MOJ PUTOKO SVETAMY JOURNEYAROUNDTHE WORLD

Miodrag Colić

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ALBANIJAALBANIASHQIPËRIA

Starac s biciklom na plaži u DračuAn old man with a bicycle on the beach in Durrës

Bunkeri su i dalje svuda prisutni Bunkers still present everywhere

Fasade vedrihboja u centru grada

Light coloured façades in the city centre

O dobrim ljudima i bunkerima...About good people and bunkers...

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Centar Tirane u toku proslave stogodišnjice

nezavisnosti zemljeThe centre of Tirana

celebrating 100 years of independence of Albania

Probijam se kroz šume bunkera i predrasuda o ovoj, nekada zaboravljenoj,

zemlji. Bunkeri su stari i zapušteni i nema ko da ih ukloni, pa stoje kao nemo svedočanstvo bliske prošlosti. Iz vazduha bi sigurno delovali kao sami Albanci sa svojim tradicionalnim belim kapicama. Vožnja putevima po obodima planina objašnjava zašto Albaniju nazivaju Zemljom orlova: sa obe strane neobezbeđenog puta zjape ambisi. Dakle, vožnja – kao orlov let.Veoma prijatan utisak ostavlja jednostavnost, dobrota i neiskvarenost ovih ljudi koji su bili izolovani tokom skoro pedeset godina totalitarnog režima Envera Hodže. Prestonica Tirana postepeno izrasta u moderan grad u tranziciji, kako se popularno kaže na prostorima Balkana. Stare zgrade u centru, obnovljene i ofarbane pastelnim bojama, deluju potpuno nestvarno – kao da su preseljene iz nekog karipskog prostora. Srce glavnog

grada čine mala džamija, spomenik legendarnom heroju Skenderbegu, Opera i zgrada Vlade, ukrašena ogromnim živopisnim mozaikom koji se naziva "Albanci", sa revolucionarnim motivima. Poneki stari fijaker proveze zalutalog turistu kroz mnoštvo polovnih automobila, tek uvezenih iz Nemačke. Vožnja je opasna veština jer je ovo, posle poluvekovne izolacije, tek prva generacija automobila i vozača.Na pomen ove zemlje, uvek se setim romana Zoe Mome Kapora, koji je sigurno aludirao na Albaniju kao na mesto sa koga se beži. Danas se tu vraća kapital, kupuje se morska obala baš kao i u susednoj Crnoj Gori. Drač je najveći lučki grad Albanije na obali Jonskog mora i mogućna turistička destinacija u budućnosti, kada se, pre svega, očiste obale i plaže. Tada će verovatno iščeznuti i onaj usamljeni starac u pohabanom mantilu šuškavcu, koji vuče svoj isto tako stari bicikl peščanom

plažom, koja je sada samo staza s pogledom na more. Iza njega je neizvesnost nekog drugog sveta. Bunkeri, koji su takođe deo plaže, odavno su prošlost, samo nema ko da ih ukloni i tako obriše iz sećanja. Nakon deset godina ponovo se nalazim u Tirani, u kojoj se proslavlja stogodišnjica nezavisnosti zemlje. Promene su ogromne, grad moderan, uređen, crveni se od zastava sa crnim orlom u sredini. Sa istim onim dobrim ljudima koji, eto, ponekad maštaju o velikoj Albaniji. April 2002.

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Prodavnica novina u unutrašnjosti zemlje

