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Of drunks, crazy people and little kids God takes care!
Traveling is not the happiness itself,
but maybe it’s the way of achieving the happiness.
But happiness is in finding what you are looking for.
Maybe somebody in the traveling searches for colorful butterflies,
and if he finds them he has found the happiness,
somebody is, maybe looking for facts about matriarchate,
somebody is looking for interesting herbs and flowers.
I myself was looking for contacts with people.
And I can say this made me happy or have given me a happy life,
to be able to contact with many people of different nationalities,
different colors of skin. different beliefs...
religious or philosophical, speaking different languages.
For that reason I learned languages to be able
to contact with them and to realize friendly relations.
And I think this is the characteristic of my happy life!
FOLLOWING THE FOOTSTEPS OF TIBOR SEKELJ
File and Stipan
in the expedition
through South America
March 1st – April 16th, 2005.
- Is there any crowd at your place? No? - No there isn’t, just a little.
There isn’t at my place either, I have two men, loaded up, mountaineers or something…
Hey, File I'm really hungry!
Here, Stipan, only a little more, and we arrive, so we can eat something.
Oh, Wonderful!!!
- And where are you going? - We make a movie, it will be…
- For America? Say it… - For South America!
Well, it doesn’t matter which one, I work for 100 Euros...
Write it down: one egg for breakfast, two eggs for lunch, and for dinner: zero!
- Drink 220... grilled meat 160... - OK!
Hey, Stipan, is it good your „shopska” salad?
Hurry up! We have to reach the airport!
From Belgrade we took off for Buenos Aires with changing flight in Milano.
Our flight from Europe to South America took a little more then half a day...
Because of a long seating in the plane I got the corns!
Like I walked all those thousands of kilometers...
But we have bandages and powder for corns and sores!
File and I ate a little in the plane, and played a few games of chess.
But... the first real problem for us will be the communication with people,
because we don’t speak Spanish...
Yugoslav embassy.
- NBC? - Embassy! - Embassy? - Embassy!
- Embassy of Yugoslavia? - Serbia and Montenegro, former Yugoslavia.
Formerly it was Yugoslavia. It disintegrated...
Holiday or business?
- We are mountain climbers, Aconcagua... - Aaa, you are going on Aconcagua!
That's it, maestro!
The kind taxi driver taught us the first numbers,
and the firemen also welcomed us!
We phoned home from the opposite side of the world
so we have to stand upside-down…
- File, what are you doing? - I am repairing your zipper.
What is your impression about this traveling companion?
The traveling companion is resourceful! He is excellent!
Only if he would relax a little bit…
Still, we are not too far from home!
Only 12 - 13 thousands of kilometers, we don’t speak Spanish...
We have no money... We have nothing to eat... but don’t get upset, Stipan!
Still, we were neither hungry, nor thirsty!
On the main bus station we were looking long time for our platform (peron),
and so we discovered, on the more difficult way,
that the name of Argentina's president was Juan PERÓN,
and the name of his wife was Evita PERÓN!
In the morning File noticed that the moon was differently illuminated,
because we were on the south Earth hemisphere.
We arrived to Mendoza...
We reserved a room at Tito.
I like it because the quantity is appropriate.
Aaa, liter!
The meat is roasted beef, some kind of their combination.
- Is this all yours? - No, the half is yours!
We bitterly struggled with the thick beefsteak
and with an extreme effort we defeated it.
It’s all empty!
Hello, my name is Matilde Sencuestradora. I live in Mendoza.
We also have the map! Wonderful!
- Is this Patagonia? - No, no… only Mendoza! Patagonia is on the south...
So, it’s time for an ice cream!
Tibor Sekelj? We are searching, searching, we shall find where was Tibor Sekelj! Bye!
Here is Che Guevara!
Do you know how well it fits you? Like a headache! - Real headache...
- Maybe it's small for you? You have quite big head...
Following the footsteps of Tibor Sekelj,
we arrived to the nonalcoholic juice, made from the wine, we call it "mast".
Since there's no alcohol, of course we are not going to get drunk,
as well as Tibor Sekelj would not do it!
Our adventure started well,
but I felt that the real challenges were still in front of us!
And File expects a dangerous climbing on Aconcagua!
File subscribed that he, on his own risk, out of the season and alone by himself
was going to climb up to the highest point of South America!
I bristled when the authorities asked me whom to inform in case of accident.
Tibor Sekelj have designed this map of Aconcagua.
In that extremely dangerous expedition there were victims!
He descended the first corpses from the top, so one can say
that way he has founded the mountain climbers' cemetery.
This is the passage from his book „The Storm over Aconcagua“:
For a mountain climber the body is just a vehicle
which must take him to the spiritual excitements.
He is a poet, lyric, dreamer... capable to give the wings to his dreams,
for he is not afraid of efforts, and often he is risking his life
to achieve a spiritual enjoyment he dreamed about.
In addition to this, a mountain climber is also an artist
which, although he is not showing his emotions by the external signs,
because he hasn't learned the technique of painting, writing poems, or sounds,
he deeply feels the artistic greatness of the picture of
the landscape whose exaltation is accumulating in his pupils for years.
He understands the melody as the whistle of wind running wildly.
He feels the poetics of the rocks, ghostly shaped, touched with the silver moonlight.
