I got my new passport in the mail today. It’s beautiful, clean, contains 48 pages (instead of the usual 24) and doesn’t expire until 2016! I actually still have the shirt I wore in my 1997 passport photo, which should tell me it’s time to clean out my closet. My Chinese visa will have to…
There I was, all ready to buy my one-way ticket to Mongolia. I called earlier in the week to check on prices and put the ticket on hold. When I called back a few days later I spoke to a bit more knowledgeable agent than I had before and he revealed the wrench in my…
I just checked my bank account and the $67 check I wrote to The U.S. Department of State has been cashed! This means that my beloved passport has not been lost in the mail and I am on my way to getting a new one (hopefully sans the microchip that’s being introduced this year). Other…
Preparations for Phase 2 have been coming along. I still haven’t confirmed my route for the first few months but I have ruled out a lot. Surprisingly, airfare to Beijing is cheapest directly from the airlines’ websites. Beijing, rather than Seoul, appears to be the cheapest place to fly into to get to Mongolia. I…
Although my family is usually very supportive of my travels they have gotten more concerned as I get more adventurous. My brother warned me to take a gun to China and told me he would never speak to me again if I went to Lebanon. I never planned on going to Lebanon but I understand…
I’ve been doing a bit of research on Central Asia and have come up with a few more detailed route possibilities. I would like to leave Russia and Kazakhstan out of the picture only because I am less interested in them than other countries, like Uzbekistan, and traveling, visas and lodging would be expensive. I…
I have been considering all of your comments, as well as another traveler who suggested that I might not want to go back to Myanmar–that it’s such a special place the first time I might not enjoy it as much on second glance. And seeing another country (Mongolia) might be nice. It would be easiest…
It’s time to start seriously considering my phase 2 route. As most of you know I initially wanted to travel Japan> China> Vietnam> Cambodia> Laos> Thailand> Tibet> India> Jordan> Egypt> Tanzania> Madagascar> South Africa> Chicago. I got as far West as Myanmar (a country I wanted to go to but hadn’t mentioned to my parents…
My parents had a small going away dinner for me with my closest relatives. It was good to see them before I leave—all of my cousin?s kids will be so grown up when I get back. Tomorrow is my last day to get things together and pack. I feel like there?s so much to do…
After 5 business days of waiting I was given my Chinese visa. I’m glad I was given 60 days instead of the typical 30, it even cost the same amount—$50. The pick up process was a lot smoother than last week and only took a few minutes. Now I have to figure out where I’m…
I wasn?t sure what to expect when applying for my visa at the Chinese consulate in Chicago yesterday. I had imagined a large room with busy workers at large wood desks straight out of a 1940?s noir movie. If not that, I at least expected to sit down and talk with someone about where I…
I just finished up a conversational Chinese class at my local junior college. The decision between French and Chinese was hard to make but I decided that China would be more difficult to travel in without knowing the language than certain the parts of Africa that favor French. The course was 8 weeks long and…
With the end of July quickly approaching I have started nailing down travel plans and preparing for my trip. I received my airline tickets from Chicago to Tokyo (with a layover in L.A.) and Tokyo to Beijing. That will be one very long day, the trip from L.A. to Tokyo is over 11 hours. I…
I am looking for a camera that takes good pictures at 5 megapixels, has manual controls and is relatively compact. The smallest cameras out there right now are almost too small. I have seen increased camera shake and poorer quality results as cameras get smaller. I do want a small camera, but most digitals are…
I finally got the courage to call a few travel agencies for prices for Chicago> Tokyo> Beijing Chicago> Tokyo … Osaka> Beijing. So far, the lowest price I’ve been quoted is $850 ( for the first route) but I would have to get a train back to Tokyo (from Kyoto) which would add to the…
I have been trying out cameras lately. I decided that the smallest one I was looking at (Canon s500) is too small and has stupid buttons. If my tiny hands can’t navigate them then who’s can? I hadn’t seen the Sony DSC-V1 yet and I really like it. I can’t find a store that has…
I made a call to a travel clinic to get prices for shots and an evaluation. The norm appears to be $35 for the consultation. I’m going to get price lists from a few places but I will probably have to get a Mumps/Meales/Rubella shot and a Meningitis update. I know they’re going to push…
I’ve been researching for my RTW trip almost every day for a few years. I haven’t been actively searching for certain facts but I’ve been absorbing information from various sources. Recently I’ve been investigating backpacks. I have a backpack, it’s been thrown on buses, taxis, airplanes, wagons, trains – and most of all my back…
I did a little search for RTW airfares. I had decided that I was going to buy all of my tickets along the way so I wouldn’t have to stick to a route (commitment-phobic much?) but a few things made me rethink this. I’ve been reading a book written by a guy who does RTW…
I made a little spread sheet of the places I want to go and the best times to go there. I also planned out 3 possible routes to take. If anyone’s interested I’ll post an image here, but beware, it’s large. Weather/Routes Spreadsheet