In a period when the world was more preoccupied with developments in industrial domains of transport, weaponry but also with scientific exploration, three young men like few for those times in search of adventures, mysteries, exploration in unknown realms unwalked by human foot, started a long expedition from Budapest in the spring of 1907 to the far north of Siberia.
With the main purpose of cartography locations and prospect potential gold & diamonds mines for the company in Vienna until 1909.
Endowed by the company and their ambition with maps, equipment, and all the resources necessary, they started a three years journey at the end of the world to never return vanishing from the face of the Earth.
March 04 1908 - on the train, Vienna >>> Budapest
From the private Journal of Marko Kovelainer
" I started my journey this morning from Vienna at 08:00 a.m to a long expedition in Siberia, on a train with the first stop at Budapest. Two work colleagues were waiting, to complete the team, old friends from times when I was studying at the university in Cracovia.
The train was heading for Budapest like an arrow raiding through the Alpes serpentines drowned in clouds and a dense foggy blanket covering everything around in mystery. I told myself " neeee ! is time to escape my compartment boring company, a silent Hungarian priest, two grannies from Tirol a reserved young woman fixed in a book, and role a cigar on the corridor from a fine Virginia tobacco I reached to trade two stakes from a charismatic Irishman in the port of Rotterdam 5 days ago.
I was not smoking much but it was worth admiring the view and puff on in the cold fresh mountain air to detach from my thoughts preparations of the expedition. Once on the corridor, there were some travelers smoking and drinking coffee, two noisy Italians were talking forever near our compartment so I retreated just nearby the wagon end to have my silence. Italians talk too much in the morning, smoking on a train in zones with epic natural views has become for me like a mini visionary ritual where I see things through my mind's eye, detached in a visionary state of consciousness where all things aligned as I wanted, in a way...
As I was smoking admiring the valley the fir forests stretching along the railway in a phantomatic fog losing their shape in a mysterious gradient to the slopes of the mountains. The train was tromping his rhythms with speed, woods scents in the cold air with vanilla smoke were animating my sensory in an aliveness that I have not felt for a long time, and with the mind at the expedition, I was in my element...
Preparing to return in the compartment the train slowed approaching a very small village, I decided to make a visit in the restaurant wagon to serve some coffee. Arriving there a dense cloud of smoke that you can cut with scissors was blurring my visual spectrum of the crowdy multinational pub. At the bar, a polite Austrian barman offered me very fast and aromatic coffee with honey and two forgotten biscuits from the last century, probably to get rid of me and return to his poker game with 3 drunk fellows...
"Two koronas sir!
"Of course, I almost forgot...
In the meantime, the train stopped, silence and cold air wawed inside as the wagon door was open. After a long waiting to see newcomers before I almost wanted to close the door, a hand appeared unveiling a heavy solid man full of tools and equipment hanged on a backpack bigger than him. The man passed reserved giving a common salute with heavy steps towards the next wagon to find a free seat.
"Good day gentlemen " I and some returned a polite co-salute others not even disturbed to observe him. Distancing with his muddy boots and huge backpack it was clear that is a miner from these parts. The train realigned in rhythm and all things returned to normal, wagon bar tumult smoke and nonsense talks. Sipping my coffee and looking around the ambient people around gaining transparency for my mind temple silence reducing exterior sound volume, I started to project options for potential routes after Ekaterinburg, in the Ural mountains. Also writing in my mental journal some memories and just before the "bar club" atmosphere almost reached some old dormant habits I stepped out heading towards my compartment. After stumbling upon a fat French peasant selling cheese on the corridor, I finally returned to be surprised by the new atmosphere in my compartment and our new fellow the miner, who just got on the train. They were all talking even the reserved woman at the left end corner near the window.
Trying to squeeze to my seat on the right side near the window, the two grannies where weaving stories with the priest, and the miner was talking with the young woman with a Russian accent negotiating a red sparkly gem on the cross of my way..." excuse me, just a moment ", taking my seat, after the coffee, I was more active and maybe open to training conversation...
to be continued...