Part I - The Planning - Entering Mongolia (Travel Dream!)

The key is flexibility!

I've heard too many horror stories, and experienced a few too, so we really wanted to make the Chinese to Mongolia border crossing an enjoyable but painless one.  If I were to rate the desired experience on a scale, I'd put it "somewhere on the scale of nothing like Thailand to Vietnam" and "more adventurous than Vietnam to Cambodia" (which it seems we never wrote about).

Originally, we were to traverse the great Eurasian continent by train, from Beijing to Ulaanbataar to Irkutsk to Moscow and Saint Petersburg.  Timetables and our own deadlines dictated that we would have only spent 5 days in Ulaanbataaar, something with which we were always a little uncomfortable.  In a strange set of circumstances, what with the Russian visa development, [maybe] meeting Oliver in Helsinki, Christine in Dublin and having already purchased tickets to connect the two; AND the Great Chinese Firewall standing between us and a functioning PayPal account* (needed to buy Beijing-UB train tickets from CITS), we made the decision to spend the period of time between our Chinese visas expiring (late May) and our flight from Helsinki to Dublin (early July), in Mongolia.  The Russians [sort of] didn't want us, so this plan really was the only semi-logical one that had the bonus of allowing as much longer in Mongolia than originally planned.

While making our plans to get to Ulaanbataar, we realised that the "Trans-Mongolian" itself was a rather loose term that we could redefine to meet our own needs.  As it was a travel dream, we decided that as long as we actually saw some of Mongolia by train, we could still say we did the Trans-Mongolian, even if not from Beijing and even if not literally to cross the China/Mongolia border. 

Thanks to the amazing help of this wikitravel article and TripAdvisor contributors, we managed to get ourselves to Ulaanbataar from Beijing through a combination of public bus, metro, long-distance sleeper bus, dodgy hotel, jeep, train and a right-hand drive car (Mongolians have both left and right-hand drive, depending on whether they are Japanese or Russian cars!).

As far as booking trains through China, Mongolia and Russia goes, there is a lot of fear and a lot of misinformation (some of it intentional and some of it not).  The process is so different and so confusing that Lonely Planet even have a book dedicated to the Trans-Siberian Railway and how you navigate the fear and confusion.  We wanted to avoid some of the high prices charged by the likes of Real Russia and Vodka Train - although I am sure they do a great job of making it easier for you.  Besides the high prices, we never had a fixed address to have anything mailed to, which seemed a pre-requisite for these services. PLUS who doesn't love trying it the "independent" way?

Trains from Beijing to Ulaanbataar only leave once a week, on a Wednesday.  However, from Zamin-Uud, a tiny border town in Mongolia, they leave for Ulaanbataar daily, all we needed to do was get to the Mongolian border via long-distance bus. For inexplicable reasons, I don't think you can book the bus online or over the phone but with the help of TripAdvisor and the ever helpful "King Kong" and "Sharon" from 365 Inn (our Beijing hostel) we hatched a plan.  

The Plan

1. 27 May - Muxiyuan Long Distance Bus Station, Beijing, China

2. 27 May - overnight bus to Zamin-Uud, "Outer Mongolia" as the Chinese refer to the Mongolian People's Republic.  We were very desperate to ensure that we took a bus to Zamin-Uud and not to Erlian, the Chinese border town; our understanding was that border processing would be a lot easier if we could just stay on the bus (you cannot cross the Chinese/Mongolian border on foot).

3. 28 May - overnight train to Ulaanbataar train station.

4. 29 May - pickup from Sunpath Mongolia (one of THE GREATEST organisations we have come across on this trip).

For "The Execution" you will need to read Part II of this entry!  Stay tuned!

*In a horror story that is still not resolved, PayPal suspended access to both of our accounts due to "unusual activity", a situation we were not able to resolve even with 2 weeks in Japan (outside the Great Firewall) and meant that we were unable to pay for our train tickets from Beijing to Ulaanbataar online.  I highly recommend anyone planning to go on a trip like this, that you setup multiple PayPal accounts, just in case they arbitrarily decide to freeze your account.  Here is a link to a discussion about where this has had nasty consequences.

Say Ohm!

