was round 80 km). However, we must look really poor so he took mercy on us and we moved over next 25 km. After that followed a great van driver who we talked all the way with and who explained us that Greeks use often word MALAKA (that means something like „dude“). Then he dropped us and since we gave him home-made slivovitz, he jumped backwards on the bucket and started throwing at us giant home-made tomatoes (as big as baby head) and even bigger cucumbers. Consequently, he posed for us with his vegetables, jumped to his cabin and disappeared with his van in dust cloudes.
Further we walked across a hill and then we met another great man who gave us a lift. It was older man who worked in Bulgaria in cement factory (he studied chemistry) but lives in Greece… So we travelled successfully through Bulgaria in a single day. In the city Seres, where we got off, we passed the night at local park. We had even running water there and we were happy to be in Greece – the country full of gyros and sandals.
Next morning we (completely bitten from mosquitos) walked Greek 500 m (what is round Czech 150 km) and people were still saying us that it is to the exit road, that we needed to get to, really just 500 m…grrr… On the exit road it did not look like really well so we decided to go by bus but before its arrival we caught another car yet. It was driven by an older man who did not understand at all what we wanted. But he seemed to require some money from us… After all we went with him and finally he took us to the wonderful small village Orifa that is situated on the coast. Then he gave us lots of kisses and while he was laughing he and his stocky wife left.
In the first shop it was told us that a camp is 500 m (!!!) along the coast. So we found it after an hour of walking, spent some time on the beach near camp and then we showered and washed in the camp.
When it started raining in the evening, we got inside an empty tent and fell asleep. In the morning we found out that the fridge is on and full of food so we packed up quickly and in the afternoon the owners arrived :)
We spent next day by doing nothing and this time we passed the night at beach (although it was raining in the morning). We tried gyros and then we started our journey to Turkey. The same day we had the luck that we did not hope for.
First, young Greek couple gave us a lift (in Fabia) and we talked with them in English all the way. They were so kind that they took us even behind the frontiers although they did not have to go there (plus we got a “luxury” sponge-cake). We have to express our thanks to these people and we are hoping that they are going to follow our journey.
Then a problem of crossing the border with Turkey occured because we could not walk across the broken bridge due to the soldiers. We were surprised how many soldiers were watching it. We chatted up one nice Dutch who took us across the border and finally he gave us a lift till the first big cross-road towards Instanbul. We have to thank this man so much as well because not everyone is as courageous to take two crazy European guys, who look like homeless men, across the border.
Then we experienced the best hitchhiking so far because a bunch of super young Turks in a caravan offered us a lift. They were just coming back from holiday to Istanbul. It has been proven that Turkey is very hospitable and pleasant country. We got on a slightly messy caravan and started chatting… We learned a lot of things about Turkey, what to beware of and so on (I offered them pork pate with pleasure what was laughingly refused). On the way we stopped for a dinner, we had some typical Turkish meal that was similar to our meat loaf. We were surprised a lot that calling for a waiter is not a big deal here… Then we went on, learned at least some Turkish greetings (merhaba = hello) and changed national alcoholic drinks (we have RAKI). We gave them some postcards and we are hoping that our new friends are going to visit us in winter. At night we arrived to Istanbul, across the wonderful bridge that is said to divide the world in Europe and Asia. We received some money (Turkish lira), had to say good-bye to our friends and went to the bus-stop for a bus to Taksim.
WE THANK OUR NEW TURKISH FRIENDS!
Of course, the bus did not go because it was too late. So we went – according to advice of young Turks – somewhere else where some hotels are said to be situated as well. We could not find any for a while (everything was roughly 80 UDS per night). Around 2:00 AM we – completely exhausted – addressed a man in fastfood who found a hotel for 20 UDS per night for us, took us by car there and even bought us some food (it is the Turkish hospitality)… We got a sleep and now we are already three hours writing this article because it is some strange keyboard here („i“ does not have a dot).
So we are slowly moving off… We are not sure when we are able to let you know again.
GÜLE GÜLE
MERHABA,
We are just sitting in Istanbul, in some strange internet cafe … or more likely smoking room.
After finishing our last report we got by public transport to the outskirts of Nis the same day where we caught a car luckily in a while – soldiers, who had fought in Serbian wars, took us as far away as border of Serbia. After a few conflicts with customs officers we put our sleeping bags in the grass and then started to rain as usual.
In the morning we woke up in wet sleeping bags and walked over the frontier to Bulgaria again… There was a plenty of various small houses where we were still asked for something.
