S1 · E1 — Episode 1
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In Istanbul, the first members of the public join the crew, and the team plans to cross Turkey all the way to Tbilisi, Georgia. But COVID-19 is sweeping the world, restrictions are mounting, and the expedition must quickly decide what to do next.
Now playingHow the expedition truck Trajda was built and how the expedition came to be. After a ceremonial send-off from the Mácha Region, the crew crosses the Balkans to Istanbul, the end of the opening leg, just as the coronavirus crisis begins to affect their plans.
In Istanbul, the first members of the public join the crew, and the team plans to cross Turkey all the way to Tbilisi, Georgia. But COVID-19 is sweeping the world, restrictions are mounting, and the expedition must quickly decide what to do next.
Several members leave the expedition early because of the pandemic. The remaining six carry on, exploring Turkey's usually crowded tourist spots such as Cappadocia, and despite the closed borders another traveller joins them for a few days.
Five adventurers remain aboard Trajda. On the Black Sea coast the team meets Emre, who helps them get to know Turkey even more closely, and the truck gets stuck for the first time.
Not even worldwide travel restrictions can stop the team, which keeps looking for a way forward. But since mid-March, Trajda's engine has been making a strange noise, and the crew tries to track down its cause.
Mechanic Lukáš finally uncovers what has been lurking in the engine, an unpleasant surprise found at the eleventh hour. When the team learns that the border with Iran has reopened, they set off for it. Will they really manage to leave Turkey this time?
After almost three months, the expedition finally leaves Turkey, heading for Iran instead of Georgia. After a first night with a view of Mount Ararat, the whole crew is arrested and locked in cells because of one cameraman's recklessness.
With a new crew come new experiences: a dip in a radioactive pool and an Iranian film director's candid account of how the country's film industry works. A detour from the planned route then leaves the truck stuck on a scorching salt flat for more than a day and a half.
