Background and Parameters
While a year sounds like a long time, the world is quite a large place. I am travelling with the goal of having experiences, not seeing sights. With those two things in mind, a year is really short. My background and travel philosophy have honed my goals and route for the trip.
1) Having fled a communist country at a very young age (in my parents arms, of course), I have a morbid fascination with former socialist and communist countries. The different trajectories of former Marxist countries is as varied as their peoples. Some become mafia rule, some become market fundamentalist, some become democracies and sadly some become sham democracies. So former and current second world countries are high on my list.
2) The second parameter is quite simple: “If I can legitimately visit the country during a two week trip, I will do it later.” I have plenty of vacations left in my working life. Because of infrastructure and the fact that it’s relaxing enough to be my only trip of a working year, a safari in Tanzania can be done during a two week mid-career trip. The Trans-Siberian Railway or Pyongyang cannot.
3) A main goal is related to my own work/life aspirations. I have found my true (work) love in real estate development and this slowdown has given me the opportunity to step back, strip away all of my day-to-day distractions (both work and pleasure) and hone in on my 30,000 ft. level goals.
I have a few questions I need to answer for myself. Where do I want to be in 10,20,30 years? What specific space within real estate development do I want to occupy? When/Do I want to start my own firm? How do I do well and do good at the same time? I believe that the wind in my sails derives from a near certainty in my career goals. But you can never be too sure that the thing you spend 10-15 hours a day doing is meaningful to you. The slowdown is giving me an opportunity to climb the lookout tower and either reconfirm my current heading or determine how to adjust the rudder.
Now back to the original question: Where am I going?
North America: The year will start with some R&R and spearfishing in Baja California.
Europe: Then head to Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Northern Poland, Ukraine (Chernobyl, too!), Sweden and then head to Russia and take the Trans-Siberian railway across St. Petersburg, Novgorod, Moscow, some gulags and then Lake Baikal.
Asia: Then off to Mongolia for two weeks in the Gobi Desert. Then Beijing, then Pyongyang (North Korea!), Lhasa, do an overland 4×4 trip over the Himalayas to Kathmandu, Mt. Everest Base Camp (trying to do it from both sides as I want to prime my own pump for a future ascent), India, Thailand (will probably be ready for a few weeks on the beach by that point), Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Bali, Dubai, Istanbul.
Africa: Then a month in Egypt. I’ll work my way across North Africa but depending on how the North Korea experience goes, I may skip Libya, which has a similar package tour-only requirement. Tunisia, being visa-free, will probably get my dollars. Then I’ll finish up the North African subcontinent with Morocco.
South America: From Morocco, I’ll head to Brazil for some windsurfing R&R, Amazonia, Argentina, Tierra del Fuego and then work my way up the west coast (Atacama, Macchu Picchu, etc.).
And that should wrap up a year. The route, clearly, is subject to change.
You suck!
I am green with envy. Congrats on the trip.
merry christmas from Texas.
keep it coming, great blog…lots of good insights.
i just found out about your blog from Zen_son (Eric_son of Joe)…hahaha.
Eric and Nikko said hi. they’re too lazy to get up from the comfy sofa. they are glued to the plasma-‘UP’ is showing.
-ciao
Incredible.
So, what is the extended route now?
I guess I should update that, eh?