And if he doesn't give the artistic expression to everything he feels
this is because he bears the art so deeply in his heart,
and because he is capable to absorb the impressions totally naturally
and save them in his soul, as his own treasure.
You killed my father, and you dove crazy my grandfather!
But you are not going to do to me anything, because I am drinking you slowly
Some people call you wine, but I call you ''Berbere''
because you will determine what way I will be going!
That's why I am embracing you and taking you over the elbow, and drink you whole!
Now I'm going to explain to you how the things are going!
We in Latin America shouldn't speak Spanish language
because Spanish language is borrowed! It's not from here!
What we speak here is Indian: Quechua! This is the language!
What the Latin or the North America have in common with Spain?
Nothing!
- Long live Argentina! - Long live Argentina! Cheers!
Thank you, friend!
Thank you for everything! You are very kind...
We have ''Duzhijanca'' and Mendoza has this procession for grape harvest.
And since the parade is going to start soon, we must get away from this street...
Look! We're standing here!
And we met a cat in a sack!
Everybody celebrate the grape harvest!
We rented bicycles and searched for the real vineyard far from the town.
Hello File, what's up? Hi, I'm "bicycling" a little bit...
Tomorrow to Aconcagua, yes?
By bicycle? What do you think of it? Should I go by bicycle to Aconcagua?
We know for certain that also Tibor Sekelj was sometime, somewhere in some vineyard!
In the evening there was a marvelous celebration on a huge stage in mountains!
The beauty of the women from Mendoza... Welcome, Mendoza!
Welcome country! Welcome World!
The election of the beauty queen for the end, and of course: fireworks!
Again we met the old friend in the sack.
Yes, he was a journalist, he traveled through Argentina
and whole South America, and he Wrote many books.
Yes. One is "The Son of the Jungle", "From Patagonia to Alaska"
"Through the Land of Indians" and "The Storm over Aconcagua".
And fix your teeth for not getting headache!
Stipan is over there at some "La Cabaña"...
He picked up some Mexicans and he's paying for music wishes.
There... They play for him some "Viva Mexico"!
Long live Mexico! Long live America!
A consolation blessed by God!
Long live Mexico! Long live America!
I would give my blood for you...
10 centimeters of snow?! Don't tell me that! Temperature minus 15?
Long live Mexico! Long live America!
I would give my blood for youuu!!!
It came that day, for which File asked me to join him in expedition.
Climbing up to the highest peak of South America.
The challenge dangerous to life, like in "The Storm over Aconcagua"!
In front of huge mountains all plans looked to me breakable
as if they were made out of glass...
Serious look on File's face...
Could we recognize the difference between Bravery and Craziness?
The fear have saved the life to many people.
File and I will split soon, and we'll be separated at least two weeks.
And I will ask the expedition for this small flag of Subotica
to hang it somewhere on the peak, so that we could really be up on the top!
And will wish them happy journey and successful climbing!
Thank you...
- What's your name? - My name is Josip File.
And what do you do? What is your profession?
I am painting homes... climbing up the churches... installing electricity...
What are you doing right now?
Now? Now I came to Puento del Inca, because I want to climb on Aconcagua.
Is that near this place?
- Aconcagua? - Yes. - Well, there is something like fifteen days till the top.
- How high are Andes? - Well, they are high... - And Aconcagua?
Aconcagua is five meters lower then seven thousand.
What message would you send to your family... fellow townsmen... friends?
What message would I send? Well, nothing... I would greet all of them...
And I hope I'll manage to climb up and to return back to them...
And concerning my loving ones, wish to see them again, and also wish them to see me.
This we shall see, this will the mountain say…Now I don’t think any more...
I am very sorry… but now there are only the mountain and me.
As you see, Tibor Sekelj was right: the nature makes miraculous...
and has made the bridge which is behind us. And you see how the wind is blowing!
I have a lump in my throat! Maybe this is the last time in my life I saw File...
I am traveling alone to the far south of the continent,
to Tierra del Fuego, through Patagonia...
I lent to File my woolen cap for his ears not to get frozen,
But it suits him so well, he can go even to a fashion show... instead to a cemetery...
Puento del Inca is a little place in the foot of Aconcagua.
In 1944. from this place departed Link’s expedition,
and sixty years later, Stipan and I, from the same place,
we are departing to realize our aims.
I have the mission to climb up to Aconcagua, alone,
following the traces of Link’s Expedition from 1944.
and Stipan has to seize the very south of this huge continent,
and to come back in fifteen days...
Very serious tasks and not at all naive!
My climbing is unexpectedly moved for the beginning of autumn
at the southern hemisphere, and the weather conditions are worsening.
Stipan has to pass several thousands of kilometers, alone through unknown,
and to arrive all the way to the Strait of Magellan.
We are separating... The departure is hard! Up to now we were supporting each other...
We won’t have any possibility of communication,
and the risk is high that something could happen to some of us...
We left each to his way to realization of our aims.
After several days through Patagonia I'm arriving to Rio Gallegos.
In my childhood I dreamt to enter in some ordinary kiosk.
I have arrived to the end of the world, and I decided to fulfill my life wish.
But what and whom I'll find in the kiosk at the end of the world?
- How looks like the nature in Rio Gallegos? - Here? - Yes.
Rio Gallegos is very dirty!
