AN UPDATE...

It was not quite as I had planned. October 11th became October 10th. 15 months reduced to five days. A languorous circumnavigation of the planet scaled back to what essentially is a long weekend in Chicago.

There are two options. Arrive in Chicago as planned, enjoy the book release party, then fall back into the resigned and defeated state I have existed in for the past month or more, watching my spirit continue west from the Windy City towards Seattle on Amtrak's "Empire Builder" train. Or the choice I know I have to make: let it all go and come back home ready to fight.

To be honest, the former choice sounds like the better option. I do not feel ready to move on, wherever "on" takes me. I still find it hard to breathe some days. Small things trigger emotional breakdowns I have never had to deal with before. Avoidance still seems favorable to facing the music. For the first time in my life I do not feel like I can overcome. I can tell myself that all the extra preparations with research and languages will make the eventual trip even better, and that might even be true, but the only thing I feel is numb.

Originally I had invited all my friends to join me at Penn Station, to wish me goodbye before a very long journey. Instead I arrive discreetly and alone, just wanting to slip away unnoticed. Early enough to catch a train to Washington, D.C. scheduled an hour before mine, I change my ticket quickly and escape the terminal earlier than expected to find myself seated on the "Northeast Regional" to the nation's capital.

In the beginning it is just like a ride to Newark Airport, but the train to D.C. slides by most stations without stopping and is soon in Trenton and then Philadelphia and then Baltimore. The capital arrives without incident, as the train passes and forgets the toughest neighborhoods of the cities it traverses. In rural parts of the country the train station is the center of town, right on Main Street, and everyone knows when the train pulls into town. But in urban centers, the train station usually exists in the part of town that probably makes a lot of passengers wary of alighting.

In D.C. this is not really the case, as a five-minute walk brings me to the Capitol Building. I am unable to take in any of the Neoclassical gems of this grand old structure though, as two nutcases are spewing hate under the cause of spreading Jesus' word. This being the weekend of a gay march on Washington, it was them that these two monsters were using their megaphone to hate. Hate with the goal of love, war with the goal of peace. We are a supremely misguided species.

The rest of my meander down The Mall is less eventful as I waste time between trains, walk some city streets, and take the Metro back to Union Station. Another 45 minutes pass and I am on the "Capitol Limited" to Chicago.

My fellow passengers are a mix of retired couples, people who can't afford planes, and people who do not fit on planes. The fat people mainly keep to themselves. The poor people enjoy themselves with games and jovial conversation amongst their traveling companions. If solitude is what you seek, the retired couples are the people you must avoid eye contact with at all cost. They spread out their maps and ask everyone around them "Where are you going?" The question is usually geared toward showing off their own itineraries and getting involved in history lessons. I hear bits and pieces about the various landmarks, waterways, and towns we are passing.

I am also surprised by the sheer volume of people that seem to be taking their very first and realize the comfort and joy involved in this mode of transportation. But in mid-October night arrives fairly early and as we are crossing the mountains along the Maryland-West Virginia border the sky explodes into bright oranges and pinks shortly before extinguishing until the next morning. The lounge car quickly empties of everyone now that the view is gone and becomes a very peaceful place to spend a few hours before attempting sleep.

I am back before dawn as sleep never comes easy in an upright position. A symphony of snoring from people more successful than me surrounds my seat and becomes unbearable. As light of day finally arrives, a thin blanket of frost covers the fields and cars near the Ohio-Indiana border, fitting foreshadow for my destination city stereotyped for cold temperatures. The Midwest is always somewhat monotonous by interstate but train travel brings you close enough to enjoy the details of each town or pasture you cross.

These and more photos from the train/DC/Chicago are available on my travel blog:

http://jaredcohee.blogspot.com/

NEW INVESTMENT

There was a time when this project was running like a well-oiled machine. Everything fell into place at just the right time in my life. I finished up all other business pursuits and concentrated fully on preparing myself for the trip ahead, making sure I was well-versed on the peoples and lands I would come across. As a full-time job, the research was something I looked forward to each morning. Unfortunately through circumstances not under my control, the book is searching for new funding.

I am not exactly sure about how to pursue such a lofty figure, especially from people I do not know, but if this project sounds like something you would like to support, and ultimately invest in, I would love to discuss the passion behind it as well as the goals of the future writing.

This is a new beginning. The project has so much potential as a marketable work of travel writing, but I see it more in terms of an opportunity to start a new path in my life. My first published book has been so much fun to be a part of, and of course travel for and write, that I hope to continue this momentum further.

If you have not already, I invite you to take a look through the posts of this blog, from back in May when I started doing trip research with a full head of steam. It was a plan that had specific departure dates and time periods at one point, but still could shift to any part of the year for departure, pending cargo ship schedules. I also have a comprehensive budget that I laid out in the beginning to figure out what was necessary for an endeavor like this to take place. Through further research, this document has become a refined prediction of each and every expenditure that will come up. I would be more than happy to share this information and research if interested.