A newsstand in the countryside

Spomenik Skenderbegu u centru Tirane

Monument of Skanderbeg in the centre of Tirana

Etem-begova džamija u centru TiraneEt'hem Bey Mosque in the centre of Tirana

Ostaci antičkog amfiteatra u DračuThe Durrës Amphitheatre

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I fight my way through a jungle of concrete bunkers and my own prejudices about this long forgotten country. The bunkers are old and abandoned and

there is no one to dismantle them – they stand as a mute reminder of not so distant past. Seen from the air above, they would probably look like Albanians them-selves – with their traditional white skullcaps. Passing down the local roads you get to understand why Al-bania has been called ‘the land of the eagles’ – espe-cially as you get to the edge of a mountain cliff where an abyss is agape. Interestingly enough, if you look over the other ledge of the unsecured road, an equally threatening abyss welcomes you there too. So your ride resembles the flight of an eagle.There is a pleasant feel about the simplicity and kind-ness of the Albanian people, who spent almost fifty years in isolation under the totalitarian regime of Enver Hoxha, and therefore remained unspoilt. However, what had not been altered by the regime, surely would be by the advancement of modern European ways, looming at Albania’s doorstep.The capital – Tirana – is slowly developing into a mod-ern city ‘in transition’, a common term in the Balkans these days; the old buildings in the centre appear surre-al, restored and painted in pastel shades as though they have been transported from a Caribbean island. A small mosque and a monument of the legendary hero Skend-erbeg are at the heart of the city centre, alongside the Opera house and the Government building, whose side wall is adorned by a gigantic colourful mosaic with a revolutionary theme called "The Albanians". From time to time an old fashioned horse carriage would carry an

accidental tourist, navigating through a scary throng of second hand cars, just imported from Germany. I em-phasize the scariness of it all, because this is only the first generation of automobiles in the country that has, in half a century of isolation, unfortunately, remained oblivious to the products of the modern age. Whenever this country is mentioned, I always recall Zoe, a novel by Momo Kapor, in which he must have referred to Albania as a place from which everyone was trying to escape. Today, capital is being poured into it and piece by piece, the coast is being sold away, much the same as in neighbouring Montenegro. Durres is the largest Albanian port on the Ionian Sea, and could be-come a tourist destination in the future, once the coast and the beaches have been cleaned up. Then perhaps he will vanish too – an old solitary man in a shabby raincoat, dragging his ancient bicycle along the sandy seashore, which is but a walkway with a view of the sea – the other side of which lies an unknown and uncertain world. Bunkers have long been forgotten, but there is no one to remove them and erase them from the memo-ry. So, they too remain part of the beach. Ten years later I am in Tirana again, the celebration of 100 years of the country’s independence going on around me. The changes are enormous, the city is flood-ed with red flags with the black eagle in the middle; it is a modern and well kept place. The people are the same good people that from time to time dream about the Greater Albania.

April 2002

Narodni muzej ukrašen mozaikom koji se naziva AlbanciThe National Museum with a mozaic named Albanians

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ALŽIRALGERIA

Posmatram nestvaran mesečev pejzaž sa jednog od vrhova planinskog masiva Hogar, u

centralnoj Sahari, na jugu Alžira. Francuski misionar Šarl Fuko ovde je, od kamena, napravio svoje utočište i sklonio se od sveta. Dugo godina živeo je među Tuarezima, pomagao im, proučavao njihovu kulturu, napisao jedini rečnik njihovog jezika i, 1916. godine, poginuo od njihove ruke. Divio sam se njegovom entuzijazmu u ovom kršu, na krovu Sahare, gde je petnaest godina živeo kao pustinjak, spavao pod zvezdama i budio se među oblacima. Posle devedeset godina, papa ga je proglasio mučenikom.Tuarezi, za razliku od Berbera na severu, nastanjuju jug Alžira. Oni su poseban narod, jedini čiji

Kuća od kamena u planinskom masivu Hogar u Sahari / A stone house in the Hogar mountain range in Sahara

Tipasa - antički grad na Mediteranu

pod zaštitom UneskaTipaza, an ancient

Mediterranean town and a UNESCO World

Heritage Site

Misionar na krovu sveta...

A missionary at the roof

of the world...