Dirty! The dirtiest town!
- And it’s very cold! - Four seasons change in one day!
You go out in a mini skirt, and later you have to wear a thick trousers!
There! I was in a kiosk, too...
Often we were writing the letters to home, and many people were reading them.
I'll continue traveling to Punta Arenas, in Chile...
and I shall visit the island of penguins!
At the same time File was enjoying in the clouds...
The base camp at 4200 m is almost empty. All are going down the mountain.
It seams to me that I am the only one who is climbing up in this time of the year,
but rangers tell me that up in the camps there are still about 20 mountaineers.
I'm sticking to the climbing plan which Tibor Sekelj described
In the novel "The Storm over Aconcagua",
but I progress much faster, because I don't have enough time.
After several days of acclimatization I'm reaching the height of 6100 meters,
and I'm coming back to Plaza de Mulas to prepare myself
for the final assault to the peak.
Strong winds are in the south, because this is a place where two oceans meets...
The bus has the bars to prevent birds of breaking glass!
That is Strait of Magellan. At the opposite side is the island Tierra del Fuego.
We are coming from Atlantic and are going towards Pacific.
We are following the strait...
There is the colony of penguins, the biggest in South America!
Pedro Milodanović, hello! Greeting from Juan Carlo and Lilly!
I got from the driver his badge as a gift!
In Chile a rainbow was waiting for me…
I am Mladen Tadić...
Now you can see…
The monument of Magellan…
Here the life is quite good, there are no problems since we all live as one family,
Only one thing isn't good; here the winds are blowing too much...
There are no problems any more.
This kind man also wanted to show me some peculiar circles on the ground,
but at that time I didn't understand him...
However, after half a year I saw him on TV in exactly the same jacket!
He was talking that he saw UFO (unidentified flying object).
I saw it on the day light!
This is the flying disk covered with the deep plate, and it's bigger then Boeing!
When we saw them, it was around noon... They were big! Metallic!
They don’t shine and don’t produce noise!
They are very light and disappear in a blink of an eye!
They are very big, very fast and they move changing the position!
They are lifting and descending! Those are really outstanding ships!
Meanwhile File was looking at Aconcagua...
On the eleventh day I give up of the climbing.
Last night I wanted to leave, but the storm brought up more snow.
There is a great danger of avalanches.
Four Czechs are missing.
The helicopter came, and it has been organizing the rescue mission.
The twelfth day. It’s still blowing... The rescue squad is coming back
with fourteen climbers that have been captured in the base camp...
Czechs are still not found... The helicopter can’t fly any more...
The thirteenth day. I give up... I feel depressed... I’ll go back!
Aconcagua is not going anywhere…
At the foothill rangers told me that they have given up of searching for Czechs...
And I was still looking for penguins…
There are a lot of penguins here!
How many penguins are there?
Around a hundred thousand!
One hundred thousand!
Yes, I know! He wrote a book about Kumewawa in Esperanto.
He also wrote "The Storm over Aconcagua",
something about the land of Indians and a book "From Patagonia to Alaska".
He knew very well this region.
Yes! Especially about Patagonia.
I like it very much!
Dear spectators, now we're putting this little Subotica's flag on the Europe's map.
Please come with me, thank you!
Here it is! Unique! There is no any other!
OUCH! THE CAMERA IS BROKEN! (but it was fixed later)
I was very happy when I met the couple in "Bunjevac" costumes!
I am the honorary consul of the Republic of Croatia in Punta Arenas, Chile.
And here are penguins, birds that move swimming,
because they are very clumsy, and they can’t fly.
They are clumsy on the ground but are faster then fish in water!
On the ways of Tibor Sekelj we must travel also by the ship!
I am leaving to the island Magdalena where live those birds that don’t fly, but swim:
Penguins...
Now we are traveling through the Strait of Magellan,
which is the most secure chanel, the way between two oceans: Pacific and Atlantic.
I have to conquer, if not the highest, then the most south point of South America!
By the way: I’ll joke that this is Cape Horn!
Anyway, the name of this island is Magdalena...
We arrived to the Cape Horn, and as you can see: the colony of penguins is behind us!
Since File is on Aconcagua, I had to come to Cape Horn... It’s true!
All the little birds from a hill… All the little birds from a hill…
… except only one that stayed…
It is very difficult to translate!
All the little birds from a hill descended to the sea…
except only one that stayed… which have sang to me…
which have sang to me... which have sang to me...
which have sang to me... about the most fortunate love!
Juan Carlos played the piano, and made me the road sign for Subotica.
At these people's place maaany road signs are already posted.
I was curious in which direction is really turning the water in a toilet bowl.
Now!
We have brought up the Subotica's road sign for this pole behind us.
So I wish you all the best, as we have to post the road sign for Subotica... Bye!
My road sign shows the shortest way to Subotica!
I succeeded in everything I planed, so I am going back,
hopping that in few days I'm going to meet File alive and in good health!
Well, we are now on the border between Chile and Argentina,
behind us there is Puento del Inca, and we're coming back to Mendoza
following the footsteps of Tibor Sekelj...
OUCH! THE CAMERA IS BROKEN AGAIN! (so we didn't film our pathetic reunion)
In Mendoza we can see bikers who gather once a year from entire South America.