We got behind the frontier and shortly after two young Bulgarians, who went to Sofia, gave us a lift. They did not speak English very well so we hardly explained them that we need to get off at such place where it would be easy to set forward to Grcka (= Serbian expression of Greece). In the suburbs of Sofia they dropped us – fortunately it was really way to Grcka. We were suprised that a lot of people offered us a lift although they were not going where we needed. Then an older man took us (of course he wanted money for the lift) but we managed to bargain with the help of Russian, Polish, German, English and Czech that it would be free… Finally, he took us further than we hoped to and we started hitchhiking again. Then we got a lift from a young guy who wanted just money for the gas (ONLY 50 Euro – for a lift to the frontiers with Grcka what was round 80 km). However, we must look really poor so he took mercy on us and we moved over next 25 km. After that followed a great van driver who we talked all the way with and who explained us that Greeks use often word MALAKA (that means something like „dude“). Then he dropped us and since we gave him home-made slivovitz, he jumped backwards on the bucket and started throwing at us giant home-made tomatoes (as big as baby head) and even bigger cucumbers. Consequently, he posed for us with his vegetables, jumped to his cabin and disappeared with his van in dust cloudes.
Further we walked across a hill and then we met another great man who gave us a lift. It was older man who worked in Bulgaria in cement factory (he studied chemistry) but lives in Greece… So we travelled successfully through Bulgaria in a single day. In the city Seres, where we got off, we passed the night at local park. We had even running water there and we were happy to be in Greece – the country full of gyros and sandals.Next morning we (completely bitten from mosquitos) walked Greek 500 m (what is round Czech 150 km) and people were still saying us that it is to the exit road, that we needed to get to, really just 500 m…grrr… On the exit road it did not look like really well so we decided to go by bus but before its arrival we caught another car yet. It was driven by an older man who did not understand at all what we wanted. But he seemed to require some money from us… After all we went with him and finally he took us to the wonderful small village Orifa that is situated on the coast. Then he gave us lots of kisses and while he was laughing he and his stocky wife left.
In the first shop it was told us that a camp is 500 m (!!!) along the coast. So we found it after an hour of walking, spent some time on the beach near camp and then we showered and washed in the camp.
When it started raining in the evening, we got inside an empty tent and fell asleep. In the morning we found out that the fridge is on and full of food so we packed up quickly and in the afternoon the owners arrived :)
We spent next day by doing nothing and this time we passed the night at beach (although it was raining in the morning). We tried gyros and then we started our journey to Turkey. The same day we had the luck that we did not hope for.
First, young Greek couple gave us a lift (in Fabia) and we talked with them in English all the way. They were so kind that they took us even behind the frontiers although they did not have to go there (plus we got a “luxury” sponge-cake). We have to express our thanks to these people and we are hoping that they are going to follow our journey.
Then a problem of crossing the border with Turkey occured because we could not walk across the broken bridge due to the soldiers. We were surprised how many soldiers were watching it. We chatted up one nice Dutch who took us across the border and finally he gave us a lift till the first big cross-road towards Instanbul. We have to thank this man so much as well because not everyone is as courageous to take two crazy European guys, who look like homeless men, across the border.
Then we experienced the best hitchhiking so far because a bunch of super young Turks in a caravan offered us a lift. They were just coming back from holiday to Istanbul. It has been proven that Turkey is very hospitable and pleasant country. We got on a slightly messy caravan and started chatting… We learned a lot of things about Turkey, what to beware of and so on (I offered them pork pate with pleasure what was laughingly refused). On the way we stopped for a dinner, we had some typical Turkish meal that was similar to our meat loaf. We were surprised a lot that calling for a waiter is not a big deal here… Then we went on, learned at least some Turkish greetings (merhaba = hello) and changed national alcoholic drinks (we have RAKI). We gave them some postcards and we are hoping that our new friends are going to visit us in winter. At night we arrived to Istanbul, across the wonderful bridge that is said to divide the world in Europe and Asia. We received some money (Turkish lira), had to say good-bye to our friends and went to the bus-stop for a bus to Taksim.
WE THANK OUR NEW TURKISH FRIENDS!Of course, the bus did not go because it was too late. So we went – according to advice of young Turks – somewhere else where some hotels are said to be situated as well. We could not find any for a while (everything was roughly 80 UDS per night). Around 2:00 AM we – completely exhausted – addressed a man in fastfood who found a hotel for 20 UDS per night for us, took us by car there and even bought us some food (it is the Turkish hospitality)… We got a sleep and now we are already three hours writing this article because it is some strange keyboard here („i“ does not have a dot).
So we are slowly moving off… We are not sure when we are able to let you know again.
GÜLE GÜLE
Serbia – cool country
24th June 2009 18:29 Michal, Petr
Hello!
We are just being in Nis in Serbia, this is the first time when we are writing from an internet cafe.
On Monday early in the morning we started out from Brno towards Hungary. Although it was raining all the way, we did not care because we were comfortably going by a car that was loaded on a car transporter. After the driver smuggled us over the Hungarian frontier, we got not far from Budapest – to a Turkish truck parking place near Keckemet. After a day spent by convincing individual drivers (without any success – everyone just explained us kindly the way to Turkey) we slept over in the bus stop and early in the morning we decided to hitchhike on our own… So we reached Keckemet by bus :) Then we managed to get to Serbian frontier (a kind English-speaking Hungarian couple gave us a lift).