Thank you for reading about this project. I hope to be able to share with you the final product in book form very soon, as it is an adventure through this world that could be an amazing story. To contact me, please write to jaredcohee AT gmail DOT com.

I KNOW NICE PEOPLE

Recently I was gifted two very nice books from two very nice friends. I had "My Country and its People" on my reading list, and one day it arrived in my hands, delivered in person. Thank you Rain! Soon afterwards I made the comment that I should probably take along a guidebook for China since it is the first extensive travel I will do in one country and I won't have to lug it around much beforehand. Shortly thereafter a box from Amazon.com arrived with the Lonely Planet. Thank you Candy!

I know nice people.

BOOK PUBLISHING, A FIRST

A little off the topic of this trip, I would like to just briefly share a link:

http://www.blindsidedbooks.com/calmoftheniger/

My first book about last winter's travels to Senegal and Mali has gone on sale, and is only $6 for a couple weeks during pre-order. Hope you enjoy!

A QUICK RECOMMENDATION...

Don't study Russian and Mandarin at the same time. The sounds of one are so fantastically different than the other, that it takes a full 10 minutes to contort the inside of your mouth in the right direction to switch.

DETAILED MAPS: NORTH AMERICA (#1)

Back to the beginning... the first phase of the journey will travel from the east coast of North America to the west coast, crossing 11 states and one Canadian province (British Columbia). As mentioned before, I will be stopping in Chicago to check in with Blindsided Books, and hopefully some sort of book launching event in an independent bookstore. More on that later.

Click for a larger view

I am also going to be stopping in Seattle after two nights on the "Empire Builder" train from Chicago. This weekend I will meet my host, who I found through Couchsurfing.org and will actually be my guest here in NYC. I am looking forward to that, as well as a couple more days in the Emerald City.

As you can see, borders will not be a big part of the first few weeks, with only a simple United States to Canada crossing on land, and maybe some customs formalities on the cargo ship before leaving.

DETAILED MAPS: AFRICA

Have I ever mentioned that I like maps? A million times?

I realized that a lot of people were asking me about specific routes and that I had not explained it any better than with this very rudimentary map a couple months ago.

So I decided to start making better maps of how I think the journey will go. It's too much fun and a good break from redundant research. I have a keen interest in borders and movement, so I have color coded red the travel and borders that I will cross on land, and blue for water. I start with Africa:

Click for a larger view.

DETAILS, DETAILS, DETAILS...

I apologize to anyone that has actually missed my posting recently. I've spent quite a bit a time the last two weeks in bookstores copying out minute details from Lonely Planet guides and the like, and none of that is particularly interesting like stories of places and people accompanied by photos can be. I've also had some other things on my mind recently, and not this. I'm steadily working hard though. It's coming together. I started my first Russian lessons last week and kicked myself in the ass to work harder with Mandarin.

The good news though, is that I have a gigantic spreadsheet now full of information about schedules and such for all the places I will travel in Asia, Europe, and Africa, the culmination of a lot of work! I still need to work on all of Latin America, but I feel momentum on my side.

The realities of all this detail has caused a couple small changes in my routes, and put into higher definition some other places that I only vaguely thought about, especially in Africa. As stated before, I am hoping to avoid large cities as much as possible, and Africa is by far the best continent to do this, as rural life is altogether more interesting than urban, not to mention more genuine in my experiences so far. It will be hard to limit myself to the four months I have alloted to reach Cape Town from Tunisia, mainly because of all the interesting possibilities I have read about and most certainly will run across when traveling.

Movement has to be a priority though.

A BUMP IN THE ROAD

When I woke up Monday morning my laptop did not turn on. This computer has most of my research notes and information, and I've spent the last two days first diagnosing the problem and then deciding what to do about it. It's also been a time of no productivity through the simple sense of defeat this has caused in me.

So I'm back to the grind today, and will get the hard drive extracted as soon as I can.

The first of many setbacks I assume, but I'd rather have "real world" ones. 15 months after purchase a motherboard fries itself. Nice.

Yes, I should have been constantly copying the files somewhere else and/or emailing it to myself to save progress. I know.

FOCUS ON ASIA

I realize a lot (read: most) of my posts to this point have focused on Asian countries and territories to this point. It's simply because I am doing all my research in the direction of my travels. I don't expect to be done by the time I leave, so it is obviously more imperative for me to know what I am getting myself into in the first locations I arrive. I will have plenty of down time, and the facilities to do research along the way. I fully expect to be working ahead on ideas and routes through Africa while I am resting up on train rides or in hotel rooms in Asia.

I'll keep posting my thoughts along the way, as well as photos and tidbits of what I am coming across and the progress that is being made. This blog has already helped me a great deal in making me question my initial thoughts and ideas, so I fully want to keep taking advantage of that during the trip as well. Even if no one was watching I would still do this for myself, to keep the pressure and skepticism on my own preconceptions. Please feel free to question my thoughts here too, as any challenge of good nature will only strengthen the final product that I will eventually write when a book comes out of all of this.

But, if you are already tired of Asia, I promise you there is a change of scenery soon coming...