We have the meeting of Harley-Davidson motors each year in Mendoza
from Chile, Argentina itself, from Buenos Aires, Cordoba...
Argentina, Brazil, Perú... We all gather for four days.
What are the names of the mountain peaks, rivers, lakes, valleys of South America?
Hahaha! This is geography!
On the border with Chile there's Aconcagua, one of the biggest mountains in the World.
Then also lake Titicaca... Iguazu waterfalls...
Climb up! Climb up!
The first message is to come and to introduce us,
And the second message is to be the peace over there, and all to be as brothers.
This is the best: that you live good there, and to have a peace,
and to have love between people, no matter if he is Serb, or Croat or Turk.
We said good bye to friends in Mendoza, and we left to the north, to Bolivia.
On the high mountains of Andes there is less of oxygen, so the people are smaller.
What would be "El condor pasa"? (the condor's flight)
This is "el guaino". That is the name for sad music of Andes.
Actually this is one sad melody, typical for the mountains of Andes.
Mauro helped us to pass the border easier.
File Josip, like "José"...
Stipan, like "Estéban"...
- What is your name? - Maria! - And what is your full name? - Maria Elena Serpa.
- What is your occupation? - I am still studying.
- What is your salary? - 300...
While we were waiting for the bus, a funeral procession appeared.
We say milk: mleko, mlijeko and mliko...
We continued over the plateau Altiplano to the capital town of Bolivia.
Where Zhana, the woman from Novi Sad (town in Serbia), was waiting for us.
Auuu, what a chaos...
We haven’t even dream that soon we are going to be in live television program.
Here with us are two young movie-makers, It's interesting that
they are coming from the other end of the world to experience different life.
Their way is wonderful!
They are going to visit the jungle and to record the curiosities of our country.
- Their names are: Stipan Milodanovich? - Stipan Milodanović!
- And File Josip, did I say properly? - José... Josip!
Our way is very similar to the way of Tibor Sekelj.
We travel in the way that we travel through the people
we live with the people, in the nature...
He says that what he liked the most with Tibor Sekelj and what he knows about him,
is that he has changed what till then it was known about Indians.
And will you point on that? What are you going to do regarding that?
- If you can say that there were four books... - He said that already...
And we are looking for this Indian, Kumewawa...
And maybe we can find the photograph, actually the drawing...
If anybody can help us, maybe somebody will recognize him...
They are specially looking for Indian Kumewawa, if somebody could recognize him.
Here, if somebody can recognize him...
He was a small boy when Tibor wrote this.
They think that now he could be at the age of about 60.
If we could help them to find him, to talk with him...
And his name is "Iho de jungla", the Son of the jungle!
Kumewawa, the son of the jungle. Maybe somebody can recognize him.
And many children in our country and in other countries have read this book.
in the school literature and that way they became acquainted with South America.
Well, we have no more time. We wish you welcome!
It's our pleasure to have you here... We wish you luck!
And it will be our pleasure to show your film when it is ready...
We shall talk about that...
From La Paz straight to Copacabana. From Copacabana to Puno.
First the lake Titicaca.
From Cuzco, by train to Machu Picchu.
We met accidentally these two guys three times on our trip...
We are arriving to the coast of Titicaca...
The buses must be empty to cross the lake, so we went aboard into the boats.
- How are you, File? - I'm very well...
I did not imagine that I should sail by the boat at 4000 meters above the sea level.
Do you suffer from seasickness or from altitude anoxia?
Now I am going to have seasickness… Oh, really... It’s interesting!
Well, File and me have altitude anoxia and also sea sickness,
because we had to cross the lake Titicaca by the boat at the height of 4000 meters.
A man saw us on TV so he joined us.
We helped him to smuggle himself across the border.
We are traveling following the footsteps of Tibor Sekelj... of Tibor Sekelj...
Come to Titicaca, yeah!!!
How do you call the parts of the motor?
- Of the motor? - Yes, how do you call the parts?
This is the body… tires, wheels, motor, chassis…
- We do not need much money for the taxi? - Yes... - Excellent! Thank you!
We shall visit Uros Indians living on the rafts,
made of cane, like on the small islands.
- Hey File, where we are going now? - We are going to some island.
- And why? - For a little ride across the lake Titicaca…
Then we shall go to Nazca, this evening...
- How many hours? - Well, some 19 hours till Nazca! - So, it’s nothing...
Titicaca is at about 3800 meters above the sea level,
and there is less oxygen, so it’s more difficult to light a cigarette.
The islands are unusual and beautiful,
but we were also interested in what is the life under such conditions.
We got the answer from one wonderful young women...
- Do you have the problems with storms? - There is no much of storms here...
What are the problems here?
Mostly the rheumatic sicknesses...
We have the problems with sickness, when the winds are blowing, children cough...
And we can’t come quickly to the health center, because it is far away.
- You don’t have the health center here? - No, we don't... Recently they started
to build it... and the doctor doesn’t come every day, he is coming once a week.
- And what is good here? - The good thing is that we live peacefully
…we eat what we like, the root of "totora" (cane), we eat also meat and eggs.
It is very good for us! It’s calm...
It is not like in a city where it is noisy and there is smoke!
This is called "chulo"! This is the root of totora!
It is eaten like a banana... You peel it and eat it.
It is very good! It is good for teeth...
It has enough iodine and calcium...
