Johanna Ringkvist
Johannar
Johanna Ringkvist
25/9-2007
After eight months of hard, well most of the time, work, it's finally time for me to go out travelling again. Will start with a small trip to England to visit a friend I met in Australia last year. After that I'll have two weeks at home to sort out the last things that have to be done before I'll go out to discover the big world.
At 13.30 on October 19, I'll fly to Moscow (Hopefullly, IF the Russian embassy gives me a visa). I will have four days in Moscow before catching the train to "Paris of Sibiria", Irkutsk. This small trip will take just a little less then four days and to save money and get more experience, I'm going to travel in 3rd class. This means 40-50 people sleeping in the same carriage. Like a dorm on a train. Probably very smelly, loud and interesting.
A four and a half days break from trains will probably feel very good when I get of in Irkutsk. This is the city closest to Lake Baykal and that's also the reason to stop here. Depending on the weather, it's after all late October and Sibiria, I hope I'll get the chance to go out on a hike in the mountains around the lake.
On the last of October it's time to hop on the train again but this time in 2nd class (luxury). 2nd class is a 4-berth coupe. Oh forgot to say that I'll go on the train with s Swedish girl, Larissa, I've contacted o the internet. So I at least know that there'll be one person that I'll be able to talk to (I'm afraid my one year of Russian studies won't get me that far in a conversation with a non-english speaking Russian)
This time I'll only be on the train for two days, or something like that (depends on how long time it'll take to cross the Mongolian border) before I'll get of in the capital of Monogolia, Ulan Bator. Will probably spend at least five days here to get a chance to go out in the Gobi-dessert or at least to any of the national parks around to experience the real Mongolia. Also this depends on how cold it'll be.
The last stage on the Trans-mongolian route will be Ulan Bator-Beijing. It's only about a day between these cities but the contrast will be huge.
What happens after Beijing is not really planned. Somehow I'll get down the coast and eventually cross the border to Vietnam (Around the beginning of December). To be honest I haven't really started to read about China yet and don't really have a clue what I want to get out of it. But four weeks is what I had thought of spending in this giant country.
What happens after I've got to Vietnam is also a bit unclear. Briefly; I'm flying home from Bali on the 13th of Mars so I'll just do what a want to do, and see what I want to see there in between 😊
I hope you'll enjoy reading about my adventures and that you'll get a nice autumn, a merry christmas and a happy new year!