Thanks for reading!

ETHNIC MINORITY REPORT?

This trip in a way seems to be developing some sort of back-up theme. If Movement is the major of my studies, than ethnic minorities seem to be the minor, at least in Asia. As reported a couple times already, I plan to visit some communities within Vietnam, Laos, and China that are villages of some of the ethnic minorities there. There are also numerous autonomous regions in Siberia that warrant mention and are composed of significant minority populations. I've put together a list of those that I have decided to go to so far:

China:

The Dong peoples in Tongdao county, Hunan and Guizhou provinces.

Hmong in Guizhou and Guangxi provinces.

Yao in Yunnan province.

Vietnam:

Hmong, Tay, and Yao (Dao in Vietnamese) in Lào Cai province.

Laos:

Hmong and Akha in Luang Namtha provinces.

Russia:

Jewish Autonomous province.

Buryat Republic.

I will in the future go into more detail about my plans to visit these places in Siberia, including both of the places above. They each have unique stories and histories that are fascinating to learn about.

If anyone has suggestions for others along my route, please let me know!

JAPA-WHAT?

Apparently there is a phenomenon in Vancouver like no other. It involves street carts, hot dogs, mayonaise, and miso. Wait... miso?

(Image courtesy of japadog.com)

Through a tip from a fellow food-blogger from Vancouver, I've been lucky enough to learn about Japa Dog, a hot dog vendor that attracts celebrities and all sorts of Japanese media. Check out their website at:

http://www.japadog.com/en/index.html

Hell, if Ice Cube loves it, I'm sure I will too!

There are some better photos HERE that you need to check out.

Thanks to Eagranie at The Well-Tempered Chocolatier for the fantastic recommendation. I can't wait! You can be assured that I will be writing about this one as soon as I try it.

NORTHERN VIETNAM AND THE HMONG

A few weeks back I spoke about my plans for northern Vietnam and Laos briefly, and my intentions to visit villages of the Hmong people here. It is an attraction that has been fueled by reading and research, but overcome my usual boundary of not going on cultural tourism.

In the past, I have stayed away from this type of thing simply because I was unsure of how to think about it all. On one hand, these cultures are so different from mine and interesting that I of course would love to meet the people and see their lives outside of books. The reason I stayed away was the simple fact that the opportunity existed solely because of tourism, and would I really be benefitting myself or them by partaking?

(Black Hmong women. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons/Bob Tubbs)

The more I prepare for something like this, the better I can feel about it all, and the more I can take out of it as well as give into it. In Vietnam for example, my visits to the far north mountains in villages surrounding Sa Pa, Lao Cai, and Bac Ha, I have read about some people employing the services of local Hmong guides that can take you on tours through the valleys and villages on your own. This will afford countless more opportunities to be of as little impact on life as possible, rather than as part of a daytrip or package tour that rolls through town and takes over a village for a brief time period before rolling out just as fast.

I'll be spending about three weeks in the region here, the majority of which will be in and around small Hmong (amongst other ethnic minorities) villages. It shouldn't cost much even to employ the highest-priced guide, so I plan to take advantage of this opportunity the best I can.

(Flower Hmong girls. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons/Brian Snelson)

I do not have grand plans for any particular place I am visiting, nor any hypothesis I am trying to prove, but I do think the way a minority group is treated within a country tells a lot about its people. I hope I can see a little of this while there both in these villages and when speaking to majority populations when in transit or elsewhere.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?

It's happened a couple times along the way, but today in Barnes & Noble my jaw dropped from absolute shock as I discovered that a border crossing I planned to make between northern Vietnam and northern Laos was actually closed to foreigners. The closest (and most northerly) border open was actually not close at all and would necessitate an extra couple days of travel.

Both the Lonely Planet and Rough Guides mentioned that there has been talk of opening this border to tourists, but nothing had been done yet. Both guides were also over two years old, so I thought I should double check on some traveler forums, and what do you know? The border opened to foreigners in May of 2007 and has remained open since.

(Orange is desired, green is next closest, image courtesy of Wikipedia Commons)

My main plans in northern Vietnam center around the Hmong peoples (among other minorities) and the town of Sa Pa near Lao Cai (click on the map for a larger view). To get down to the green border post, coming all the way back to Hanoi would have been necessary. This route goes in another direction towards Dien Bien Phu, saving time and avoiding backtracking. If I have ever learned anything about myself during travels, it is that I despise backtracking.

The even better part of it is that it also has visa services available at the border, so if obtaining my Laos visa is a problem in Hanoi, I can put it off for the border. A couple posts I read mentioned how one foreigner can hold up the entire bus for three hours at the border waiting for the visa guy though, so I will do my best to prepare ahead so as not to have a busload of locals angry at me.

SHORTWAVE RADIO ANYONE?

I'm not sure why I have never invested in a shortwave radio before (called a "world band" radio for anyone that consistently watched Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego), but I figure now is the time. 14 months will afford a bevy of time in which I am bored of whatever book I am reading and also need to hear world news and languages I can understand.