Yes! We don’t use the toothbrush, we only eat enough of this!
Also children eat this as a fruit.
I am just going to change... It’s cold!
Wait, what did I want to ask? Oh yes, the construction…
- What is the lake Titicaca? - The lake Titicaca?
But it is not pronouncing Titicaca, one should say: "Titikhakha"!
"***" is a puma or a cat, and "khakha" is a color of lead. The lake "Titikhakha".
"Cocha mama" is the mother of the lake, and "Pacha mama" is the mother of the land.
If we lived on the ground and not on the lake Titicaca, we should say "Pacha mama",
But we say "Cocha mama" because we live on the lake!
These islands are unique in the world, the floating islands of the tribe Uros!
We are all the time in a hurry, but we stopped at the coast of Titicaca,
while over the lake night was falling...
We were looking forward to try the South American boiled corn!
In the morning File woke me up with the question: "Guess where we are!?".
We are in the desert Atacama and we are descending to the coast of Pacific ocean.
Behind us there are sandy mountains,
and behind you, that is, in front of us, there is the Pacific ocean!
As we are now on, as to say, zero height above the sea level
and before we were at almost 4000 meters, now is much easier to light a cigarette!
Now we shall try...
Auuu... wonderful!
We have reached the most western part of South America!
In front of us is the largest ocean on the planet!
We are approaching the famous valley Nazca.
The mysterious figures we can see only from the air,
so for that reason we shall take off...
First from the right side of the plane, then from the left side.
Whale!
Astronaut!
The monkey and the dog...
Monkey!
Condor!
Spider!
Now is hummingbird!
Hummingbird!
Heron!
The hands and the tree!
Pelican!
Well, I don’t know, I am saying again, it’s a pity I haven’t a parachute
so that I could throw myself on these figures. It’s great!
But it’s not over yet! We wish to get in one piece on the ground!
- My name is Raul Araujo. - What is your profession? - Pilot...
In Perú.
I like the book of "Mister No"...
"MADMAN"
The mysterious figures fulfilled our expectations!
We are coming back to the mountains,
which are still greener in this part of South America...
Peruvian Andes were the home to the famous civilization of Inca,
and their capital was Cuzco.
Today it is visible the influence of the Christian civilization in it.
This is probably the reason why in Cuzco there are so many churches.
At the square in front of the church there are many people amusing themselves.
The traveling theater is attracting the attention of the large public.
Who wants to get rich quickly, can try with the hazard games.
- Hello, friend! - Hello!
Pass over, friend… Come here both of you!
- Hi, hello! - Applause for Yugoslavia!
Salute for camera... Wait!
Yugoslavia is visiting Cuzco! Do you like it?
Yes, we like it! Perú is great!
We are the traveling comedians!
This is the group "Los Puntos". Look! Listen!
Los Puntos are playing kumbia...
Watch out, he's pick pocket-man! He's stealing bags! Stealing... stealing…
- Cuzco accepts you with love! - Thank you!
We like you very much, but to like you even more, please contribute!
Yes, yes! Dollars!
Not dollars! Dinars!
@#&%! $%#?##!!!
&^%#*()=@!!! +*&^%#@!
*&%$()$@!!(**))*!!! &%%$&^)%$!
We have not much time, nor the money…
- You do not understand me! - For taxi… thank you...
The musicians played for you for free!
- No, no, mister… - I'm not interested!
Thank you! Bravo! Thank you!
Bye! Good bye!
Here, as you see, this train is driving to Machu Picchu...
It means that by the steps of Tibor Sekelj we also use the train... For: Machu Picchu!
We came back from Perú, again to Bolivia...
and we shall continue following the footsteps of Tibor Sekelj!
I am Zhana Petkovich Kuljacha de Rodrigues.
Yes... a tea from "coca" people drink here for medical purpose,
when somebody suffers from stomach aches, or caught a cold, then he drinks coca tea,
or if somebody is nervous, it’s good against the stress.
Even the young children drink coca tea...
- Do you know who is Tibor Sekelj? - I know!
Right now, maybe I couldn’t remember all of the details,
but I remember when I was a child I learned in the school about him as an adventurer,
a man who brought to us the first experiences from South America.
For us Zhana have found the colleagues of the archeologist Jim Allen.
His theory claims that Atlantis was in today’s Bolivia.
This theory is very convincing, but is too voluminous to present all the proofs now.
The town Atlantis was on the plateau Altiplano near the lake Popo.
Today at that place there is the little village Pampa Ullagas.
We are leaving La Paz and we are going to Santa Cruz,
where from we shall continue by the train to Brazilian border.
- What is your occupation? - I don't have... I clean the shoes...
- Is it difficult for you? - No!
- How much do you earn? - One peso... one boliviano...
Some people wear all sorts of clothing.
Some of them go clean… some dirty… As, for example, me…
I am dirty…
How ? Just to say in microphone?
Person? What is the name of that person?
Mister Tibor Sekelj.
Following the footsteps of Tibor Sekelj.
- To be heard on microphone? - Yes! Following the footsteps of Tibor Sekelj.
Following the footsteps of Tibor Sekelj? Nothing else?
One, two, three:
Following the footsteps of Tibor Sekelj... report to the information!
- Bravo! Fantastic! Fantastic!
Yippee!
We are entering into the Amazon jungle by the train.
