Giulia Goes Places
"A ship in harbor is safe -
but that is not what ships are built for."
John A. Shedd, 1928
Round of the world 2022
It was 2014 when I started playing with the idea of a round-the-world trip without planes. I don't remember how this idea came about. I was finishing my PhD, so I was probably looking for another life project - and probably one that was more about life than work. The winter before, in 2013-2014, I had been to Antarctica for the first time, fulfilling a dream I had had since I was a teenager. Perhaps I was looking for another dream, albeit a much smaller one than that of Antarctica. Or perhaps it is simply my nature: to test the limits of what I can and can be done. Over the last few years, the round-the-world project has morphed, at times I have seen it recede so far that I thought it would never be realised. But I remember saying one thing at the time: 'if I said I´m going to do it, that means I´m going to do it'. And here I am!!!
A year and a half ago, after returning from the last Arctic expedition, the idea of a round-the-world trip started to become more and more of a project. At that time I also met Peter who had a project very similar to mine, so we decided to join forces. Having fixed the starting day (first of July) and the length (about a year), all that was left to do was to decide on the route and the first stops. I had known for years how this tour would start: train Bremen-Berlin-Moscow and then the Trans-Siberian Railway to Beijing with a stop of about two weeks in Mongolia. Too bad the world decided to turn upside down just a few months before departure, leading us to develop a plan B, then C, then D ... and in the end here we are: running all the way to Istanbul!
Part 1: Bremen to (almost) Bali
In April it was clear that going through Russia was off the table, so we started thinking about a southern route. The first idea was to go through Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and India, basically the hippie trail. However, we were a bit concerned about the Iran-Pakistan crossing. Even bigger as a problem was Peter's nationality: as UK citizen he cannot travel through Iran. We then started to develop plan C: the stans. The idea was to cross into Georgia and Azerbaijan after Turkey, then cross the Caspian sea with the ferry to Kazakhstan and then travel through Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan: The Silk road. Unfortunately, the COVID pandemic is not over yet, and China was (is!) still closed. This would have made the overlanding not possible, a disappointment that we were ready to accept. However, in the mean time Peter started the bureaucratic work to get his Thai passport, with that he could have had a chance to receive a VISA for Iran. We also started following travelers who crossed into Pakistan from Iran and we felt more relaxed about crossing Balokistan. The Thai passport of Peter arrived at the beginning of June and this, together with instabilities between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan and China being still closed, made us decide for the Iran-Pakistan route. This was settled. The other part of the plan that settled was to meet my sister in Istanbul to travel through Turkey together. Because of her work, we decided that the meeting day had to be July 8th, which meant only one week to go from Bremen to Istanbul!
Chapter 1
Running to Istanbul
Train overnight Bremen-Salzburg with stop in Münich. After half day in Salzburg: train Salzburg-Split overnight with stop in Zagreb for few hours. Split is our first real stop, finally we sleep in a bed! Day after: catamarn Split-Dubrovnik, visit the city (the 39°C under shadow almost killed us), then bus Dubrovnik-Budva. Night in Budva. Then bus Budva-Bar and overnight train Bar-Belgrad. Half day in Belgrad spent sitting on a bench relaxing. Then bus Belgrad-Sofia and night in Sofia. The day after visit of Sofia and then overnight train Sofia-Istanbul (what remains of the orient express). We did it, we met my sister in Istanbul!!!