Anyone own one that they recommend? The smaller the better obviously...

BODIES OF WATER

The first time I ever crossed a border on a boat was in 2002 during a North American road trip, taking a car ferry from Victoria, on Vancouver island in Canada to Anacortes in Washington state. Besides the beautiful scenery, the feeling of boarding a boat in one country and alighting from it in another has a certain delight. Before boarding, the over-sensitive US customs officials asked us questions, then took our bananas. They searched us on the other side too, as I drove the car off the ferry and began driving through Washington's coastal islands.

(On route to Morocco at sunset)

Ever since, I've relished any opportunity to do this again, whether it be on the Mediterranean ferry from Spain to Morocco and back, or traversing Lago O'Higgins between Chile and Argentina.

(A ferry waits for passengers and vehicles in Aisén region, Chile)

Naturally, I have tried to think ahead and plan for as many border crossings by water as possible on this upcoming trip, in addition to the cargo ship voyages over the oceans. Here is a list of the crossings that I will be on my itinerary:

Vancouver (Canada) --> Hong Kong

The Pacific Ocean

Budapest (Hungary) --> Bratislava (Slovakia) --> Vienna (Austria)

Danube River

Zadar (Croatia) --> Ancona (Italy)

Aegean Sea

Genova (Italy) --> Tunis (Tunisia)

Mediterranean Sea

Kampala (Uganda) --> Mwanza (Tanzania)

Lake Victoria

Mbamba Bay (Tanzania) --> Nkhata Bay (Malawi)

Lake Malawi/Nyasa

Cape Town (South Africa) --> Santos (Brazil)

Atlantic Ocean

Copacabana (Bolivia) --> Puno (Peru)

Lake Titicaca

Iquitos (Peru) --> Manaus (Brazil)

Amazon River

Cartagena (Colombia) --> Colón (Panama)

Caribbean Sea

CHANGE OF PLANS/HEART!

More on this to come, but a slight overhaul has been done today to the cross-country train journey. Scratch the ticket on the California Zephyr in favor of the more northerly Empire Builder, a train that from Chicago goes northwest to Minnesota and then follows a line west to Seattle, skirting the Canadian border and Glacier National Park in Montana.

This gives me about 30 hours less on a train, and two happy days and nights to spend in Seattle. I figure the faster I get close to Vancouver the better as well, as I don't want to receive a call at the last minute saying they are leaving a day further ahead of schedule or something similarly disheartening. I will be aboard that boat!

The scenery should be just as good in the north, as Glacier NP is probably my favorite in the country, and all the land from Montana to the west should be amazing.

THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER ON THE WAY HOME

After at least 14 months of travel, the majority of which will be on the move, my body will probably be ready to take the Mississippi River all the way back to New York if it could. I'm not sure what my mind will feel, probably a mixture of mental exhaustion and a sour realization that this great journey is about to end, knowing full well that the next part of the challenge lay ahead of me when I get back home and start trying to publish a book.

I probably will not have all that much time on the Mississippi to think about these things, as cruises from New Orleans to the north just are not available. I might only be on a dinner cruise in the end. If there is a substantial amount of money left, maybe I can find a boat to charter to Memphis, a city that will definitely be a stop.

(Memphis. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons/Magnus Manske)

I already have my eyes on the VIP tour at Graceland, the former mansion of Elvis that is now one of the country's most famous tourist attractions. I would love to show up in Memphis on the river that connects it to New Orleans (not to mention a total of 10 states), arriving rested and ready to tackle the city and continue my travels northeast. The river is by far the largest in the United States, and actually the second longest in the world. It does not have any of the mystique that the others profiled this week do, but it remains right at the heart of this country, splitting east and west in our minds. When I say goodbye to it after Memphis, I will be only a few days away from completing what I had started well over a year before.

RIO AMAZONAS

Most likely some six months after my journey down the Nile, I will be leaving Ecuador via the Río Napo and entering Peru, meeting up with the Amazon at the city of Iquitos. The Amazon is the second longest river in the world, but the world's largest in terms of volume. Get this: its river flow is larger than the total flow of the next eight rivers combined!

From Iquitos, Peru it is a 10-hour speedboat ride to the 3-way border post (Peru, Colombia, Brazil) at the frontier.

(Amazon boat. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons/Pontanegra)

After re-entering Brazil, I will take a 4-7 day journey on a riverboat like the one above. I want to enjoy the river and avoid the crowds (HA!) for a few days, so I was thinking of "splurging" a full $80 or so for my own cabin, to rest, read, and write as much as possible. Who knows what I will actually be thinking when it comes time to take this trip though.

(Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons/Elias Bizannes)

I will alight from the boat in Manuas, Brazil, from where it is a overland journey north to the frontier of Venezuela and onward on my trip, with only the Mississippi left to round out the top four. With countless other rivers to meet, cross, and journey down, my mind will probably be a little further south than that.