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muškarci potpuno uvijaju lice. Kažu da to čine da bi sakrili emocije, a i da bi se zaštitili od pustinjskog peska, kada u dugim karavanima idu na jug. Nemo prolazeći kroz stare gradove i oaze u dolini Mzab, osluškuju glasove mujezina sa minareta. Tako je vekovima sa narodom kome je Kuran jedini zakon, a Alah jedini sudija. Francuzi su gospodarili Alžirom još od 1830. godine i proglasili ga svojom teritorijom. Bitke za slobodu i konačnu nezavisnost bile su žestoke i duge jer su se generacije Francuza rađale u ovoj zemlji, smatrajući je svojom drugom domovinom. Istoimeni glavni grad, koji veoma podseća na Nicu i Marselj, bio je poprište mnogih borbi, a posebno čuvena i nikad osvojena

jeste njegova tvrđava Kazba. To je najstariji deo grada, sa uskim uličicama i mrežom podzemnih hodnika i katakombi, kuda su revolucionari uspevali da umaknu žandarmeriji. Posmatram luku i krovove sa najviše tačke ovog istorijskog mesta u čiji se lavirint može ući samo sa vodičem koji dobro poznaje stanovnike. Jedino tako postajete prijatelj, jer je nepoverenje ljudi još uvek veliko zbog čestih pojava terorizma. Kazba je tako u mnogome doprinela oslobađanju Alžira šezdesetih godina XX veka. De Gol je priznao nezavisnost te države, a prvi predsednik postao je lepi Ahmed Ben Bela – i danas živ i aktivan – simpatija moje davno preminule bake.Proveo sam divne trenutke u

ovoj zemlji uprkos tome što su me upozoravali na sve bombe koje su u prošlosti podmetane na njenim trgovima. Nisam se na njih osvrtao jer sam tražio nešto drugo, nešto zbog čega sam ovu zemlju posebno zavoleo: raznolikost njenih stanovnika, plemena, karavane u Sahari, stare gradove čije su zgrade napravljene od žutih zemljanih cigala, ali i još starije ostatke Rimskog carstva, duž cele obale Alžira. Ta ogromna zemlja pruža putniku istraživaču mnogo više nego što se može zamisliti. Sahara je svedok. Jul 2004.

Pogled na luku sa tvrđave Kazba Port view from the Casbah fortress

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Kečaua džamija Ketchaoua Mosque

Prodavnica novina u glavnom graduA newsstand in the capital

Nema pravde u Alžiru -piše na grafitu Graffiti says "There’s no justice in Algeria"

Pijaca u pustinjskom graduA market in Tamanrasset

Mediteranska arhitektura Alžira Algiers’ Mediterranean architecture

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I observe a surreal, moon-like landscape from one of the peaks of the Hoggar mountain range,

in the central Sahara at Algeria’s South. Here, Charles de Foucauld, a French missionary, built his re-cluse out of stone and withdrew from the world. He lived amongst the Tuaregs, he supported them, studied their culture and wrote the only dictionary of their language, and, after many years of being one of them, perished at their hands in 1916. I admired his enthusiasm – he lived as a hermit for 15 years in the barren mountains on the roof of the Sahara, he reposed under the starry sky and awoke amongst the clouds. Ninety years later, he was beatified by the Pope.The Tuaregs are quite unique peo-ple – their men are the only ones who cover their faces entirely. They say it is so as to hide their feelings, but also to protect themselves from the dessert sand on their long cara-van journeys to the South. Silently passing through the ancient cities and oases in the M’zab Valley, they yearn to hear the muezzin’s call from the minarets. For centuries, this people’s only law has been the Koran and Alah their only judge.

The Tuaregs inhabit the South, and the Berbers the North of Algeria. Algeria was ruled by the French since 1830 when they proclaimed it the French territory. The fight for freedom and ultimate indepen-dence was fierce and long-lasting, as many generations of Frenchmen had been born there and considered Algeria their second homeland. The capital city of Algiers very much resembles Nice and Marseilles. It has been a site of many battles, and most famously, the battle of Casbah, the fortress that has never been conquered by the French. This is the oldest part of the city, with nar-row streets, underground passages and catacombs that the insurgents used in order to escape from the French gendarmerie. I gaze at the port and the rooftops, from a vantage point high above this historical city, which like a lab-yrinth, can be navigated only with the help of a local streetwise guide. That is the only way to befriend the locals who are still very distrustful because of the omnipresent threat of terrorist attack. The role of Casbah was crucial in regaining Algeria’s independence, which was won in the early 1960s.