Chapter 2
(still) Running through Turkey
Only 10 days and the dream to visit as much as possible in Turkey!! After 3 days in Istanbul we took a overnight bus Istanbul-Denizli. Then by car (rented) to Selcuk with stop in Pamukkale. Two nights here visiting the surrounding (the astonishing Ephesus and Alacati). Overnight bus Denizli-Cappadocia and few days in Cappadocia. After Cappadocia, on Monday 18th, we have to say goodbye to my sister. But the Turkish experience is not over for us ... Bus Cappadocia-Ankara (3 hours during the day) to pick up the Iranian VISA and four nights in Ankara (we actually planned only one, but we needed more time to rest and prepare the next steps). We wanted to go to Van, last city in Turkey before crossing the border to Iran, by train. This train is part of the trans-Asian express that connects Istanbul to Tehran. Unfortunately, the inflation of the last period in Turkey led to a massive increase in the bus prices (which tend to remain in line with Europe) comparatively to the prices of the trains, which remaine extremely cheap. The result has been that nowadays Turkish people prefer to take the train instead of the bus, and we found out that all the trains to Van for the following 3 weeks were fully booked. We were left with no choice apart from waiting or taking a 19 hours bus overnight from Ankara to Van!
Chapter 3
Iran by bus
Before Corona the train from Ankara would have gone all the way to Tehran, passing by Tabriz. Exactly what we needed. In Ankara, however, nobody was able to tell us whether this train was still running between Van and Iran, we had to ask directly in Van. Arrived in Van we went to the train station: desert. The guard told us that since corona there are no trains anymore to go to Tabriz, so we have to get a bus. Thus our journey continues with buses: 8 hours bus from Van to Tabriz. After 3 nights in Tabriz we take a overnight bus to Tehran. After Tehran we move always with buses to the next stops: Kashan, Esfahan, Shiraz, overnight to Bandar Abbas (where we then take the ferry to Hormuz), Kerman, overnight to Zahedan. Buses in Iran are quite comfortable, with very spacious and reclineable seats. This is the last place in Iran that we can reach by bus, the border crossong with Pakistan has to happen with taxi and Police escort.
Chapter 4
Pakistani wanderings
We drove to the Iran-Pakistan border with Hamid, also known as 'The king of the border'. We got Hamid's contact details from other travellers and he is, in fact, the king of the border, at least on the Iranian side: he printed out our Pakistani visas, picked us up directly at our hotel and drove us to the border, helping us through all the various checks. Thank you Hamid! Once we entered Pakistan, we found ourselves in the hands of the Levies (the guards of Balochistan). Generally, the escort from Taftan to Quetta leaves in the morning between 7 and 8. As the border does not open until 7 a.m., and the procedures once you enter Pakistan take ages, there is no chance of leaving Taftan on the same day you cross the border. A night spent at the border police station is therefore the norm. Other delays can be caused by the number of people: for only one or two tourists the escorts do not leave, otherwise it would be too expensive, so in this case they wait for more tourists to 'accumulate' before leaving. This was the case with Fanny and Mehdi who crossed the border the day before us, but then left with us because for only two people the Levies do not move. The day after we crossed the border we left (by that time we were 6 tourists). The journey from Taftan to Quetta takes a day or two at most (with a stop in Dalbaldin), but for us it took a full week because of the floods (more on this in my post 'Today here, tomorrow inshalla!'). Once in Quetta, the guards take tourists directly to the Bloomstar hotel (a place particularly notorious for skinning tourists, as they have no choice). This is because the arrival in Quetta is often after the closing time of the NOC office, so one has to spend a night in town. The next morning the local police (who at this point are no longer the Levies) come to pick up the tourists and take them to the NOC office. In our case, still because of the floods (and also the fact that the office is closed on Saturday and Sunday) it was actually five days later! Once the NOC was issued, the police escorted us to the bus station (or train station if necessary) and waited for us to board. In our case (I don't know if it is the same in the case of trains), the police escort followed the bus to the Balochistan border, from that point on we were 'free'. This was a full 11 days after our entry into Pakistan!!! From Quetta we took the bus to Lahore. It was a journey of no less than 37 hours during which we faced: 1) an engine failure (with subsequent repair stop), 2) a flat tire (with a sudden change!), 3) no less than 10 hours of queuing at the Monroe Pass during which the bus moved slower than a person on foot, 4) a burst tire in the middle of the night (the second night), 5) subsequent change of bus stopped on the way. After all this and a good 37 hours of travelling with rather bizarre companions (one passenger was carrying a bird, he was holding it in his hands) and total anarchy (smoking outside the bus, but also inside; the bus is full, but there are more people .... and so on) we finally arrived in .... Islamabad!!! The 'surprise ending' series. Here we rested for a few days after the vicissitudes of the previous two weeks. Reluctantly we decided to skip Karakoram and go directly to India. We then took a bus (fortunately only 4 hours this time) to Lahore where I spent 3 days locked in a hotel room stricken by the 'Delhi belly' (after all, it had to happen sooner or later). Once I recovered we went to the border, the famous 'Waga border', by tuk tuk (it takes about an hour). After crossing the border we witnessed the famous Waga border closing ceremony, where Pakistani and Indian guards challenge each other in a leg-raising and chest-thumping contest in memory of the rivalry that still exists between these two nations. Once the ceremony was over, we travelled to Amritsar by taxi, and here the 'India' adventure began.