DOWN (UP) THE NILE

The Nile River puts an image into the head of even the most geography-ignorant person on Earth. It's amazing length and location put it at the center of human interaction and development since the beginning. Kingdoms and empires have fought for it and its lands as far back as history goes. The pyramids and treasures of Egypt will keep it on the tourist trail for as long as tourists keep touristing.

(Dhows on the Nile. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons/Jerzy Strzelecki)

It will not be hard to travel on the Nile in Egypt, for there are plenty of tourist cruises and hopefully less fancy boats further upriver. The Nile and the Egypt-Sudan border might create the most problematic aspect of this trip, but one that I cannot avoid. Even if I am able to secure a visa to Sudan while in Cairo (a process that could take weeks), the whims of a border guard could also set me back. And according to state department advisories, I should not even be thinking of such a thing to begin with.

(The greeting on WikiTravel.org)

Now, I am never one to listen to state department warnings, I feel like half the countries I have visited have had these blanket warnings on them from a racist and ignorant government bureaucracy just trying to cover its ass. I'm obviously not going to Darfur, but the Ethiopian border is one that I also have to cross, so I am guessing I will just have to do this by bus and not on any boat like I had originally thought to explore the possibilities of, at least up to the border.

Khartoum is a place I look forward to seeing, for sure. But I think I might actually consider getting into it from Egypt and out of it to Ethiopia as quickly as possible. More research is in the offer of course, and situations on the ground will ultimately dictate what happens, but for as much of its length as possible I will be in a boat traveling upriver.

THE DANUBE AND HYDROFOILS

So the plan was to take the hydrofoil from Budapest to Bratislava, and then onto Vienna a few days later. But the interests of reality have reared their ugly heads. The first sailing yearly is in April, and I will pass through these capitals in February most likely. Does the Danube freeze?

(The transportation I crave)

Europe's longest river only ranks 29th in the world in length, a poor showing for the continent. But what it lacks in length it probably makes up for in importance and history. Meh... as if the Nile has none.

The most interesting section of the river to me will probably be its time spent as the main artery of Budapest, one of those European cities I just have not made it to yet.

(Danube in Budapest. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons/Heinz Albers)

To the west of Budapest, the river creates the border between Hungary and Slovakia after beginning its journey in the mountains of southern Germany and flowing through Bavaria and northern Austria.

But back to the hydrofoil... it looks like unfortunately crossing borders by boat, which I will do whenever possible, will in this case be impossible. Trains and buses will have to do their job and save me a bit of money at the same time.

長江 YANGTZE RIVER

As part of this journey I have decided to spend as much time as possible on the world's largest rivers, and will use at least the largest river in every continent as a significant route of transportation. This includes the world's four largest rivers (Nile, Amazon, Yangtze, Mississippi) and also the Danube in Europe.

The first of these great rivers that I will come into contact with is the Yangtze in China. I will cross its path a few times, but the first time will be in Yunnan province at Tiger Leaping Gorge. I hope to use the river as a means of transportation between places here in Yunnan, as well as later in Hubei and near Shanghai.

(Tiger Leaping Gorge. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons)

Here at the upper reaches the river still runs fast through some amazing scenery. I think I will be able to take a boat from near Lijiang to Panzhihua where I can take the train north to Chengdu and say goodbye to the river until I see it again at the Three Gorges Dam.

Each of these rivers has a special meaning to its country and to the world. Locally, regionally, and globally, their significance is unquestionable.

More to come on the other four later this week!

TINY AND LANDLOCKED

I have always had a thing for geography. I've been looking at maps and memorizing capitals for as long as I can remember. One fascination that has stuck with me throughout all these years are the tiny countries in the world that are trapped inside or between other countries. Many of these are in Europe, but a few exist in other places as well. I liked them so much that I convinced my social studies teachers to let me turn in reports on Andorra, Luxembourg, and Leichtenstein for extra credit. I hit the encyclopedias hard.

(Andorra. Photo by Nathalie Bourque)

To this date, the only small nations of the world I have visited are the Vatican City, which does not even have a welcome sign, and Andorra, in the Pyrenées between Spain and France. Andorra had been on my mind ever since spending a month abroad in southern France on an exchange program when I was 10 years old. It was only in 2004 that I got to enter the tiny country and was severely disappointed by how uneventful it truly was.

That is not stopping me though, from the possibility of three more tiny countries on this trip, San Marino, Lesotho, and Swaziland. It is absolutely true that I will only go to these places for the pure curiosity of it all, since none of the three is very far from my path.

But how can you blame me? The official name of San Marino in Italian is Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino, translating roughly to "The Most Serene Republic of San Marino." The Kingdoms of Swaziland and Lesotho both exist at least partly due to the whims and errors of British imperialism. They are both surrounded by South Africa (although Swaziland has a small part touching Mozambique), and have populations the size of medium United States cities.

(Swazi people. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons/Christoph Riedl)

But people make a place what it is, and I want to see the differences between outside and inside these tiny countries. I suspect I will find none in San Marino, but in Africa these nations were "granted" to certain peoples on our Earth's most diverse continent. I am hoping I have ample time to explore all of southern Africa and am not pressed for time to make a reservation for the cargo ship I will be taking from Cape Town to Brazil. Only time will tell...

