I feel horrible that I’ve been keeping such a huge secret from all of you loyal readers for so long.
There’s a reason why I didn’t write much about Kyrgyzstan a year ago—I was in a pretty bad car accident somewhere between the Chinese border and the tiny town of Sary Tash. A year later I am still missing ten hours and can’t tell you exactly what happened. I woke up the next morning in a Chinese truck with no memory of the accident. In fact, the only reason I knew I was in an accident (besides the inability to turn my neck) was because I had apparently had the foresight to take a picture of it before I blacked out.
Originally I had only promised my sister not to tell my mom until I got out of Central Asia, but then she thought it was a good idea to wait until I was out of the mountains entirely. Finally she told me just to wait until I got home. Now that she knows about the accident I can finally tell the story to all of you. The posts about the accident are back-dated but can be found here in Part 1 and Part 2. Now you can imagine how hard it was for me to travel back over that pass to get back into China, not to mention all of the other mountain passes I crossed in Tajikistan, Tibet and Nepal.
In less shocking news, the souvenir page and sketchbook are updated. I haven’t worked much on the maps but have my worldwide map finished, and created a lifetime travel route map just for fun. As you can see below, there really is a lot of the world I haven’t seen.
10 responses to “Kyrgyz Confession”
Megan,
I was curious what you used for the art – particularly the painted entries in your notebook – during your trip? I’d imagine you’d need a book, pen and paint combo that was light, quick-drying and non inclined to spill on your pack, but I can’t figure out exactly what you used.
Also, the maps – Illustrator?
Finally, I’ve got 10 or so months until I take off on my own big trip, but I’m trying to do it without a laptop. Did you check out any of the new Ultra Mobile PCs? They’ve got some good ones for 800 bucks or so that can run graphic design suites/Picasa/writing software (and GPS for that matter) which seem worth taking a look at, but I haven’t heard from anyone who’s tried them on the road.
And, man, there is no doubt that getting in a vehicle is the scariest thing to do when overseas!
I carried a small watercolor kit, colored pencils (watercolor pencils in Phase I), a small blade for cutting paper and various pens and pencils. The watercolors weren’t especially fast drying, but it worked out okay.
Yes, the maps were created in Illustrator.
I’m a Mac user, have been for about 13 years now. But I did see a lot of Japanese travelers with enviable tiny laptops. I would seriously look at if it could run Adobe Create Suite though—that’s a monster. You’ll want DVD writing ability too.
Hey Megan, Any plans on making a journey throughout all of South America?
Pura Vida,
Claudia Cavazos
How did you do your trip through central asia? I’m considering going that route but I haven’t read much on how to go about doing it.
Claudia,
I would definitely lie to travel around South America. I always figured I would take a refresher immersion Spanish course somewhere in Central America—maybe Guatemala—and then travel around with my older sister, who speaks much better Spanish than I do.
I hiked the Inca Trail in Peru back in 2000, I think, and really enjoyed my three weeks there. I just finished helping my cousin plan a trip to Uruguay, Argentina, Bolivia and Peru so I’ve been thinking about it lately. There’s no hope of getting in before Bolivia starts it’s $135 visa policy this December though!
Gary,
I’m not sure what you mean by “how did I do my trip through Central Asia.” Are you asking about visas, transport, route or simply planning?
Central Asia does require some planning unless you have the time to spend a few weeks waiting around for permits or visas. Do your research before you go an if you have specific questions send them my way. I traveled by myself most of the time and didn’t take any tours so I’m not quite sure how to give you an easy answer to your question.
You are an amazing young woman!
Hi Megan,
Glad to hear that your accident was not too serious!!
Hi Megan,
Will your cousin (who’s traveling to South America) write a blog? If so, I’ll be interested in reading it to get helpful info. I too am planning a trip down to South America but won’t be leaving until summer 2008. How long is your cousin going for? Wow, 135 bucks for a Bolivian visa, yikes!
Pura Vida,
Claudia Cavazos
C,
My cousin in traveling for 6 weeks and isn’t the type to blog. He won’t be staying in any hovels either and will be flying most of the time. He’s taking Spanish lessons in Uruguay and plans on trips to Argentina, Bolivia and Peru. He was thinking of a weekend trip to Brazil, but the $100 visa and all the paperwork might not be worth it. I can pass along any questions you have when he gets back in November.