Chapter 5
India from top to bottom
During the first part of our trip to India we travelled mainly by bus, as the railway network only runs south of Rishikesh and initially we travelled in the Himalayas. For both trains and buses, India offers endless variety. The first bus we took from Amritsar to Dharamsala was a public bus (RTC - Road Transportation Company. They then add the first letter of the state at the beginning. For example, in Kerala they are called KRTC). This means no air-conditioning, but lots of open windows (and even the doors sometimes), non-existent damping, generally dubious maintenance, very cheap. The second bus from Dharamsala to Manali, on the other hand, was from a private company, hence much more expensive, with air conditioning, reclining seats and reserved seats. Definitely better for an overnight trip. I used the same type of bus to go from Manali to Rishikesh and then from Rishikesh to Jaipur (all overnight). They also offer very good customer service: messages and/or phone calls in case of delays, refunds in case of cancellations ... Even in Rishikesh they waited for me because I was late!!! It doesn't end there: there are 'sleeper buses', i.e. buses specifically for night travel. With or without air-conditioning, sleeper buses have single or double berths, on two floors, specially made for sleeping. They are long-distance buses, we used it from Udaipur to Mumbai (about 16 hours). Honestly, much more comfortable than sleeping curled up on a seat! But it is good to bring a sheet/blanket to lay on the mattresses, we travel with our own sleeping sacks and so far we have certainly made good use of them. Then come the trains, and here the possibilities are so many that it makes your head spin! In Europe we are used to the separation of first and second class, in India in general we find first, second and third class (1A, 2A, 3A), then there is the third E (3E) of which I still don't quite understand the difference with 3A. These are air-conditioned classes with reserved seats, in second class there are also curtains separating the different areas as if they were small compartments, while in first class there are real compartments for four people. In these classes they also provide sheets, pillows and blankets. From Mumbai to Kerala we travelled in 3E (without curtains) and had a great time. You have to have a bit of community spirit let's say, but that's part of the game!!! Then there is the sleeper class. Similar to 3E but without air-conditioning, without sheets-blankets-cushions and (apparently) even if you have a reserved seat in cases of overcrowding people don't care (we didn't experience anything like that, but we never slept in sleeper). Finally, there is the 'unreserved' class. This is a double-edged sword of Indian trains. On the one hand it's great because it means you can always buy a ticket to get from A to B, and it's cheap too! With an unreserved ticket you have two options, either you sit in the designated carriage (there are two, one at each end of the train) hoping to find a seat, or you immediately go to the conductor who can assign you a free seat (only if there is one of course). This means that if you really need to travel, you can always take a train, but it also means that at times when everyone is on the move (e.g. around the Diwali festival, as we did) there are unthinkable scenes: long queues of people held at bay by the police and ready to jump on the train to get a seat, people jumping on the train before it even stops at the station so as to arrive first, even (we witnessed this ourselves) people jumping on the train through the window while the train is still moving. The doors of second-class carriages are locked with padlocks so that no 'unauthorised' people can board. We have seen people squeezing against each other, with luggage balanced on their heads, in order to get on trains. Trains that departed with people clinging