Having been burnt from an experience with a nasty dodgy taxi driver, I was more than content to spend a few days hanging out in the relative safety of Tim and Steph's District 2.  Hiding from the heat of the day in coffee shops, catching up on world news and some less than important things (like the ongoing Australian government leadership controversy).

But eventually there would come a time when this little traveller would actually need to see more of Ho Chi Minh City than the cool sanctuary of air-conditioned western coffee shops and smell aromas other than Italian coffee beans.

Traffic in Vietnam probably has more than its fair share of dedicated blog posts, so I'll leave it at the fact that there are 90 million people in Vietnam, and most of them get about my motorbike.  The streets are full, loud and dangerous for riders and pedestrians alike.  Of course, as most people get about by motorbike, it stands to reason that it is also one of the most cost-effective ways to get about.

Kat, having previously experienced both enjoyable and heart-stopping rides on the back of motorcycles in Vietnam on her 2008 trip, usually opted for the relatively safe taxi option for the half-hour journey to volunteering each day.  Safe, as long as you never opened your eyes or looked at where the taxi drivers' eyes were focused (usually on a mobile phone) - on this day, I rode with her, to see the orphanage, and explore the area.  For the first time since arrival, I finally put together my cheat sheet of Vietnamese words (1-10, please, thankyou, sorry) and was determined that to get home, this day would be the one in which I would take a xe om (pronounced "say ohm") and to be honest, a Buddhist mantra is probably desirable if not required for this activity.

Finding xe om drivers is usually not an issue of how, but more an issue of saying "yes".  Probably thousands of men spends their days dozing atop their parked motorbikes on street corners, always with a second helmet, waiting for a customer to approach.  Thousands more hound you at every turn, "motorbike?", "taxi?", "where you going?".  However, in the heat of the day (between 10 & 2) most people are already where they are going, so I caught my prospective driver napping.

Still nervous from the dodgy taxi incident, but determined to bring some local language into play, I made a cautious approach.  My prospect was one of two men in their late forties hanging out of the corner.  The first excitement lay in determining the actual destination.  Having prepared for this moment like a university exam, I was persistently trying to tell them that I wanted to go to "Dinh Độc Lập", but without the capability of forming complex Vietnamese sounds correctly, it came out as "din dock lap", which I think is probably wrong.  Mainly wrong, because we could only get universal agreement when I said "Reunification Palace".

With that issue sorted, next came the price.  As anything worthwhile, some healthy negotiation is both expected and necessary (don't hop on without agreement first).  This also hit a snag.  Capable only of counting to 6 from the top of my head (after all, it was only university exam-like preparation), negotiating amounts in the range of 50-70 000 dong became all to much for me to handle.  To the great mirth of my two prospects, many hand gestures and waves and we concluded on a price of 60 000VND.  They managed to work out which of them would drive me through some non-verbal queue I never witnessed, and as they helped me on with a helmet, they asked "American?, New Zealand?, Australia?"  Receiving a solid nod and a thumbs up at confirming my nationality and therefore passing some obscure test, we were off, as I tentatively pondered the clause on the insurance policy stating "under no circumstances are you covered in the event of a motorcycle accident".

From what I had read, your local xe om driver is a key to unlocking the city.  They know the back roads you would never go down yourself and that taxis can't fit in.  They know every street and alleyway in the city, and even if they don't, have the local language skills to work it out.  My driver "Nam" was an utter professional, living up to this standard, but at the same time, I was completely comfortable at all times.  Never did he pull in front of a truck or bus or weave in and out of traffic, and always accelerated at a reasonable speed.  The only issue was that because he was so short, each time we slowed down, I almost broke my nose.

Nam says "OK thankyou", as he drives away

And so my first time on a xe om took me to a fairly interesting visit at the Reunification Palace. (Though I would have to say I enjoyed my time with Nam more, and I can't say that for most of the xe oms I have taken since!) I learnt about the significance of another more important entrance through the same gates, done by a number of North Vietnamese tanks on April 30, 1975.  Back then, it was known as the Presidential Palace.

Incredible video footage of this historic moment was taken by an Australian Neil Davis (1975), who reportedly stayed in Saigon because he hadn't yet picked up a safari suit he was having made.