After Second World War, in 1949, Enrique Hertzog, at that time Bolivian president,
have proposed to Tibor Sekelj to settle one million people from Europe
in the region of 4 million hectares, where Esperanto would be the official language.
Unfortunately Tibor couldn’t wait half year for parliament to approve that decision.
- Lemon! - Ice cream!
In September of the same year, to him and Mary was born the son,
Diego Reinaldo Sekelj...
We arrived to the border... While we wait for visas for Brazil, we shall take
the advantage of few days to wash our things and to visit the village church.
Just now the Pope died...
We are passing the border in the nicest way: on the open trailer of a truck!
Just as we learned a little Spanish, but In Brazil they speak Portuguese...
The message?
Visit Brazil!
Brazil is the country of carnivals... samba, funky…
Come and visit it! You will like it! It’s very good...
Sekelj designed the map of Mato Grosso
which we have taken along in search for Kumewawa’s tribe of Karaja Indians.
Tibor described also the village Aragarças and the tribe of Shavanta Indians.
Some of them are now taxi drivers on motorcycles...
Music and dances?
They look for each other and move around...
Welcome to Brazil! We are Brazilians and we like strangers...
Good message?
Nowadays, instead of piranhas, jaguars and anacondas...
we meet many herds of domestic animals...
However, when our bus got stuck onto the road in the middle of the night,
I felt that Amazonia still has the same spirit
which Tibor Sekelj described in the book and in the comic:
Through the Green Hell of Mato Grosso
In the cabin of the telegrapher Alencar, I saw wonderful orchids
out of which I got only one for a gift!
it is very beautiful! Yes! And now you would like us to go searching them?!
Maria wished for more orchids…
Orchids grow high on the trunks… Perhaps so the animals don't destroy them!
The nature knows what to do!
Tibor advanced fast through the jungle, leaving Maria behind himself!
Ouch... ouch... ouch...
Maria! Don't lag behind!
Ouuuch!!!
What is it?!... Maria?!?... Where are you?!...
Maria!... Mariaaa!?
Here, Tibor!... I fell into some hole!...
Ah!... I was afraid that the accident was greater!...
What?!... Even greater?...
What would be worse than this anthill?... Oh! They are going to eat me alive!
Au!.. .Au!... This is aching! It stings like a fire!...
Yes! They are not called fire ants in vane!
While searching orchids it’s necessary constantly to look upwards…
But also to take care of the ground under one’s feet!
Now I understand why they are so expensive… We are not going to find them easily!
You are wrong!... Look over there!
Oh... the whole bush of orchids! Finally!
They are not high!... I’ll easily cut the branch!
- Watch out Tibor !.. What is it?! - Wasps!... The whole swarm of wasps!!!
I haven’t seen them because of orchids! Ruuun!
Are the wasps still behind us?
- Look out! Spider web! - Aaaa! Too late!...
Take me out of this! Quickly... Quicklyyy!
Now, we shall solve the problem right now! Give me your hands!
- Watch out, the trunk! It’s collapsing over us! - Get aside!...
It was eaten up inside from the termites,
and it only waited something to touch it from outside and to knock it down!
And just we had to make this touch…?!
But we even were lucky! In the jungle, where a man is the intruder,
- ... he must go through very carefully! - Yes... But still let’s find some orchids!
Tiring search resulted with success...
Hey! I have found it!... There they are!
They are also on the tree over there!
And then seamed to me like we have entered into the Sekelj’s book!
Over there anacondas still live freely.
This is the very same jungle in which Tibor Sekelj met Kumewawa.
Suddenly, I have realized that very soon we may find the main hero of that story
and confirm its authenticity!
What is Kumewawa like today, if he's alive, and does he remember Sekelj?
On the coast we met the first Karajas.
South America... This is Mato Grosso!
This is Kumewawa! He is now 66 years…
…or he is dead!
- Kumewawa died! - He died? What about graveyard?
Where is the graveyard?
- May we go to the graveyard? - Yes!
- To film Kumewawa… - Yes!
Thank you very much!
The illustrations in the book helped us very much to explain why we came here...
On the drawings are the faces with the identical round tattoos under the eyes,
like these people have, that we met on the coast of Araguaya.
Those marks are called "omaruro".
I have remembered that in the book Karajas called Tibor "Nyikuchap".
In their language it means: "bearded man“!
Then we met Alessandro, who offered to help us...
We wished to cross to the opposite coast of Araguaya, to the village of Karajas.
in the reservation Bananal... This is the largest river island in the world!
- They came from Europe. This is the book about Kumewawa... - Yes.
- Is he alive? - I don’t know...
- I'm Stipan. - Thank you! Welcome to Karaja!
Thank you, madam!
We have prepared ourselves for crossing the river Araguaya...
This is the beginning of the book “Kumewawa, the son of the jungle”:
Jaguar, jaguar! In the middle of the swollen river, downstream in the opposite
direction, the small island was sailing carried with the river stream.
In front of one bush on the small island was standing the jaguar,
the biggest and the most dangerous beast of the South America's jungle!
But this jaguar had nothing of it’s usual appearance!
His yellow fur with black stains, wet and dirty, gave him the look of a soaked cat.
Full of fear he was clinging towards one tree.
With a humble gaze he looked at us imploring for help!