De Gaulle recognised the state’s independence and the handsome Ahmed Ben Bella, (my long de-ceased grandma’s heart-throb), who is still alive and kicking, became Algeria’s first president. I spent many wonderful moments in this country, despite all the warn-ings about the bombs that have been planted on its main squares in the past. I paid no heed to them, as I was looking for something else here, something special that made me fall in love with this country. I studied and compared its peoples, tribes, Sa-haran caravans, ancient cities built of ochre clay, and even more ancient remnants of the Roman Empire, stretching all along the coast. This vast country offers to an inquisitive traveller a multitude of possibilities hard to imagine at first. Sahara is my witness.

July 2004

Letnji dan na plažiA summer day on the beach

Kamena pustinja na jugu zemljeStone desert in the country’s South

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ANDORAANDORRA

Crkva San MigelRomanesque Church

of San Miguel de Engolasters

Dvostruka kneževina i njene prednosti...Dual principality

and its advantages...

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Minijaturna planinska zemlja skrivena među vrhovima Pirineja, opkoljena je moćnim suse-dima, pokroviteljima i vladarima, Francuskom

i Španijom, i zvanično je dvostruka kneževina, u kojoj vladaju dva princa: francuski predsednik i katalonski bi-skup. Ako neki deo francuske javnosti još želi monarhi-ju, formalno je ima u Andori. Oni periodično smenjuju svoju vlast u toj zemlji koja je pretvorena u veliku slo-bodnu carinsku zonu. Zbog toga su kupovina i skijanje dve najvažnije aktivnosti zbog kojih se u Andoru skoro jedino i dolazi. Moderno uređeni i poprilično strmi ski-jaški tereni privlače sve veći broj turista, posebno zbog blizine Barselone iz koje se u jednom danu može uživati i na moru i u planinama.Šetnja kroz pirinejske doline i putovanje vozićem iz Perpinjana u Francuskoj ka Andori, onom strmijom stranom, neodoljivo podsećaju na prolazak kroz švajcar-ske Alpe. Romantični pansioni, nalik srednjovekovnim krčmama, smešteni na okukama planinskih rečica ili u seocima čini se još žive životom davnih vremena, a evropska današnjica kao da sporo dopire do nekih kra-jeva ove zemlje.

Moj prvi prolazak kroz ovu državicu bilo je davno ro-mantično putovanje vozom (Inter-rail), kada smo nas troje studenata medicine – Smilja, Ivan i ja – krajem se-damdesetih godina prošlog veka krenuli na studentsku razmenu u Španiju. Uvek zvuči kao "davno" kad se kaže da se nešto dešavalo u prošlom veku, ali su sa tim proš-lovekovnim razdobljem povezana i druga dva moja pro-laska kroz Andoru, nažalost pretežno motivisana kupo-vinom. Veoma smo uživali u letnjim pejzažima dolina i planinskih prevoja na putu koji vodi ka Andorra la Vella, glavnom gradu na najvećoj nadmorskoj visini u Evropi (više od hiljadu metara). Moja prijateljica Mila Dragiće-vić često mi je pričala da se na obroncima Pirineja nala-ze skijaški tereni koji su među najlepšim u Evropi. Žao mi je što ih nisam osetio pod nogama. Osetio sam, s dru-ge strane, Andoru koja je tada bila još daleko od savre-mene Evrope, skrivena negde u Pirinejima i još dalje od ostatka sveta. Danas mu je, svakako, mnogo bliža, iako se nalazi na izvesnom odstojanju od Evropske Unije. Mikrodržave Evrope, njih pet, mogle bi, možda, da ima-ju i sopstvenu uniju.

Jul 1981.

