The feelings, perceptions, difficulties and hardships at a traveling
on the Iran, Pakistan and India

Hint no.1: Do not assess anything, anywhere and anytime from the point of view of a man from the West
Hint no.2: Settle with that the hint no.1 could be done very hard

Iran

We was fascinated by this country though we spend only one week in it (our visum do not allow more). On the border of the Iran we saw biblical mountain Ararat (5165 m) with snow on the top on one side, and 15 km long serpent of road full of oil tankers on the other. They ride to the border on the long highway 100 km in hour, often three or four side by side. We was afraid of the transition of the border, but it was without problems. We get through the pass and duty control very quickly, even more quickly than a pilgrimages to the Mekka. One clerk from the travel agency (right on the border) was most helpful to us in this. Pilgrimages had more problems than we, who was already in the buffet on the other side of the border. Religious policy control them very carefuly (their islam is very bigoted). First thing we noticed after the arrive to the first city was absence of women and a lot of men going hang by hand one to another. In the short time we underestood that this is natural in the other countries too. There is not a custom of keeping the social distance of one meter between the people in this countries. We do not realize at all, how much of room we have around in our counties. Touches and kissis between a men is usual in the Asia, and there is nothing erotical in it. It is only a more intensive manifestation of friendship. But a woman is great tabu in the Irak, and Pakistan too. That they are here, we noticed very quickly. And they are very nice, through they have covered face. Especially women in the Iran are very attractive, as well as their smile and the glance with what they looked curiously at us. But it is prohibited speaking with them publicaly on the street. They have special seats in a busses and very early you start to suppose, that their role is to be only a servants without any right. On the other side I observe them while they buing dresses and a jewels and it persuade me that their role in the household is not very different from situation in our country. It is risky trying to photograph them, as well as enter a mosques dressed to a short throusers and a t-shirt. It is better asking for agreement when you want to photograph. And best is photograph when you are accompanied with a guide. Iran appear very well mainly with its hospitality and willing people (sometimes more than is necesary), but mainly with its nature. There is a seas, deserts and high mountains there. Services are perfect and very cheap here. Transport is very cheap too because oil is about 40 halers for litre, diesel oil about ten. The country is slowly opening for the traveling, but there is great possibilities here. But travelers have to make themself the local rules. Women turists have not going alone, and must be right dressed and covered. Month amount of stay could be maximaly 200-300 USD.

