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Train Travels An attempt to travel back from Japan to the UK without boarding a plane..

Trip: Trans Siberian Express

There are [24] stories from my trip: Trans Siberian Express


Home leg!!

GERMANY | Monday, 25 Aug 2008 | Views [505]

Have missed out Lithuania and Poland for the time being - will get back to them later.  Am now in Dresden chez Andreas and Doreen (aka my German friends from the Lake Baikal project in Siberia), enjoying a few homecomforts over my last few days of travels.... Read more >


St Petersburg, and leaving Russia

RUSSIAN FEDERATION | Thursday, 14 Aug 2008 | Views [448]

What can I say.  It's stunning here.  And the people seem less sour-faced here than other parts of Russia.   (The Russians I've met in a social context have generally been friendly, helpful, and good spirited, however on first appearances they have a ... Read more >


Moscow

RUSSIAN FEDERATION | Friday, 8 Aug 2008 | Views [469]

8th August On train 2.5 nights: arrived 4am, but not impressed by my fellow passengers who got up 3 hours before our arrival to prepare. Bought my onward ticket to St Petersburg (even at this time in the morning there's a queue at the teciket window), ... Read more >


Gallery: Mongolia

MONGOLIA | Wednesday, 30 Jul 2008 | Photo Gallery

Road trip
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Olkhon island, Siberia

RUSSIAN FEDERATION | Friday, 18 Jul 2008 | Views [523]

After 2 weeks of hard graft / crippled back need to chill out.  Olkhon is on the shores of Lake Baikal where the path-building project was, only a few hours further up.  On the bus there it remends me of Monglia again - no paved roads, and bare hills ... Read more >


Lake Baikal

RUSSIAN FEDERATION | Wednesday, 16 Jul 2008 | Views [524] | Comments [4]

Just to let you know that I left Mongolia the night before the revolution last month, arriving safely in Irkutsk, Siberia. Spent two weeks camping on the lakeside working on a Great Baikal Trail project.  Great place, beautiful views, good people; survived ... Read more >


Mongolia road trip

MONGOLIA | Sunday, 29 Jun 2008 | Views [842]

Driving 18 days traveling about 3000 km around the Mongolian countryside in a jeep - of which 15 of these days we drove for about 7 hours, and the remaining 3 rested at lakes.  With the excpetion of the last road back to Ulan Batar, all but about ... Read more >


UB

MONGOLIA | Wednesday, 11 Jun 2008 | Views [542] | Comments [2]

Not up to date with my blogging, but just to let you all know that I arrived in Ulan Batuar, Mongolia at lunch time today.  Am organising a trip to the Gobi desert, then up to some lakes and national parks in central and northern Mongolia.   Think we ... Read more >


Beijing

CHINA | Saturday, 7 Jun 2008 | Views [482]

Beijing is big, and suprisingly clean and shiny - in fact more than most of London right now I'd say.  Unfortunately I managed to coincide my visit with a bank holiday weekend, so I got to meet most of China's 1.3 billion citizens at the Forbidden Palace ... Read more >


Hospitals #2 and #3

CHINA | Saturday, 7 Jun 2008 | Views [466]

Got last minute tick borne encephalitus jab before I left Tokyo,  and was assured at the clinic that I'd be able to get shot #2 easily in Beijing. So, armed with a list of Beijing hospitals courtesy of Yukiko (thanks!) and at the lst minute the British ... Read more >


Gallery: Xian

CHINA | Thursday, 5 Jun 2008 | Photo Gallery

Xian - ancient capital; terracotta warriors
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Hua Shan

CHINA | Wednesday, 4 Jun 2008 | Views [482]

Decided to do put my vertigo to the test with a  two day trip to the mountains near Xian.  Hua Shan has 5 peaks, each like a stone needle jutting out of the valley.  Looking at them from afar, they don't look like they are meant to be trodden by humans.... Read more >


Xian

CHINA | Monday, 2 Jun 2008 | Views [594] | Comments [1]

A welcome 27 hours of rest on train from Yangshou.  The only other foreigners of the 1000s of people on this train happen to be in the same carriage as me - two American guys - theology post-grad students from Ohio.  Arrived in Xian and faced the ruthless ... Read more >


Yang Shuo

JAPAN | Friday, 30 May 2008 | Views [592] | Comments [1]

Arrived on the boat along the river with  huge pointy rock formations poking out.  Will uplaod some pics if this connection is fast enough.  Met a middle aged English hippy couple at the quayside who've been here teaching English.  They set me up with ... Read more >


Gallery: Shanghai

CHINA | Wednesday, 28 May 2008 | Photo Gallery

Shangahi
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Hospital

CHINA | Wednesday, 28 May 2008 | Views [504]

I hasten to add, this was as an outpatient!  Dunno if it was something I ate on the boat over or soon after I arrived, anyway felt a bit 'wrong' pretty much from day one.  'Wrong' got progressively worse - with all the symptoms of amoebic dysentery, ... Read more >


Shanghai

CHINA | Tuesday, 27 May 2008 | Views [533] | Comments [1]

Arrived first thing in the morning, after sailing a couple of hours down the river, making way between clusters of coal carrying barges.  Everything shrouded in fog haze - just like Stephen Speilberg had got there first to 'authenticate' the river scenery.... Read more >


Ferry: Osaka - Shanghai

JAPAN | Tuesday, 27 May 2008 | Views [812]

All very smoooth, and ferry far from capacity so nice and laidback.  Karaoke bar, games arcade and majong room keep some occupied, but after all the rushing around over the last couple of months was delighted to do pretty much absolutely nothing.  In ... Read more >


Gallery: Osaka

JAPAN | Wednesday, 21 May 2008 | Photo Gallery

round the city; late night game arcade
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Osaka

JAPAN | Tuesday, 20 May 2008 | Views [565] | Comments [1]

    Only one day to go before boat.  last minute chores,  last bright lights - for time being.  Last day.. had to pay phone company about 4000 yen (around twenty pounds) to cut my connection; withdrew the last of my yen.  Final supper of okonomiyaki ... Read more >


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