Pogled na glavni grad u dolini / A view of the capital in the valley

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This miniature mountainous land, hidden amongst the peaks of the Pyrenees, is sur-

rounded by powerful neighbours, benefactors and rulers – France and Spain. Officially it is a dual prinicipality, ruled by two princes: the French President and Catalo-nian Bishop alike. Perhaps, those French citizens mourning the long lost monarchy may find solace in Andorra’s formal status. These two rulers take turns in ruling Andorra which has become a huge duty free zone. Hence shopping and skiing have become the two main activities in Andorra, most visitors coming exclusively for that reason. Skiing resorts boast most up to date facilities as well as challenging pistes, attracting increasing num-bers of tourists, especially because of the proximity of Barcelona – in one day you can enjoy the sea and the mountains alike.

Trekking through the Pyrenean valleys and riding on the sightsee-ing train from France’s Perpignan to Andorra along the steep hills remind me fully of passing through the Swiss Alps. You can find pic-turesque pensions reminiscent of medieval inns, appearing at a river bend or tucked away in villages that seem to belong to a time long gone. It seems as if parts of Andorra are slow to take in the advancing influ-ence of modern Europe.My first visit to this tiny country was a romantic train journey (by Inter-rail) a long time ago – when three medical students, Ivan, Smilja and myself, left on a student exchange visit to Spain, at the end of the seventies in the last century. It sounds like a very long time ago, indeed, whenever you refer to ‘the last century’, however my other two visits to Andorra, predominantly shopping trips, also date back to

that period. However, what sticks in mind are the summer valleys and mountain notches on the way to Andorra la Vella, Andora’s capital with the highest altitude amongst European capitals (more than 1000 metres above sea level). My friend Mila Dragićević used to tell me about the skiing slopes on the side of the Pyrenees, amongst the prettiest in Europe. I regret I never trod on them. However, I did experience the old Andorra, far removed from modern Europe, tucked away in the Pyrenees, hidden from the rest of the world. Today, Andorra is much closer to the modern world, even though it is deliberately keeping its distance from the European Union. Maybe one day, the mini-states of Europe, five of them, can form a Union of their own.

July 1981

Parlament Andore / Casa de la Vall, Andorran Parliament

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Stara crkva / Santa Caloma Church

Zaštitnica mestaPatron saint of Sant Julià de Lòria

Dalijev sat i Pariski mostDali's La noblesse du temps and Paris Bridge

Sedište Saveta ministaraHouse of the Valley is the seat of the General Council

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Pogled na glavni grad Luandu

A view of the capital Luanda

Plaža u Luandi u sutonLuanda beach at sunset

O jastozima i Agostinju Netu…About lobsters and Agostinho Neto…

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Čovek po imenu Jovan Baštić, kao kršteni kum, u crkvi Svetog Save u Beogradu nosi dete u naručju. Njegovo pravo ime je João Jardim, što

potpuno odgovara srpskom prevodu tih reči, a još je i crn. To pravoslavni sveštenik nije baš očekivao, ako je već morao da mu promeni ime u srpsko da bi mu omogućio da kumuje unuku svoje supruge Nade. Taj bivši ministar u revolucionarnoj vladi Angole bio mi je nezaboravni domaćin u Luandi, glavnom gradu te države. On i njegovi ratni drugovi, takođe bivši i sadašnji ministri, a danas uspešni poslovni ljudi, u njegovoj vikend-kući na plaži, na malom peščanom ostrvu prekoputa grada, sa neskrivenim entuzijazmom pričaju o vremenima borbi u džunglama na jugu zemlje, sa pripadnicima pokreta Unita koje je podržavala Južna Afrika. Danas ih je većina u Parlamentu, u kome ovu prebogatu zemlju uspešno postavljaju na noge. Gde je veliko prirodno bogatstvo u Africi, tu je, nažalost, i prokletstvo za zemlju koja ga poseduje.Jedan od mojih sagovornika, inače poznati angolski pesnik, u neobaveznom razgovoru priča mi o svom prijateljstvu sa Agostinjom Netom, lekarom, pesnikom i prvim predsednikom ove zemlje. Glasno recituje njegove stihove, pomalo sa patetikom umornog borca