BORN TO BE AROUND CONTAINERS

As the Staten Island Ferry heads south and passes nearby the Statue of Liberty to the west, I am usually the only person on the east side of the boat, watching the container ports of Brooklyn pass by as the tourists snap their photos of the green lady.

A cargo ship going by always grabs my attention. I can easily picture myself wandering amongst the stacks of containers or watching the cranes pull them off in a port.

(Container port in Valparaiso, Chile)

I've been known to wander around the exterior fences of container yards and snap photos if I am lucky enough to get inside ones without tight security. I've been turned away from three different entrances to the container ports in Elizabeth, New Jersey. These facilities are some of the best in the world, but unfortunately are keeping a tight lock. Go figure, the Department of Homeland Security is doing its job keeping out the riff-raff like myself.

ARRIVAL IN ASIA

Approximately 14 days after boarding the Hanjin Madrid in Vancouver, Canada, I will arrive somewhere (I should figure this out) in Hong Kong. It seems a good stopover point and onward entry point into China. I will be able to get back my land legs with all the modern comforts, make plans to cross the border, and enjoy a bit of an absolutely incredible city.

Does anyone have a recommendation for the most desirable location to be in the center of it all? It seems that getting around won't be a problem with all the convenient rail options. Knowing myself, I will be eager to move on to Shenzhen, but I want to grab all I can from Hong Kong in the two or three days I will be around.

A SIBERIAN JOURNEY

It is certain to happen with every book I pick up, but my recent acquisition of Bryn Thomas's Trans-Siberian Handbook is affecting me a great deal. I have just added a full two weeks to the time I am planning in Russia, and will mostly use this in cities and towns along the route of the train from Vladivostok to Moscow.

I am looking even more forward to learning Russian and practicing with some friends at every opportunity here in New York before departure so that I can get the most from my time in places where English is very rare in Siberia.

The only view I have ever had of Siberia was from a plane from NY that flew over the north pole in route to Tokyo. I was wide-eyed the whole time as we flew over the white and nearly featureless land. It is not any specific beauty, but rather the unknown and mysterious that makes Siberia what it is in our minds.

After the Ice Festival in Harbin, China, I will cross the border to the east to Vladivostok, the Russian city on the Pacific Ocean that is the end of the main rail line. There are shorter routes to Moscow, but this seemed more fitting to start at the end and go the whole way. There are also a few towns to the north of it along the rail line that look great for a stopover.

(Novosibirsk - Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons)

Breaking a 6-day journey up into many small segments of rides (the longest being 30 hours) serves many purposes besides being a great way to know more of a country and its people. The journeys on smaller segments can be done with more local trains which will obviously have more local people aboard, and will also make buying tickets more simple as I will not have to stick to any pre-determined schedules. Most tourists end up buying the entire journey from an agent, including any stops they want to make, and have to stick with their plans or forfeit their tickets. In winter there will be no issues with availability, and I can stay or go in any city as I please. I like the sound of that.

I think I will make these stops:

Vladivostok --> 13 hrs -->Khabarovsk --> 3 hrs --> Birobidzhan -->10 hrs --> Belogorsk (side trip to Blagoveshchensk) --> 30 hrs --> Chita --> 10 hrs --> Ulan Ude --> 8 hrs --> Irkutsk --> 20 hrs --> Krasnoyarsk --> 12 hrs --> Novosibirsk (side trips to Tomsk and Akademgorodok) --> 9.5 hrs --> Omsk --> 7 hrs --> Tyumen (side trip to Tobolsk) --> 5 hrs --> Yekaterinburg --> 21 hrs --> Nizhny Novgorod

This will be followed by some visits to some outlying cities near Moscow and then to Moscow itself before heading southwest towards Ukraine. The idea of so much Siberian snow and old Soviet architecture already gives me the chills.

THE CALIFORNIA ZEPHYR

Leaving once a day from Chicago's Union Station, Amtrak's California Zephyr passes through the heartland before reaching Denver and becoming one of the most scenic rides in North America.

(Image courtesy of Amtrak)

After a day in Chicago, I will board the Zephyr and head further west for two days. I can already vouch for the trip through the Sierra Nevadas and close to the Tahoe area, but I am also looking forward to the Rocky Mountains and desert plateau of Nevada, which I have driven through many times but never had the opportunity to cross through without at least one eye on the road.

(Photo courtesy of breakthroughgen.org)

Because I am ultimately trying to reach Vancouver, I will get off the train in Sacramento to meet up with a northbound train for Seattle. More on that later...

THE LAKE SHORE LIMITED TO CHICAGO

My first leg of the journey will start from Penn Station in New York City on Sunday, October 11th at just before 4pm. Will you be there to send me off?