If internet comments are anything to go by, this moment continues to be a source of national pride and disappointment, a happy/sad moment, all depending on your political and historical point of view.  For an insight into some near-sighted American AND Vietnamese patriotism, read the comment sections (some as recent as 3 months ago) on youtube of any of the Neil Davis footage of this moment.

Tank 843's significant arrival

Please keep off the grass

Life as in-betweeners

The storm before the cyclone

With only 10 days until we leave on our adventure, I seem to switch by the moment from a sense of disbelief, excitement, anxiety and anticipation. On the 15th of December 2014 we moved from our unit in the northern suburbs of Melbourne to live with my mum and sister to the east of the city. It has been a busy time with us selling many of our possessions, moving and storing what was left, preparations for the big trip, a range of Christmas and New Year celebrations, a trip to Toowoomba, (Queensland) to spend time with Rob’s family and friends and a short beach "holiday before a holiday”. Tomorrow we drive back to Brisbane for our final Queensland visit and then fly to Melbourne for one final week that includes my brother and his fiancee's wedding. 

2014: selling and moving phase!

Rob and I have talked about our adventure many times over the past year to many different friends, families and even strangers. It has been very odd as it has gotten closer and our story has changed from a trip that is starting in 50 days, to one beginning in a month, to only a fortnight and now just 10 days. As it draws nearer to us doing what we have both dreamt of doing for a long time I have felt more and more disbelief that the day will arrive. It is amazing that we have the opportunity to journey to other parts of the world. We both feel very lucky that we are able to take on such an adventure and do it together. At the same time, our trip has been a long time in the making and part of me is raring to go whilst the other anxiously questions if we are actually ready. One moment I think we have done a good level of planning whilst leaving a great deal of flexibility still in place, another part panics when I realise we still only have our first night of accommodation in our first stop: Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, and only a vague idea about going to the beach and seeing some wildlife. That, however, is what good travel is made of. Vague dreams and opportunities for spontaneous adventures with people and places. Additionally, making the best of every opportunity is a good travel mantra, which really is no different from daily life. Money helps, and hopefully our saving efforts will serve us well.

Getting into travel mode at Tabletop
Mountain, Toowoomba

In-betweeners and goals

It has been a fantastic holiday period seeing our family and friends but it is also a very in-between state for us. I feel like we are already travelling in some regards then something reminds me we are still in very familiar territory. I have had a few moments where I have thought about whether this is what I/we “should” be doing right now, but have then remembered that I don’t believe there are “should’s” in life. A timely news article that I read yesterday provided advice to what people should be doing in their 30’s. (You know, the kind that appear around this time of year.) It was probably confirmation bias but everything I read affirmed my ideas about travel, this stage of life and what I want from life in general. The key messages I took out of it were:

Don’t be afraid of taking risks.

Society tells us by 30 we should have things “figured out” but this isn’t true; all adults are   winging it.

By chance, I got "The World" in 

a Christmas White Elephant!

You must continue to grow and develop yourself.

and something I vividly remember pondering whilst travelling in Italy:

The biggest regrets are most likely to be things you did not do rather than those you did, i.e. try everything.

These messages will inform the goals and dreams of 2015 for me as we set out on our big adventure. 

Volunteering hopes

I found out today about a potential volunteer opportunity in Ho Chi Minh. We are both keen to volunteer in Vietnam somewhere if we can be of use and despite our lack of Vietnamese. This good news made me even more excited about our time there. I am sure Rob will find something too, either before or when we land. We were keen not to end up in a more “voluntourism” type role that can sometimes mean an experience for the tourist and very little for the community, often at a hefty price tag. Not that I am against putting money into good causes, but sometimes it is hard to ensure it is getting to the people that need it nor do I wish to pay for a “feel-good experience” if that is all it is. It will be interesting to see if my opinions on this change over the trip. Perhaps I am over-cynical. At the moment these kinds of views are what has prompted us to find volunteering roles through our connections and/or when we arrive in the country. 