koji bi da ideale pretoči u stvarnost. Ipak, ponosan je na činjenicu da su pesnici Trećeg sveta postali simbol otpora tako što su podigli svoj glas protiv kolonijalne represije u Africi. Žoao, zvani Jovan, seća se dana kada su od hrane imali samo jastoge. Danas mu stara slava omogućava da ima fabriku jastoga koje svakodnevno šalje u Francusku. Nalaze se ispred nas kao velika narandžasta bašta, tek izvađeni iz morskih dubina. Nada i Žoao uživaju u kući na ostrvu i svojoj nesvakidašnjoj priči koja je odavno postala stvarnost.Slušamo Bongu, jednog od svetski poznatih angolskih muzičara. Ritam je brz i živahan, postaje sve brži u spoju afričkog i brazilskog, sa primesama setnih portugalskih tonova. Na narodnoj plaži, suprotno od ostrva bogatih Angolaca, a kraj same Luande, na crvenkastom pesku, pri zalasku sunca, svi plešu u ritmu Bonge i ispijaju kaipirinju, božansko lokalno piće sa rumom od šećerne trske i limetom. Mir se konačno ustalio u ovoj zemlji i svi deluju srećno. I svi gaje nadu da će tako ostati.

Mart 2003.

ANGOLAANGOLA

Katolička crkva Naša Gospa od NazaretaCatholic church Nossa Senhora da Nazare

Tvrđava Sao Migel iz XVI vekaFortress of São Miguel from the 16th century

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Žoao Žardim otvara morske plodoveJoão Jardim with seafood

Devojka sa psom na gradskoj plažiA girl with a dog on the city beach

Ostrvo Luanda / Island of Luanda

Mesečev vidikovacThe Viewpoint of the Moon

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A man who goes by the name of Jovan Baštić, is a godfather to a child nestled

in his arms, at the church of Saint Sava in Belgrade. His real name is João Jardim, which completely corresponds to his Serbian given name, and furthermore, he is black. This came as a surprise to the Or-thodox priest, who had already had to change his name into a Serbian one, so that João could become a godfather to his wife Nada’s grand-child. This ex-minister of the revolution-ary Angola was my host in Luanda, Angola’s capital, whose hospitality I would never forget. At his beach house on the small sandy island opposite the city, he is with his war comrades, also current and past ministers, who are nowadays suc-cessful business people. They are discussing with unabated enthu-siasm the days of fighting in the jungles of the South, against the UNITA, a movement that was sup-ported by the South African regime at the time. Today most of them are Members of Parliament, helping this very rich country get on its feet. Unfortunately for African countries, abundance of natural resources al-ways becomes that country’s curse. While chatting with me, a well known Angolan poet, tells me about his friendship with Agostinho Neto, a physician, a poet, and the first President of Angola. He recites his verses in a loud voice, with the pa-thos of a weary warrior, wishing his revolutionary dreams would come true. Yet, he is proud of the poets of the Third World who have become a symbol of resistance, raising their collective voices, against the colo-nial repression in Africa. João a.k.a. Jovan, reminisces about the days when the main staple of their diet was lobster. His glorious past has stood him in good stead, so today he owns a lobster export business, shipping daily to France. The lobsters in front of us sprawl like a massive orange garden, just

harvested from the depths of the sea. Nada and João are having a fabulous time at their beach house, living out their unusual story, a dream that has come true. We are listening to Bonga, one of the world famous Angolan musicians. The rhythm is fast and lively, becoming even faster through the blend of African and Brazilian beats, with the hint of melancholy Portuguese tones.On the reddish sand of the city beach, right across from the island of the wealthy Angolans, at the edge of Luanda, everybody is dancing to the beats of Bonga, downing caipirinhas – a divine local drink made with sugarcane rum and lime. Peace has finally prevailed in this country and everyone seems happy. They all hope that peace is there to stay.