outside the door (the doors don't lock of course ... ). In short, a delirium! We experienced the 'unreserved' class to go from Goa to Mumbai, overnight. Although there was no delirium of people clinging outside the doors, it was definitely not a journey I would recommend. Crammed against each other every personal limit disappears and finding one's neighbour's foot against a cheek is the norm. Sleeping is impossible, or rather you only fall asleep when you are so tired that you close your eyes even in unthinkable positions. I overlook the smells that were reaching us in gusts. Definitely an interesting experience, but for an overnight trip I recommend third class and up! Summary: Amristar → Dharamsala: RTC bus Dharamsala → Manali: private AC bus Manali → Spiti valley (round trip): RTC bus Manali → Rishikesh: private AC bus Rishikesh → Jaipur: private sleeper AC bus Jaipur → Pushkar: RTC bus Pushkar → Udaipur: RTC bus Udaipur → Mumbai: private sleeper non AC bus Mumbai → Kerala: overnight train Kerala → Kanyakumari: train Kanyakumari → Goa: overnight train Goa → Mumbai: overnight train Mumbai → Varanasi: overnight (2 nights) train Varanasi → Calcutta: day train (bus also available)
Chapter 6
South East Asia loop
From Bangkok we reach the border with Laos by train, it is about 8 hours to the border station. From the station, a tuk tuk takes us to the border and, once the usual visa paperwork is done, we take a taxi to the hostel in Viantiene (about half an hour). Viantiene --> Vang Vieng via minibus (about 2 hours) Vang Vieng --> Luang Prabang: train. This is a new railway line that goes all the way to China. It only takes an hour and is quite expensive, but the alternative is 6 hours by minibus. It is not allowed to carry knives on board, so they confiscate my pocket knife engraved with 'Polarstern'. Luckily, but mostly thanks to friends and very kind people, I managed to get it back (special thanks to Somphet)! Luang Prabang --> Hanoi: night bus. It's a long journey of almost 24 hours. However, the night buses in Vietnam are very comfortable for sleeping, in fact they have almost fully reclining seats, so we are disposed like cards in a game of solitaire: feet tucked under the back of the passenger in front. They also provide blankets and pillows so the journey is surprisingly restful. But they love the air conditioning and the coloured lights, it feels like being on a cold spaceship! From Hanoi, we travel to Halong bay by minibus (about 2 hours) and then to Cat Ba island by ferry (an hour's journey through the wonders of Halong Bay). The hostel in Halong bay then helps us book the next trip. Cat Ba --> Hoi An: minibus + ferry (the minibus boards so we don't have to change) + 2 buses, one of which is a night bus to Huè and then another short bus to Hoi An. In total it's maybe 16 hours, but the trip is well organised so we just have to follow instructions (get off here, get on there ...) and we manage to get a good night's rest. Hoi An --> Kontum: night bus Kontum --> Dalat: night bus Dalat --> Can Tho: night bus Can Tho --> Ha Tien: local bus, it's about 4-5 hours in the afternoon Ha Tien is very close to the Cambodian border, so it is also possible to get there by taxi. We asked the hotel who organised taxi transport for us and also gave us a ticket for the minibus to Kampot after the border. Once we crossed the border we simply waved our ticket and a local person told us to wait at the bar just after the border. During the two hours or so of waiting, more tourists piled up at the same bar. When we were enough people, the bus left. It is only a couple of hours from the border to Kampot. Kampot --> Koh Rong Sanloem: bus + ferry. We booked the bus ticket (about 3 hours) together with the round trip ferry ticket. The outward ferry journey is on the same day as the bus which arrives directly at the Sianoukville embarkation point, the return is open. We spent 4 dreamy nights on Koh Rong