But we couldn't help him...
I was asking myself what way to deliver the book to Maloa Re, and how will he react?
Here you are!
Thank you!
When we told them who we were, and why we came here,
they asked us what was written in the book.
I recalled some of Maloa’s wisdoms, which Kumewawa told to Sekelj:
A fish is measured by the length, and a man by the knowledge!
Where there are the bees, must also be the honey!
Then Maloa’s grandson asked us to paint on our hands the ornaments of their tribe.
Of course! We were honored! Maloa Re smiled contently...
This is the end of the book “Kumewawa the son of the jungle”:
The visit have finished and the boy was prepared to leave the ship.
We stopped for the moment... I took off my tropical helmet and gave it to the boy.
"Take this hat, it will suit you well!
If somebody ask you where have you got it from,
you tell that your friend Nyikuchap gave it to you!"
He took the helmet in his hands and his eyes shined up,
like they were filled up with tears...
Then he got down to his canoe, his lips were moving like
he wanted to say something, but I couldn’t hear any voice...
Suddenly he grabbed his bow and arrow
and shoot it in direction of the orange ring of the sun,
which was descending to the wide river, somewhere far away towards the west.
The arrow flew away high, when depicting the large arch, it descended to the water.
The boy and me were following the arrow by the sight.
Suddenly, by the quick movement, he drew out the eagle feather
from his nape which he always kept there, and gave it to me:
"Take this! I must hurry to find my arrow before it is sunken..."
And he started to row with all his strength and speed, helped by the river current.
He reached the place where the arrow fell, and he passed yet as much,
and two, and three, and many times... and I stood there on the board
leaned on the iron fence and turning between my fingers the eagle feather.
Kumewawa and his canoe where smaller and smaller
until they were swallowed by the red and orange colors of the sky and water...
Once again I had a look at the west... Kumewawa already disappeared...
I retained only his face in my memory... And a spirit of the old Indian Maloa...
And the eagle feather, which I am still guarding.
In the hard moments of the life, I turn it between the fingers.
Then I remember my little friend from the jungle of Amazon.
Then his optimism passes over to me... I smile and again everything looks better.
We greeted with Karajas and we decided to visit also the cemetery!
Following the footsteps of Tibor Sekelj we have passed many countries,
and have introduced really many people,
but look, we have finished at a graveyard by the river Araguaya!
Since the hero of the story, Kumewawa,
as well as the author of this story, Tibor Sekelj, went to another world...
and since everything is ephemeral, so is the life, and also this flowing river…
as you can see people are still sailing on Araguaya, and so the life is going on!
While the signpost for Subotica is sailing on Araguaya,
I realize that File and me are soon going home...
- Photo Nino! - Hallo, Nino! Now we have arrived, we where with that tribe,
now we have arrived... and we are going on, to Argentina.
That is: we found that tribe, Kumewawa died... but we interviewed his friends.
We filmed everything very well, and we’ll call you as soon as we can... - OK, bye!
This monument shows that at the river Araguaya sometime there
were many searchers for Eldorado, that is for gold and diamonds.
The real Eldorado we are going to search on the border of
Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil... near a big waterfall.
Waiting for the bus we make it easier so that we drink coconut milk at plus forty…
It is good!
Hallo?! Well, we call from the area of Eldorado!
Yes, yes... Eldorado! We are now fighting with jaguars!
- What is your profession? - I am professional auto-mechanic.
"Serra Pelada" gold! This is called Eldorado!
- In Brazil or in Argentina? - Yes in Brazil!
- What is the waterfall called? Waterfall? What is called? - Waterfall.
- But the name? - There is the waterfall!
- Do you know who is Tibor Sekelj? - No…
What is this animal called?
- You don’t now what is it called? - I don't! - You don’t know? - What's this?
Coati! (Brazilian anteater)
- And are there any more problems? - No, there are not, there are not…
- Are people good? - People are good! How to say...
- I know everything… - You know everything? - Everything!
- Is the food good? - Yes! - What kind of food, for example? - Step by step…
- Thank you very much, let’s have a beer… Can we? - I agree! - Wonderful!
- Beer and ***!
We have arrived even till Iguazu, the largest waterfall in South America!
At the three-border point between Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay...
There are days when I don’t know what to do...
when this love makes me pain...
I love you so much that I am dying...
I love you, but you don’t know about that!
There are days when I don’t know what to do...
when this love makes me pain...
I love you so much that I am dying...
I love you, but you don’t know about that!
These three small stones we brought up from Bachka, Banat and Srem,
to leave them on this place, by this waterfall,
because here meets Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay...
So we are going to leave them here!
- What is the name of this town? - The town Eldorado... - How? - Eldorado!
- This is Eldorado? - Yes, Eldorado!
E L D O R A D O... Woohoo, we have found Eldorado!!!
ELDORADO... Yippee!!!
We have arrived to Buenos Aires!
We have passed thousands and thousands kilometers, to come back to our embassy,
where we left our airplane tickets, to go back home!
Coconut milk is good while you wait the bus,
but while you wait the airplane, you take watermelon...
In Buenos Aires there were gathered many people,
probably to make us a magnificent farewell party!
We are going to visit also the Esperanto club in Buenos Aires, because Tibor Sekelj
is very respected esperantist in the entire world, and especially in Argentina.