March 2003

Ostrige na trpeziOysters ready

Sojenica na plaži na ostrvu LuandaA stilthouse on the beach on Luanda Island

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ANTARKTIKANTARCTICA

Leopard foka na santi leda / A leopard seal on the iceberg

Pista / A runway

Ovde počinje globalno otapanje…This is where global warming starts…

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Kao i većina posetilaca ovog kontinenata koji zauzima južni pol naše planete, i ja sam, naža-lost, video samo jedan mali deo. On se nalazi na

njegovom kraku ili poluostrvu koje se pruža ka Južnoj Americi. Bilo je to Ostrvo kralja Džordža, deo čileanske teritorije Antarktika, mada on sâm ne pripada ni jednoj državi. Na njemu trenutno 28 zemalja ima svoje istraži-vačke stanice i svi ljudi koji tamo žive prijateljski sara-đuju u toj negostoljubivoj sredini. Neke od njih su aktiv-ne samo u letnjem periodu, dok manji deo ostaje da radi i onda kada ih vremenski uslovi učine nedostupnim. Samo su leti, oko Nove godine pa do marta, moguće turističke posete, avionom ili najčešće brodovima koji obilaze Južnošetlandska ostrva. Na većini od njih nalaze se glečeri koji se sjedinjuju sa morem u harmoniji plavih boja, a posebno su živopisni kada na njima ugledate kolonije pingvina, foka ili morskih lavova. Ako neki dani osvanu sunčani, sa mirnim morem i santama leda koje plutaju po njemu, na kojima se bezbrižno odmara pone-ka velika leopard foka, zadovoljstvo postaje još veće.Ova hladna pustinja, visoki, ledeni i negostoljubivi plato sa razornim vetrovima, oduvek je privlačio istraži-vače koji su, često herojskim naporima, savladavali nje-gove prostore. Jedan od njih je bio i Ser Ernest Šekelton koji je početkom prošlog veka, u malom brodu, krenuo u pohod ovom kontinentu, našao se okovan u ledu iz koga je izvlačio brod, peške odlazio po pomoć za svoju posadu i tako ušao u legendarne priče o svojim podu-hvatima na granici mogućeg.U toploj sigurnosti bara koji nosi njegovo ime, u Punta Arenasu na krajnjem jugu Čilea, mala grupa ljudi obav-lja poslednje pripreme za sutrašnji polazak na Antar-ktik. Prelećemo najpre Ognjenu zemlju, rt Horn i Drej-kov prolaz na putu ka najjužnijem kontinentu. Sletanje

na neravnu pistu čileanske istraživačke stanice Eduar-do Frej izgleda kao spuštanje na mesečevu površinu. Beskrajni negostoljubivi pejzaž čudnih obrisa i razbaca-ni kontejneri čine rusku, čileansku i kinesku stanicu. Na obližnjem brdu nailazimo na neočekivanu i jedinstvenu građevinu za ovaj deo sveta – malu rusku crkvu Svete Trojice, koja je, napravljena od sibirskog bora, u delovi-ma stigla brodom iz Kalinjingrada, a potom sklopljena kraj ruske istraživačke stanice Belingshauzen. Ljudi koji ovde rade veoma su ljubazni i predusretljivi, kao da žele da što duže ostanemo sa njima i ne ostavljamo ih u ledenoj samoći.Pingvini nas prijateljski okružuju i bez straha se tetu-raju oko nas, radoznalih posetilaca njihove kolonije u kojoj uživaju na suncu. Kupanje u ledenoj vodi, ali i plivanje stotinama kilometara od obližnjih Foklandskih ostrva, za njih ne predstavlja nikakav napor, naprotiv, izgledaju srećni kao delfini u toploj vodi. Visoki kra-ljevski i carski pingvini hodaju u dugim kolonama pre nego što, kao na neku nevidljivu zapoved, zarone dubo-ko u more, često i po nekoliko stotina metara. Poneki morski lav prodornim glasom najavljuje svoje prisustvo, dok se, naizgled nezainteresovano, proteže na crnoj, vulkanskoj steni.Koliki je bio strah od neizvesnosti prilikom dolaska, toliko nam je žao što odlazimo iz ove netaknute prirode, velikog belog prostora prekrivenog hiljdugodišnjim ledom koji se nikada ne topi, najčistijeg vazduha na svetu, do koga još uvek nije doprlo nikakvo zagađenje, igre oblaka i mora preko plavičastih glečera sa kojih nestašni pingvini uranjaju u ledene talase.Život je, ipak, nepoznata pojava.