(Image courtesy of Amtrak)

From NYC, it heads north to meet up with the main line that travels the entire distance from Boston to Chicago. I do not think that this leg of the journey holds inspiration views, but I am excited about it not only because it is how my trip begins, but also that it was the starting leg of Paul Theroux's epic train journey south in The Old Patagonian Express.

I'm booked on a simple recliner seat for this part of the journey, a ho-hum overnight trip of about 20 hours. In Chicago, my friend Joshua of Blindsided Books has spoken of planning some sort of author meet and greet at a small local bookstore to promote my upcoming book about Senegal and Mali and also speak about the plans for this new journey and book. I'm looking forward to (not to mention petrified of) this immensely.

I think the lack of amazing scenery will not be any disappointment, as there will be about one million emotions swimming through my mind for at least the first few hours. I doubt I sleep at all on this the first night of over 400.

EXPERIENCE SECURING RUSSIAN VISA?

I am applying for only three visas before I leave. Thankfully the rest that I will need, which are plenty, are available at borders or more easily in consulates along the way.

(Image courtesy of Wikipedia Commons/Osipov Georgy Nokka)

Does anyone have experience getting Russian visas? If so, let me know about how you went about getting documentation regarding an invitation. It's required, at least for Americans, to include this as part of your visa application. It looks like the normal way to do it is to have a Russian travel agency take care of your first night's accommodation and this letter, but I have no way of saying what my date of arrival will be, so it makes things a bit tricky.

If I have to lose the money for this booking, then so be it, but I was just wondering if someone has some stories about going through this.

SHE WILL LEARN TO LOVE YOU

A sad aspect of this trip is the fact that Luna will be homeless when I leave. She does not travel well (she was so mortified in the airport once that she peed on me out of fear), so would anyone in New York be interested in adopting her?

Obviously I would be interested in getting her back when I return, but if you have formed such an unbreakable bond that sadness would take over your life if she left, I won't force her from your arms. I might just demand visitation rights.

THE SPIRIT CAUGHT ME...

...But hopefully I will not fall down.

I just finished a book concerning one Hmong family that immigrated (although not from desire) to the United States after the Vietnam War, and the ensuing culture conflicts that came with this move. One of their daughters was severely epilectic, and treating her in the American system was problematic for all parties involved, family and doctors both. The Hmong culture and western medical system have absolutely nothing in common, besides maybe a desire for health.

(Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons/Cristophe Meneboeuf)

While the medical parts were sometimes very clinical and hard to get through, the history of the people and especially their treatment by various groups wanting to control them really got me interested. I've since thought more about my upcoming time in both northern Vietnam and Laos and adjusted some things to spend more time seeing things in person, and hopefully learning as much as I can. I am often times fascinated by groups of people that have such strong heritage but never a country to call their own. For the Hmong in fact, the idea of a country and political system and borders would not even function, and this "ancient" way of thinking is probably what has let them to be the punching bags of the region for some time. It's amazing how they can preserve so much though.

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures, by Anne Fadiman. Recommended.

TURKMENISTAN IS TELLING ME NO

Originally I was thinking this trip would combine another old wish of mine into its route, traveling west in China to Kashgar and into Central Asia via Kyrgyzstan. Afterwards through Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan and traversing the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan and continuing west towards Europe via Turkey.

Unfortunately Turkmenistan has basically made me edit my westward route up into Russia because it seems that without a dedicated trip to Central Asia and a lot of advance planning, including invitations and such, I would probably be turned back at the border. This would obviously create problems both in time and money, both of which I am not willing to risk in such vast amounts, which this detour would create.

(Photo courtesy of http://www.gendarmerie.lu/hats.htm)

I think I will have to relegate this Central Asia trip to another time, visiting the other "stan" countries and western China together in one trip. Hey, maybe that will be the second book...?

HARBIN ICE FESTIVAL

I have always wanted to attend this event in northeast China.

On January 5th, 2010, you know where to find me, even if the temperatures might be approaching -40...

More photos available here.

CHINA BY RAIL

One of the things I am looking forward to the most about this journey is extensive travel by rail. On many trips with time restraints, I end up taking more buses than trains for reasons of scheduling, as it is often much easier to go on one of many daily buses. In most countries outside of Europe, the train is often much slower than buses as well, creating a dilemma.

China has a lot of people, and a lot of trains. From all accounts, half the country is always seemingly boarding the same train as you, no matter what your destination and no matter what time. I can deal with this, as the reward of train travel starts when the train pulls out of the station. You can enjoy the scenery more peacefully, many trains are open air, and taking photos on or of trains is about a million times more successful than any taken aboard buses.

The map above shows the various lines in the China rail system, of which I plan to spend about six weeks hopping from town to town. My roommate from Shanghai will probably snicker when I say my Mandarin is improving, but one of my most important goals for this trip is to be able to speak as much with people in China as possible. Mandarin obviously does not guarantee me conversations with everyone, but I think it will give me better insight when talking with some people. I would hate to only have the perspectives of those that have learned English.

I will be writing about these adventures to no end, but to those with an interest now, I recommend checking out Paul Theroux's Riding the Iron Rooster: By Train Through China. 