Destination One: Sabah, Borneo

We chose Sabah, Borneo as our first destination because we wanted somewhere new and interesting to relax for our first part of our trip. We didn't know that much about the Sabah, or the island of Borneo for that matter, but it seemed like a great place to start. So far, our research is telling us we were on the money!

Source: Visit Malaysia

Apparently ten square kilometres in Malaysia Borneo has more biodiversity than all of North America and Europe combined. I can't remember where I read it but it certainly got me excited. Our plans for Sabah (weather permitting) include a bit of beach-side relaxing, potentially trekking up Mount Kinabalu, visiting the local wildlife and learning about the history and culture. 

When dreams become a reality

Yesterday whilst waiting to be let into a cinema to see the Lego Movie I got a promotional email from Air Asia. A sale was on and we could potentially book our first flights at a significantly cheaper price.

All of a sudden "Everything (was) Awesome!" as I envisioned our travel dreams which suddenly seemed a whole lot closer to reality.

Source: Shoop Training and Consulting

By the time we went to bed that night we had booked flights to Kuala Lumpur for day one of our adventures:

January 13, 2015! 

Today we booked two more flights within Malaysia and one to Vietnam:

Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu
Sandakan to Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Kumpur to Ho Chi Minh

In a whirlwind of booking, our first few destinations were now confirmed! We planned to have under a fortnight in Sabah, Borneo, a few days in KL before heading on to Vietnam for a month or so. 

Our first destination: Sabah, Borneo
Source: Tropical Research and Conservation Centre

2 Australians, 20 dreams, 17 countries

A year or so traveling initially seems like a lifetime. A year! A year of global roaming could fit so many amazing adventures! We soon realised the more you think about it, the more you research, the more you break down the time, the shorter a year seems. 

so when you want to go everywhere 
in only one year, how do you determine 
how many places to see and where 
to travel?  

Source: Eventbrite

Each with ideas from previous travel, and a year or two of dreaming together, Rob and I decided to make a list of travel dreams.

Our travel dreams were not to be limited. At this stage, we could choose 

anywhere in the world 

where there was something to see, an experience to be had or a place that inexplicably called upon us.  We each picked 10 dreams and listed the country or general area were it could be achieved. Some of our dreams could be done in multiple locations or involved more than one country. Some dreams were about simply setting foot inside a country we knew next to nothing about. What was important, was that this would frame our year of travel. Additionally, these experiences were MUSTS, that once on the road we would endeavour not to alter too much. 

We also thought it might be a good strategy to prevent the frequent (and tempting) trap of trying to do and see too much within the time you have. 

There was one further assumption. For a long while we have discussed shaping our trip by travelling on the Trans-Mongolian train route. We basically excluded this from our lists so we could each choose more dreams! This is what we came up with:

Travel dreams mapped (click to enlarge)

ROB'S 10 TRAVEL DREAMS

1. Nepal to Tibet through Mustang, mountain biking tour/rental

2. Russia: Visit the Kremlin, Moscow

3. Nepal: Chitwan National Park

4. Spain: El Camino de Santiago (Way of St James) Pilgrimage route

5. Mongolia: The Silk Road on a pony

6. Tibet: Be a Buddhist in Lhasa

7. Japan: Visit a Ryokan

8. Germany: Houseboat or stay on the Rhein

9. Germany: Eat bavarian sausages and beer

10. X-Stan?: Visit a Stan country!

KAT'S 10 TRAVEL DREAMS

1. Vietnam: Volunteer somewhere for awhile

2. Sri Lanka: Safari (was originally Tanzania)

3. Norway: Build an igloo

4. Switzerland: Go on the Glacier Express

5. Croatia: Go sailing somewhere

6. Tuscany: Cycling trip (Possibly revised to somewhere else: the Netherlands?)

7. Vietnam: Trek in Sapa

8. Turkey: Cappadocia

9. Scotland: Roadtrip through a country side

10. Norway: Try to see the Northern Lights

Originally some of our dreams (cycling trips, Nepal times) overlapped so we chose new dreams to make a total of 20. After making the lists we rules out Africa and I chose to relocate my Tanzania safari dream to Sri Lanka!

We plan to use these dreams to further shape our route whilst keeping some flexibility. It is already a lot to fit into just one year but who knows where each dream will actually lead us.