Pakistan

After your arrival to this country you will feel, that everything is different. There is chaotic traffic on the roads, they go on the left. Everything is done with continuous scream, sound, hot and dust. Around lots of building are high concrete walls with glass trash on the top. Houses are mostly all casting from the concrete and till the finish there are cover with the wooden scaffolding what is disclaiming law of static. We meeting people with the glasses sights on their dark faces, what is often make omnipresent and very cheap kinds of hashish. It substitute our drugs as is tabaco and alcohol here. Men are clothed very uniformly. They are weared to the cloth trousers, long shirts, with the necessary towel around the head or neck. Everything is brown, blue or grey. Most of population has fallen arches becaus of wearing slippers, the same as are wearing in the all Asia. Interesting look was in the time, when we exit the train in light brown pakistan landscape with others fellow travelers for the toilet. It was necessary to get to the nearest bushes or fence, stand aside the other and urinate. But we do it in the stand, and Pakistanians in according with the habit in the sitting. So we little stick out. Traveling is relativly safe in the Pakistan. Hithhiking work perfekt (you must hithhiking with left hand), but first you have to ask if they drive you free. In the worst a second car will stop to you . But different is the situation in the Krarakoram Highway, where mainly in the last part is very, very low density of traffic. I have experience with most bizzare hitchhiking right there. Tractor driving 60 km per hour, black goverment mercedes with shooting proof glasses and analphabet driver, who can speak english and french besides local languages and driving. I hitchhiking on the open pick up going 170 km per hour here. Buses are frequent and relativly cheap here, and they are realy crazy, so you have possibility photograph, look at country or relax. Prices of the other services are low and there is possible to buy nearly everithing. A dysentery, czek lunch meat, or kalashnikov. But there is necessary to discuss about a price and bargain. Month account for staing here is about 150 USD. Ecology is in the begining in the Pakistan and in the India too. They are plunder their natural treasures barbaricly. You will have to solve where with the litter, and because there are not the litter bin there, you will start to solve it as the other people here. Throw everything under or by the side of you. As a man coming from the country, where will be early penalty for thowing a cigaret on the ground, I was shocked with the burning heap of plastic things, whitch was surround with a runing children. As a frighten case I must mention one street of the Gilgit. It is about 200 m long surround on the both sides with the workshops for dismounting of transformers. There are ten of them there, and the oil from them is flowing through the diged drain to the near river. Bureaucracy, with whitch you can meet in the personal fights has its magic in the indian subcontinent. It has appearance of fat clerk with the sight going through you. He has sweat on the forehead and has a necessary towel around the neck. He is siting at the table in the dark office with the ventilator on the ceiling. The other ventilator on the table is pointed to him. There is a great book lie in front of him, and he is writing everything slowly in it, including size of your boots. In the worst case he is occupied with the switches on the ventilation. The other surprise for us is, that a Pakistanians can speak usualy more then three languages, and the english is automatical. Pakistan is in comparison with the India the country not so turisticaly visited, but it is quickly changing. Mainly in the far off regions of mountains is an turists still a rarity for the natives. I can affirm that is real to be invite from them for the apricot jam or cup of salt tea with goat milk or for a spare meal from the shared dish. Unfortunately for the erect photographing man (Homo erectus fotograficus) it is situations for unique photograph, but it could corrupt fragile atmosphere of the moment. A man can be astonished as I was, when he go through this places another time than in the main season. When I walked in one valley I saw stone columns what is building for entertainment and for the better orientation. It was peaceful place and only peole I met here was two men somewhere "Z Prahy". And once more thing from Pakistan. The city Lahore, what is pilgrimage place of muslims and has a wonderful ancient architecture. On the noisy fair with the sights from the thirties you can see sea virgin, motorcycles riding in the great barrel and a parrot what is drawing your fate from the lottery. It is the city, where your candle will be disperse before you light it in the hot summer months. And right from this city lead straight road to the near India. It is center of wanderers from the West for its position, but it is a center for a thiefs and swindlers too. This is unusual in other places in the Pakistan, and you can read in every guides about it. We was very careful, but we have an experience, that a even corpse will rob you in the Lahore.