We walked over the frontier and met a German guy, whose name was Franc. He travelled alone, by hitchhiking… without any food but with a plan to travel trough all Serbia.
When we started to hitchhike behind the frontiers, in the mist occured local Romany who offered us willingly a lift to Beograd…for only 50 Euro. We bargained this amount to 10 Euro and set forward with him to alleged near village where his car was said to be situated. All the way he repeated: „Me good, little distance, give Euro.“ After he has learned from us where our cell phones are hidden, whether we have more money and where our passports are, he told us that we would go by train because he had no gas, however that he was a good man and was going to buy us the tickets… He did this indeed but the tickets were only valid to the nearest village (for 2 Euro, he wanted 10). But we are not as stupid so we asked the engine-driver who explained us the situation. The Romany lost 2 Euro and even he was not able to counteract.
We came to a road and an Italian gave us a lift to Beograd… There we were looking for the way out of the city (towards the city Nis) all the day. We found it, passed the night between panel houses and in the morning started to hitchhike. After four hours we gave it up, went by public transport back to the downtown and bought tickets to Nis for 1640 RSD.
So we are here now. But we are going to get further today.
By the way, it is raining here all the time but a scout boy is waterproof, isn´t he?
Serbian people are throughout nice, mostly they speak English and are always heplful… However, they do not react to hitchhiking…grrr.
Hojas lofaz :)
Hello!
We are just being in Nis in Serbia, this is the first time when we are writing from an internet cafe.
On Monday early in the morning we started out from Brno towards Hungary. Although it was raining all the way, we did not care because we were comfortably going by a car that was loaded on a car transporter. After the driver smuggled us over the Hungarian frontier, we got not far from Budapest – to a Turkish truck parking place near Keckemet. After a day spent by convincing individual drivers (without any success – everyone just explained us kindly the way to Turkey) we slept over in the bus stop and early in the morning we decided to hitchhike on our own… So we reached Keckemet by bus :) Then we managed to get to Serbian frontier (a kind English-speaking Hungarian couple gave us a lift).
We walked over the frontier and met a German guy, whose name was Franc. He travelled alone, by hitchhiking… without any food but with a plan to travel trough all Serbia.
When we started to hitchhike behind the frontiers, in the mist occured local Romany who offered us willingly a lift to Beograd…for only 50 Euro. We bargained this amount to 10 Euro and set forward with him to alleged near village where his car was said to be situated. All the way he repeated: „Me good, little distance, give Euro.“ After he has learned from us where our cell phones are hidden, whether we have more money and where our passports are, he told us that we would go by train because he had no gas, however that he was a good man and was going to buy us the tickets… He did this indeed but the tickets were only valid to the nearest village (for 2 Euro, he wanted 10). But we are not as stupid so we asked the engine-driver who explained us the situation. The Romany lost 2 Euro and even he was not able to counteract.
We came to a road and an Italian gave us a lift to Beograd… There we were looking for the way out of the city (towards the city Nis) all the day. We found it, passed the night between panel houses and in the morning started to hitchhike. After four hours we gave it up, went by public transport back to the downtown and bought tickets to Nis for 1640 RSD.
So we are here now. But we are going to get further today.
By the way, it is raining here all the time but a scout boy is waterproof, isn´t he?
Serbian people are throughout nice, mostly they speak English and are always heplful… However, they do not react to hitchhiking…grrr.
Hojas lofaz :)
We are starting our journey
21st June 2009 22:34 Petr Švásta
Hello our family, our friends,
I am just sitting at Michal´s and writting our last report from Czech Republic. We are starting our journey next morning. We are going with a truck driver, who we barely know, to Hungary, not too far from Budapest. From that point we are going on our own…
Considering the fact that I have already left from home, I can regard myself to be an official traveller. I am only 30 km away from home but I acquired so much experience in that half an hour. The road was adventurous, fast and the driver was nice (thank you, sister).
Take care ;-)
Petr
Hello our family, our friends,
I am just sitting at Michal´s and writting our last report from Czech Republic. We are starting our journey next morning. We are going with a truck driver, who we barely know, to Hungary, not too far from Budapest. From that point we are going on our own…
Considering the fact that I have already left from home, I can regard myself to be an official traveller. I am only 30 km away from home but I acquired so much experience in that half an hour. The road was adventurous, fast and the driver was nice (thank you, sister).
Take care ;-)
Petr
Introduction
20th June 2009 17:38 Petr Švásta
Hello,
The goal of our journey is India – by land across Europe, Turkey, Iran and Pakistan. However, I would like to welcome all of you here on this blog. We are going to use it as an information channel (we will regularly write „we are alive“) and put the information here as often as possible.
Contact:
- Petr Švásta: svasta.petr@email.cz
- +420603950134
- Michal Guzej: juzy@seznam.cz
- +420732177671
Wish us well, it will be hot :)
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