Sanloem, the first two on Saracen beach and then 2 at Sunset beach. Koh Rong Sanloem --> Chi Phat: ferry + shared taxi + moto-taxi. We took the ferry back to Sianoukville, at the port we asked the ferry company and they called a shared taxi for us. To get to Chi Phat you have to take a minibus or taxi to Koh Kong, the driver drops you off before the Botum Sakor village crossroads and from there you take a moto-taxi for about half an hour. This means you ask at the cafe at the crossroads and a willing person (two in our case of course) takes you by scooter to Chi Phat for the price of $5. The last bit consists of crossing the river on a motorised raft. The difficulty of the route is absolutely worth it!!! Chi Phat --> Koh Kong: First part is always by motor-taxi to the crossroads, then a shared taxi organised by the tourist office in Chi Phat awaited us. The taxi dropped us off at the beautiful 'Wild, Young and Free' beach bungalow. Koh Kong --> Bangkok: tuk tuk to the border (it's about 20 minutes). Across the border we take a bus to Trat (we buy the ticket just across the border). In Trat we change to Bangkok, it's about 5 hours. Bangkok --> Chiang Mai: night train for Peter (we separated for a few days) and night bus for me. In Chiang Mai we stop to spend Christmas and New Year's Eve with Peter's family and also to get some rest.
Chapter 7
Reaching Bali
After Chiang Mai we start our way south. Chiang Mai → Bangkok: overnight train Bangkok → Surat Thani: over night train Surat Thani → Khao Sok: mini bus (back and forth, we spend only 2 nights in Khao Sok) Khao Sok → Padang Besar (border with Malaysia): overnight train We croos the border on foot in the morning and then we catch another train all the way to Kuala Lumpur. We arrive here in the evning and spend the night. Kuala Lumpur → Malacca: bus (just few hours) Malacca → Dumai: ferry (2 hours) We cross into Indonesia!! Dumai → Medan: overnight bus Medan → Bukit Lawang: public bus - very bumpy 3 hours!! We stay few days in Bukit Lawang spending a night in the jungle searching for orangutans Bukit Lawang → Berastagi: public bus via Medan Berastagi → Lake Toba: three public buses and a ferry from Parapat to Tuktuk Lake Toba → Bukittinggi: 16 hours by bus overnight (so far the most horrible bus ride we had!!) Bukittingi → Padang: 3 hours by shared taxi Padang → Siberut (Mentawai Island) back and forth: fast ferry Padang → Jakarta: 35 hours by bus (we booked SUTAN class to have more leg space and a cleaner, tidier and nicer bus for such a long trip) Jakarta → Yogyakarta: train, 8 hours during the day Yogyakarta → Banjuwangi: 11 hours by train overnight Banjuwangi → Bali: there is a ferry going back and forth day and night. The ferry arrives in Gilimanuk, from the ferry port it is a 2 min walk to the bus terminal. Gilimanuk →Singaraja: 2 hours by local bus. To the reach our little resort on the beach in Bundalem, where we plan to rest a bit and plan the next big part of the trip, we basically ask a local that we meet at the bus station to drive us. He has only a motorbike, but he calls a friend and the two bring us to the resort. Bundalem → Ubud: we are lucky and the owner of the resort has to go to Ubud so she drives us there Ubud → Denspasar Airport: we organize a taxi, it is only and half hour from Ubud center
Part 2: New Zealand
We landed in Wellington and moved all the way up to Auckland by bus. In New Zealand you can buy a ticket for the buses along the route Wellington-Auckland and you can use the ticket whenever you want (but only once) over a period of several months. So we could decided relatively spontaneously when to leave a place to reach the next one. Our route was quite standard (also because we were limited by the available bus routes): Wellington - Taupo - Rotorua - Tauranga - Auckland.
Part 3: South America
Chapter 1
Backpacking Patagonia
TBD
Chapter 2
Driving along the Ruta 40
TBD
Chapter 3
The Andean altiplano
TBD