Well it was 5 weeks ago that i started this blog and oh... how things have come along since then. With less than 5 weeks to go before our departure date... all our preparations are falling into place.
Firstly before i start though, i promised to share Dorothee's blog address so if anyone can read French, then they can also read her version of our adventure while we are away.
Do's Blog (Autourdegaia link)
More specific details regarding where we are travelling to and through can be found in the "our journey" section of our website..... it has been updated and although still under construction shall be finished before we depart.
But to cut to the chase.... or explain why we may be absent from our blog at times due to us being mid travel or in the mid-dle of nowhere.... our confirmed travel details currently available are.....
Sept 1: Amsterdam to Berlin by train (6 hours)
Sleep at "Green Eggs and Ham" in Berlin
I couldn't really resist this hostel. Loved the name! Only in Germany....
Sept 2: Berlin to Moscow by sleeper train (29 hours) via Poland and Belarus
Sept 3: Arrive Moscow
Sample the vodka and other Russian delights
Sleep at the aptly named "Trans-Siberian Hostel" located in central Moscow.
Sept 4: Run-around tour of Moscow for the day
Moscow to Ulanbator with the Trans-Mongolian Railway.
Trans-Siberian Railway
This epic trip is 6265km and will take 5days and 10 hours.
We are travelling 1st class on this famous train. This means only Dorothee and i are in the cabin. We share a shower with another 1st class cabin. This train ride is often called the "vodka train" so we opted for "deluxe 1st class" (2pax) over the 2nd class cabins (4pax). 1st class cabins are "wood-panelled compartments", have "wider bunks","arm chairs" and a "pull-down window" and are "carpeted" so let's see. I saw a video on u-tube recently of some drunken russian men on the train and since have had bad visuals of us being stuck in a cabin with some vodka skulling russians for 5 days. Could make or break the trip i guess so.... I'm happy to splurge on 1st class for this once in a lifetime trip and not risk it!
Sept 9: Arrive Ulanbator, Mongolia
Sept 21: I turn 30!!!!!!!!
Dorothee is under a wee bit of pressure here seeing she is the only one who knows me to be with me for this "momentous" occasion. I am hoping to celebrate in style with yak milk or vodka (i guess?) with Do and some be-friended Mongolians in a Ger tent by Lake Khovsgol. I don't think i shall ever forget where i celebrated my 30th that's for sure! For you at home... hold the presents til my next visit ;) but i shall expect a flood of emails in my inbox....................
As our Mongolian visa is for 30 days only, we plan to be back on the Trans-Mongolian railway heading to Beijing within a month.
After seeing Beijing and The Great Wall of course, we will then make our way down along the coast of China to Shanghai. Then we head inland onto the Yunnan Province and then up to the Sichuan Province to Chengdu. We will be stopping off of course to see the Pandas at the Nature Reserve. Can't wait!!! See the travel maps on our website for more info but after 2 months in total in China (maybe we head to Vietnam for a few days.... we'll see....) we to fly out of Chengdu to Kathmandu, Nepal on the 24th of November.
other exact travel details to be shared as we know them :)
So regarding our preparations...we have been getting more excited each time we receive tickets and of course it was fabulous to hear that all our Visas up until China have been finalised and are ready to be picked up from the visum bureau in Amsterdam. Yippppppeeeeeeee!
Just quickly..... this visa centre (http://www.visum.nl) organised all our visas (Belarus transit, Russian + invitation to Russia, Mongolia and China) saving us the hassle of travelling to each different embassy. For example, our closest Mongolian Embassy is in Brussels, Belgium 3 hours away by train!
We have also been shopping a lot (2 girls remember) for the trip and next blog i shall include a list of essentials and then of course the added luxuries which we are taking for our 6 month journey.
We have only one month to go!!!!! Woooooohoooooooooo!