India

There are not great differences between the India and Pakistan. Every of their quarrels was made by their leaders, who own a powerful propaganda. So it was from the year 1947 till now. The paradox is, that the primary purpose - made a countries with united religion, is no more. Both Pakistan and Bangladesh have more than 95 % of muslims in the population, but there is more of muslims in the India than in these two countries - an apostates of primary imperium. Most of us suppose, that the India is spiritual center of the world and the cradle of vegetarism, with its calm life under the tropical sun. Of cource I set out for this way because I wish to reassure myself that my life is free of an spiritual virtues and it is live in the speed under the pressure of modern technologies and informations. This image was real 100 years ago, but not in nowadays, when the distances are not important. The whole holy India is an part of our modern culture nowadays too. And the cultures set the pace for all the world. So the first thing what will surprise when you enter this country is, that you will have to pay for the spiritual ways or you will have to wander to the not known places for it. You have to forget that you attain the enlightenment through the individual meditation somewhere in a seclusion. The reason of it is not changing a weather or an everypresent mosquitos, but that you will not have right this necesary privacy. Some inquisitive indian will find you even in the most distant place till an half of hour and he will ask you a questions, the same as the tens of an indians folowing him: what is your name, where are you from, what are you doing, how old are you, and why you are not already married. And if it will be an indian who will be as immediate as the others, he will ask you how often are you washing yourself. When you ask the question him, that so often as he - twice in a day, he will not underestand why you smell so much. I can confirm this fact through it is very shame for us. Realy event a most needy indian do not smell such as an white traveler after two days of traveling. And if this indian will be enterprising, he will want sell you something. From the stones lie aside of you, or a realy right hand-made carpets and curiosity, as far as magic mushrooms or ganja. It will not take long time you will suppose, that the diamond is true Kooh-i-noor, the carpet can fly, and in the Náprstek museum they will envy the curiosity he offer to you, and that the reason why people go to the India is only a psychedelical experiences. The best what can happen to you will be, that you will meet an ordinary indian who will not see you as the object of his receipt. Only from him you can learn (after the series of an usual questions) something more about his worries, joys and habits. Perhaps right this will be some form of your enlightenment. A possibility to compare a ways of life. Such way much of our problems will happend very unimportant, offten made only for we want to have reason why worry about. We recognize too, that we lost child´s playfulness and a simplicity, what lot of people in India still own and this fact irritate us a little. When you will not meet with an indian, you will certainly meet with somebody similar as you are - the seeker. He will be from a difference country than you, from States, Britany, Germany, Polsha, or from the others countries. A people from the west go to India already for a long time because of looking for a place, where the foot of white man have not touched yet, and it is hard work through of greatness of this country. The stay in the India is safe and very cheap. But it is necesary to forgive from his demands for own comfort. I spent about 3 USD per a day when I traveled in the countries Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in south India for two months. I slept in a cheapest hotels for attempting of such "high" of charge, but it was not a mouse holes. Everytime I found a room with an window and propeller on a ceiling for 1 USD. I took meals on a cheapest restaurants, what you can find on every corner, or I bought on a market-places in the evening hours. I drank only a water, but only from pet bottles, and I bought it on the train stations, where it was cheaper. I went on foot everywhere. I used very cheap link buses or trains with mark "passanger" only, and I noticed that there were not a conductors there. These trains go slowly, but when you do not hurry, it is the best way, how you can meet with local people. It is because a traveling bringing a people near. It is hard to let know, what experience is travel with them by day and night in the train corridor, play a cards with them, take a food from them, and sleep with them on the same floor. Hitch-hiking is problem in the India, most of drivers want a many for it. A rikshas and taxies are not expensive, but when you want travel cheapest, it is not acceptable. City buses are very cheap, and when you are insolent, you have not pay at all, but it is unthinkable for most of indians. A presence of beggars can bleed someone compassionate dry. There is not a pretty look at this people sometimes, they are often handicaped in all sorts of things. A number of them growing with an attractivity of the place. When you want to shopping cheap, it is good to ask for everything and buy it after the asking the price on more places. There is writen in a guide-books, that a bribe, bakshish, can open every door, but I did not do it so, and I gain what I needed, through it was hard sometimes. It is hard to find the longing peace, because there is lot of noise in a streets for nearly all day. I used an stoppers to the ears for a calm traveling; it is good against the draught, when the bus is without glasses on the windows too. I used an carpet tape often too, because you can repair nearly everything with it. But these two helpers was not usable against a swarm mosquitos after the sundown. For it is used various fumigators, but I had an headache from them. An excelent thing is a net against a mosquitos. But it take a place in the rucksack what is necesary for the clothing, blanket, a block for writing a observations, a lock, clothes line and clothes-peg. The last thing what is necesary to do is take a cap with peak, a pocket wear on the neck for the documents, travel cheques and money, and a good sandal. It is realy everything you need for your happiness in the India.

Shoutings about the India

India is full off people, hurry and blowing. It will matter to you till you will have collision with a silently going scooter. It is full of smog, waste, great billboards and children (it is difficult to shake them off) with a slings (you can buy it in a shop). It is good to be careful for the open sewerage on a pavement while your evening walk. Everywhere you can hear roar of electric aggregates because electric net has high break-down rate. There is more kinds of bananas, some of them are thick and red, other have the same colour as in our country, but they are long only as a finger. There is lot of kinds of spice. Their food is often very spicy. Inds eat with the right hand, and the other hand they use for a part of a body for what we use toilet paper. I was center of an attraction everywhere, where I used my spoon. When you crash your watch, you can look to the watches of the other people, because most of them have it. But hardly anybody of them have an exact time. Time is very relativ for them and half of hour is not important. You can notice interesting manner of drinking from a bottle - they do not touch their lips with it. We was very surprised that they drink alcohol very much trough there is a prohibition in some states of India. Some of states in the south India have the left in a government on the top of it. So you can see pictures of Marx, Lenin and the others as in our country ten and more years ago. Chewing a betel is a common habit. Lot of people have an eye diseases and a leprosy is here still too. When you sight an warning notice about it, you need not panic. Most of women are half-slim, and they are swinging when they go, so it is hard to overgo them. Often they working hard on a constructions, but they are always good dressed on the pastel colour frock. You have to be careful where you step, because there is lot of animals here. Cows, goats, dogs and apes are usual here. You can see bats with a half of meter long wings after a sunset too. But you can wander everywhere, because there are not almost a snake, tyger or elefant in the India.

Sahib