My Pan Asian/European Extravaganza!!
An idea I came up with while in Africa was to take the Trans-Mongolian Railway from Beijing, China, to St. Petersburg, Russia. I was very excited about this prospect, and to see a good deal more of Europe that I hadn't seen before, after the Asian trip by Eurorailing. The trip would go through a large variety of countries, and cost a good sum of money... but it would last about three months or so. At the moment it is still in the planning stages (hence why it is in travel plans), but I am very happy about the idea of it for a variety of reasons, which I'll go into later. I am estimating this to cost between US$5,000 and $10,000... but, again, that will need to be seen to later. The trip should start in mid to late spring of 2008 and end sometime in late summer.
Again, the basic idea is to start in Beijing, leaving from Seoul, South Korea (my intended residence for the next year) a few days before. From Beijing, we will take the Trans-Mongolian Railway through Ulaan-Baatar (The capitol of Mongolia) to Irkutsk to Novosibirsk to Moscow and then to St. Petersburg. Afterward, I'd like to go to Finland, through much of Scandanavia, to the continent to explore western Europe, including: Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Greece, Poland, and perhaps Turkey. All in all I hope to travel between 15 and 19 countries with this expedition.
The Eurorailing part is less planned than I should like for the moment, but that will change over the next year or so.
Basically, I want to hit a good deal of Europe I missed seeing before, and to see a lot of it again. I eagerly look forward
to the prospect of Youth Hostels, and walking around completely independently (from a job anyway) and learning how to make it
on my own in the process (again). I am estimating the Trans-Mongolian part of the trip will take between 1 week and 4... and
the Eurorailing part will take between 1 month and 3. Part of the reason I am so unsure about all the plans of this, is because
it is dependent on other people I am bringing with me... which I'll get to later. Whether I travel all alone, or with one or several
people, this trip will occur if it is at all in my power and I won't allow too much to stop me.
The meaning of this journey for me is expansive and largely unknown. It is unknown simply because I can't fully anticipate what to expect to learn, feel and think. It will be a great expedition because it will teach me a great degree of autonomy and independence. It will teach me a familiarity with foreign cultures and people, and to see the countrysides of many places I would normally never see otherwise. It will be a great experience to explore and travel the world and go from one very interesting area that is quite unique to another that is entirely different and equally as unique in its own right. It will traverse the largest continent and show me the wonders of this earth natural and man-made. This all comes to learning and experiencing new things, but there are other reasons of course this will be of immense importance to me.
Psychologically speaking, it will give me great comfort in knowing that not only have I travelled below the equator and indeed below the tropic of capricorn, but also around the world. I'll be able to officially wear my Magellan hat, meaning I'll have been to every line of longitude on this earth at one point or other. It will mean that I'll have been able to see a great deal of Asia by land and thus feel that I've truly grown to know the continent, as much as someone like me can. It will mean I can feel comfortable knowing I've seen much more of this earth than I can say now. It will give me a worldly outlook to things and an understanding into more cultures foreign to me. Ultimately I hope it gives me a deep sense of accomplishment and quenches my seemingly insatiable need for exploration for a while. Not that I want my need to explore and so on to die, just to be contented.
Philosophically, I am hoping it gives me a great understanding ultimately into the psyche of people, and gives me a new perspective on a great many things altogether. I hope it can give me vast amounts of material from which to draw from and use in my older age. This will hopefully allow me to think, reflect and create later in life things I can't even imagine now. I am hoping it allows me to see wisdom in the universe, commonalities throughout the world and great truths. If this does not happen, that will be okay, but I'll be the wiser I feel for having done it. It will help me to fulfill my Odinic mission, to meet people of great interest and variety, and to attempt to demonstrate my charms and sympathy with those whom I do meet.
Thus are my hopes and ambitions for this journey, one I very much look forward too and hope that the right person can join
me on. All of these reasons I am eager to go, and of course for the shear enjoyment of it too.
I would like to invite anyone willing, to come with me. I would love to find a companion or two for this incredible journey and hope that anyone interested should notify me at JasOdin@gmail.com . If you are interested in joining me for this trek, let me know so that we can get set on plans. I will post more specifics too, as the time approaches. It will probably take about three months, and the cost will be about US$8,000 (very rough estimate). Also, if you just want to come for one part or the other that is totally fine too, if you just want to go around Europe, I can definitely meet you there, or if you want to experience the Russian/Chinese/Mongolian plains, that is fine too.
So, please feel free to join me, or if you know anyone interested, have them contact me, I don't mind doing this trip alone, but
I would absolutely love for anyone to come along, if so inclined, even if for just a little while on the trip.