BOOK LIST

I've had a "wish list" put together in Amazon.com for a while now with a bunch of the reading material I want to get through either before or during my trip. I have been able to start putting the money towards some of the books that are not available in Kindle format (more on that later), and trips to Idlewild Books and boxes from Amazon have started to happen.

I've added a new list to the right of this page not only for myself to organize my thoughts and progress, but to share some of the things that are going through my brain. Since I am able to concentrate almost full-time on this research, that means I get to read a lot more. Yes, I like my new job.

Some of the books are about general concepts like nationalism while some are very specific topics like a country or certain type of people. I'm trying to get as much in my head about the things I will come across before I am there, obviously to aid me when I am talking with people, asking the right questions, etc. I would be very happy if my friends and strangers alike will propose more books to me about their countries and cultures that they deem essential reading.

So check out the "Book List" on the right column at the bottom. They are all clickable if you want to see more about the book.

AS PROMISED...

Blindsided Books has put up a project page for the planned publishing of my stories from Africa. There is plenty of information about the project, and if you have the inspiration and extra money laying around, feel free to become a patron of the book! Patrons help fund the registration of ISBN, graphic design, and other things that make a book a book. I am very much looking forward to editing my works and seeing the finished product in print form. Joshua Wentz, the creator of Blindsided Books does some great work with publishing various design-related journals and magazines and I am sure the book will look excellent.

The tentative title of the book is The Calm of the Niger, The Storm of Africa.

The project page is located here:

http://www.blindsidedbooks.com/calmoftheniger/

I will of course keep you up to date when something is available.

ALL ABOARD!

This cargo ship business is not as simple as one might think. In the beginning I contacted four companies that work as brokers, sort of the travel agents for cruising by freighter. The trouble is that the ships do not view human cargo with as much importance as their regular cargo, so the terms and limitations are exceedingly frustrating for someone that wants to make a plan.

They wanted a deposit to give me dates. I wanted dates so that I could give a deposit. In the end, I was able to secure passage with a company that has more regular routes and times than others, with only a +/- 3 day window of departure. I was happy enough with this, and sent them the deposit, as well as some other forms showing that I am in working health and am willing to risk everything.

The health forms make sense. Most of the clients for this kind of travel are retired couples of ages where health issues can be of major concern out at sea without a doctor. The passenger "declaration" is the funny one. We are all used to filling out consent forms waving our right to sue in case of injury, etc., but this form is basically saying "Stay the hell away from us and don't expect a thing."

At any rate, the Hanjin Madrid is scheduled to leave Vancouver on (or around) the 21st of October. I plan to be in the city early in the morning on the 18th, so this should not be a problem. My first time in Vancouver was very pleasant but thoroughly too short, so I look forward to seeing a few more days worth.

The cargo ship is by far the most expensive aspect of any transportation I will be taking on this journey. The two-week trip costs $2,000, but includes full room and board.

I'VE BEEN BLINDSIDED

A very good friend of mine has recently launched a publishing company of his own called Blindsided Books. I will have more information on this soon, but we are now in the beginning stages of publishing my stories from Senegal and Mali.

I think it is the perfect time to try this, hopefully for both of us. His idea for publishing the stories will also include some of my photos, and should turn out to be an amazing product like everything he makes.

The website can be found here:

http://www.blindsidedbooks.com/

Some of his other past publications and such can be found here:

http://www.sidedown.com/

LOSING AUSTRALIA

I run into a bit of trouble when explaining this project to people. I will be spending a significant amount of time in every continent except for Australia, and my reasons sometimes don't mean a lot without knowing more.

Photo courtesy of travelnt.com

Originally when I drew this plan out, I would take my first cargo ship from the west coast to New Zealand or Australia. I soon learned that there was no passenger ferry service between these two countries, and even more detrimental to my plans, nothing between mainland Australia and Indonesia or other points in Southeast Asia. I would be relying on sheer chance once I arrived in Oz, hoping that another cargo ship would be departing for Jakarta or Singapore. Those routes are less frequent than trans-Pacific shipping lanes, and never scheduled more than a couple weeks in advance. This could mean anything from a two week to three month wait to board the next vessel, all of which would be traveling from Sydney or Melbourne, also my point of entry.

For a project about movement, I decided that traveling through Australia and returning to my point of origin rather than to the north of the island or another place to catch a boat would be possibly too time consuming, and altogether counter-productive to my idea. There will be many unknowns and detours along the way I am sure, but I do not have the budget to stay a possible three months in a relatively expensive country in what would amount to a stall in my movement.

I AM NOT A LEPER

The first visa I will need, and possibly the most bureaucratic of any embassy's requirements prior to my trip is without a doubt China.

I have never been to China yet, but when I visited Taiwan they only asked me a question or two upon arrival and seemed to be glad to let me come. China has some different things on their mind apparently:

My favorite question had to do with what sort of trouble I could be bringing with me. I wonder what type of person in their right mind would answer yes to this question. Thankfully, I am not a leper.