Svetlana from our embassy introduced us to the basketball player Marko Zoric,
who helped us to interview Mario Miranda.
Today for me is the happy day because I have met many of my old friends
and have gained many new ones.
I wish to everybody all the best till we meet again.
Tibor Sekelj, Buenos Aires, 17th April, 1978.
Cobra started to dance by the sounds of miraculous pipe.
Really?! That's it!
This is Tibor Sekelj!
ON THE TRACK OF THE ADVENTURE
The saint learns Esperanto from the author.
Oh, there is from Nepal, too... NEPAL OPENS THE DOOR
- Is this Tibor Sekelj? - Meditation.
I sincerely embrace and greet you!
I want to tell you that Tibor Sekelj lived in Argentina for many years.
He wrote numerous works about his travelings.
Among the others also those three works, the only ones we have:
“Nepal Opens the Door”, “The Tempest over Aconcagua”
and "On the Tracks of the Adventure". They are all in Esperanto!
It’s another thing that for many years he was
the secretary of the Esperanto Association of Argentina…
and from the later period I don’t know any more about him.
I wish to all of you in Yugoslavia every success,
and with Esperanto we can communicate with the whole world!
Thank you very much!
We also subscribed ourselves in the book of impressions.
Finished!
The ways of Tibor Sekelj have led us under ground...
We are now in the metro of Buenos Aires.
We can say that we traveled by all sorts of transportation, even by underground.
We are very well equipped, we have also raincoats,
so you can see in this film: the winter and the summer, the spring and the autumn!
Following the footsteps of Tibor Sekelj, we wanted also to go till Uruguay,
but, we have no visas... and no time, we have no money either!
But, we have come till the Atlantic, till the port of Buenos Aires...
These fast ships are sailing to Uruguay. Maybe next time, maybe in another movie...
Tibor Sekelj... Frankly speaking, I really don’t know who is he...
I mean, I would lie if I say I knew... I learned yesterday with you, being with you.
The name sounds to me "familiar".
He was really the man who obviously did something deserved to be mentioned.
I am very glad that you decided at all to make such a trip,
so that people can learn a bit what is South America, to turn themselves,
not only towards Europe and United States...
There are very strong cultures existing also in some other countries.
We are taking off for Europe! We passed about 20.000 kilometers
for a month and a half rushing around through South America!
As we used to, we are going to ask the first man we meet;
if he knows who was Tibor Sekelj?
- What’s your name? - Vesković Vlastimir.
- What is your profession? - Taxi...
- And what do you know about South America? - About South America? - Yes!
There is playing the greatest football! The most beautiful women are in Copacabana!
When I was in the elementary school, Tibor Sekelj came several times,
he lectured, showing us slides... There were not movies yet!
- Do you remember what he was like? - Yes! With a little beard, a short man... thin...
Was he describing something?
Well yes! The life over there... We kids were listening with open mouths...
After the exciting adventure, the best pleasure is one quiet Bachka...
We have invited our friends to the exhibition and presentation.
In one... one beautiful night in May
you said that you'll come at our first date!
Oh, Mariana, sweet little Mariana...
I will wait for you till the dawn of the day!
The wife of the late mister Tibor Sekelj...
Erzsebet Sekelj! I ask you please, a biiig applause!!!
Missis Sekelj have come, and I ask File to hand over our present...
We thank very much to Erzsebet Sekelj! She really helped us very much!
I learned about twenty five languages... And I managed to retain,
as my permanent property nine languages which I can speak now.
Those nine languages, of course, are not sufficient for the whole world
but a quite big part of the world I can visit.
But you have forgotten one thing, that I am also esperantist...
and this thing becomes for me more and more important!
And to that can be subordinated even my research of the customs between people,
ethnology, anthropology and my writing as well,
which, actually is describing people, describes traveling, adventures…
But through all that, there is one red thread, and that is:
the desire to introduce people ones with others, to show that between all of us
there is something, one human base, common between all of us... that everything
what is separating us, is only on the surface and all that is insignificant.
A lot of people think that I am the traveler who likes to visit countries
and to see landscapes. But this is secondary thing for me,
to see towns, landscapes and different world miracles…
But the primary thing for me is the contact with people.
If I wouldn’t have possibility to contact with people,
for me the traveling would mean nothing!
and as a matter of fact, for me the transferring from one place to another is,
a necessary trouble, but I feel that I must be somewhere,
to talk to people, to see, to hear their opinions, to see their way of living.
And to understand what's the difference between us.
In fact, as I said, those differences are only on the surface.
One man’s life is not sufficient to tell everything what is seen and experienced.
In fact, I have been privileged in this life, since I have lived not for three,
but for who knows how many people’s lives I lived...
and I regret that I can’t tell everything nice enough...
I have written around twenty books, but in those books I was,
as I realize myself, too superficial, too rash,
and I wanted quickly to tell all events and happenings, at least this to remain.
But I never got to tell what I have survived deep in myself.
On the hill there is a little house, with two windows,
in the window there's enchanting girl like a springtime rose.
What are you doing, splendid girl, in this wonderful night?
My sweetheart, the twinkling star, told me that he will come.
Three nights already passed, since I am waiting,
and many more will pass, I remain sad.
My sweetheart now loves another, and he's leaving me,
but I won’t curse him because I loved him!