27-Sep-2001 -- The confluence point of 46° N and 19° E can be found just in the
frontier zone of the Yugoslavian and Hungarian border. Due to the expected
refugee wave that will probably be caused by the Afghanistan related tense
situation, some weeks ago the frontier defence has been reinforced. The
reason of this reinforcement was that refugee groups were expected to
migrate illegally into Europe entering into the country through the green
frontier.
When I started my way to find the confluence point, I took into account that
I can meet some difficulties close to the reinforced frontier zone. Namely,
the confluence point is situated only five kilometres away from the border.
The confluence point is surrounded by motor roads at west, north and east,
while there is the border at south of it. It can only be approached through
the motor roads as close as five to six kilometres.
I tried to approach it from north by turning off the motor road, but
unfortunately, I found a cart-road at 2.5 km away from it that was unfit for
motor traffic. I could advance even less distance between the plough-lands
when I tried to approach from west. Just when I tried to access the area
from east, I run up against border-guards. While examining my documents they
asked me about what I was looking for in this uninhabited area. One of them
was armed with a Kalashnikow type machine-gun held across the shoulder. I
explained them clearly my intentions. After finding out that my documents
were in order they helpfully led me the way to the road junction of a
cart-road. Within short it turned out that the road indicated by the
border-guards is also impassable for my car, and on my request they
permitted me to join them in their cross-country vehicle. Afterwards, I
could continue my way towards the confluence point with an armed escort. The
members of my escort had shown a visible curiosity related to the confluence
hunting.
When we arrived at the end of the road we drove through a sunflower land
where the crops have already been gathered. The high and hard sunflower
stalks bumped against the front part of the Russian make cross-country
vehicle producing loud noises. Afterwards, we run across a bumpy and grassy
field that resulted to be a hard task for the cross-country vehicle also.
Passing through this hard terrain we arrived at the point hunted for that
has been found at the common border of two adjacent ploughed lands. I took
quickly the photos to not keep up too long my occasional escort, since, they
had to turn back within a short time to the lookout post assigned to them. I did
not take a photo of the border-guards but I did of their cross-country
vehicle. At the sides of their vehicle an inscription appeared: "HATÁRORSÉG"
that means "BORDER-GUARDS".