Mart 2013.

Kolinsov glečer / Collins Glacier

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Like most of its visitors, I only saw a small piece of the conti-nent that occupies the South

Pole of our planet: a peninsula, situated on the tip of Antarctica, stretching towards South America. This is King George Island, part of the Chilean Antarctic territory, al-though Antarctica does not belong to any particular country. 28 coun-tries currently have their research stations on the continent, and even in this inhospitable environment there exists a friendly cooperation among those who live there. Some of the stations are active only during the summer, while a smaller number continue to work even during times when weather conditions make them inaccessible. It is only possible for tourists to visit Antarctica in the summer, between the New Year and March, either by flying there or by sailing in large ships which cruise the South Shetland Islands. Most of these islands are home to glaciers, embracing the sea in a harmony of blue hues; they appear especially picturesque when they are inhabited by colonies of penguins, seals, and sea lions. Yet the view is even more pleasurable on sunny days, when the sea is calm and drifting icebergs carry huge leopard seals having a relaxing siesta.This frosty desert, this high, icy and inhospitable plateau with its devastating winds has always at-

tracted explorers, some of whom have managed to conquer it with nothing short of heroic efforts. One such explorer was Sir Ernest Shack-leton who, at the beginning of the last century, departed on a mission to this continent. The small ship he used for this purpose became trapped in sea ice and in order to rescue his crew he travelled on foot in search of help, thus becoming the legendary hero who performed impossible feats.In a warm, safe bar named after Sir Shackleton, located in Punta Are-nas at Chile’s southernmost point, a small group of people are making fi-nal preparations for tomorrow’s de-parture to Antarctica. On our route to the southernmost continent we fly first over Tierra del Fuego, then Cape Horn, and finally the Drake Passage. Landing on the bumpy runway at the Chilean Exploratory Station ‘Eduardo Frei’ feels like landing on the Moon. An infinite, hostile landscape and a scattered assortment of containers comprise the Russian, Chilean, and Chinese station. On a nearby hill we spot a most unexpected, unique building for this part of the world – a small Russian church, Holy Trinity, made out of Siberian pine and transport-ed by ship from Kaliningrad; the parts were then assembled near the Russian Bellingshausen exploratory station. The people working here

are pleasant and kind, acting as though they want us to stay for as long as possible, so as not to leave them all alone in icy solitude.Later, penguins, enjoying the sunshine and fearlessly tottering around, surround us, the curious visitors to their colony, and circle around in a friendly fashion. Bath-ing in the icy water is not effort for them, neither is swimming for hun-dreds of kilometres to the nearby Falkland Islands; to the contrary, they seem as happy as dolphins are in warm waters. Tall King and Emperor Penguins march in long columns before they plunge into the sea, as if they had heard some inaudible command, diving deep to several hundred metres. The oc-casional sea lion would announce his presence with a piercing sound, while stretching, seemingly disin-terested, on a black volcanic rock.As much as we feared the uncer-tainty of our stay, we are now sorry to leave this place – its unspoiled nature, with the cleanest air on Earth still yet untouched by pollu-tion, its vast white space, covered in never-melting perennial ice, its bluish glaciers, from which pen-guins launch themselves into the icy waves, immersed in a play of clouds and sea. Life is, after all, an unknown.

March 2013

Kineska istraživačka stanicaChinese research station

Ruska crkva Svete TrojiceRussian Trinity Church

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Pingvini na plaži / Penguins on the beach

Usamljena foka / A lonely seal

Putokaz / Antarctica road sign

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Pejzaž na Ostrvu kralja DžordžaA landscape on King George Island

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