15,000 km by Train

I’m home, gathering visas for the most epic train journey ever taken (he boldly claims).  As always, my plans are fluid, but read on to hear about my intended journey from Edinburgh to Shanghai by rails.

[Unlike most of my posts, some of the photos in this article were not taken by me, because I ain’t been to these places yet.  Photos used were sourced from Pixabay and are license-free / no-attribution required.]

Step 1: Ireland. This has nothing to do with trains, and everything to do with the magical land of kilts and Guinness. I’ve never been to this idyllic little corner of the world, so I’ll be flying to Dublin and hopefully exploring some of the countryside by car, with the chance to do some North Atlantic sailing as well. My visa dates (for Russia) will be set in stone, so I don’t have tons of time, but I expect to spend a few days and nights wandering Ireland, absorbing the legendary power of the land that has quantifiably spawned more top-tier writers per capita than any other nation on Earth.

Step 2: Western Europe. I leave Ireland by plane, cuz it’s an island, and fly to Edinburgh. A night or two in that debauched old beauty, then I set out by train for the continent. London long ago left her mark on me (and my wallet) so this time around I don’t feel the need to spend time with her. I’ll take the Eurostar under the Channel to Brussels, because fuck Paris (sorry Paris – you were good to me that one time, and the experience was so iconic that I never want to return…). Brussels has no hold on me, and I hear it’s pricey, so I’ll quickly hop another train up to Amsterdam. A few days of pedals and pastries will be enough, then I’ll head east into Germany, aiming for Berlin. Total Western Europe rail distance: ~1,700 km.

Step 3: Central & Eastern Europe. Prague. I’ve always wanted to go to Prague, and I’ve never heard a bad thing about it. The history, the architecture, the beer, the scenery, the people. Castles, golems, gargoyles. What else could a dorky boy ask for? The only problem with this little jaunt is that it gets me closer to Budapest, and then if I’m close to Budapest I have to go to Budapest, for many of the same reasons listed above. And with a general aim of getting into Moscow via the Baltic states, sojourning so far south is going to put real pressure on my schedule. So there’s a lot of ‘if’ in this part of the trip. If I have time, I really want to see it. Let’s assume I don’t have time, and launch off from Prague, take a quick train ride through Poland up to the Baltic. I have a standing sailing invitation at Gdansk, and would love to get some sea time in there. From Gdansk my itinerary will depend on how tight my schedule is – if I have a few extra days, I’ll head north east through Lithuania into Latvia to visit Riga, which by all accounts is a beautiful and relatively untouched old capital. If I don’t have time for that, I’ll head due east through Belarus / Minsk, directly into Russia / Moscow. Central Europe train distance: 2,400 km, give or take depending on the Baltic trip.

Step 4: The Trans Siberian Express. This is the heart of the trip, a timeless, 7,600 km rail journey through the hinterlands of Russia and Siberia, up into the steppes of Mongolia, then south across the Gobi Desert and into China. I won’t lie, the only reason I’m taking this whole trip is because I love the word ‘steppes’ – that’s valid, right? This is a 6-night trip when taken directly (as I plan to), and is apparently fairly comfortable. Unlike my cross-Canada train trip, I’ll be splurging on a ticket that includes a bunk, and the accommodations on these trains is reputedly quite nice. The food, less so, but after this much time on the road I’m not very picky. I could have opted for a layover-style trip, getting off the train here and there to explore, but this time ’round I’m taking the direct route (the ticket for which does not include the option of getting off at any point for more than 15 minutes or so). I am particularly interested in seeing Lake Baikal, but I’m more curious to experience this by dog sled in winter – I’ll simply have to come back. By the time I roll into Beijing, I’m sure I’ll be restless, excited and slightly bored. Trains are cool and all, but still… 7,600 km.

Step 5: China. Disembarking in Beijing, it would be foolish of me not to spend some time poking around that recently-renovated capital. The city doesn’t exactly get glowing reviews from anyone other than tour-guide monument seekers, so I suspect I’ll soon hop back on board for the six hour, high-speed rail trip south to Shanghai. Shanghai does get glowing reviews, and has been compared to Hong Kong or Bangkok for its international cred. I almost took a short-term teaching position here, but I unfortunately couldn’t work out the contract term details with the university – at least now I’ll get a look at the city I might have called home for a few months. I have no real goals while exploring China, so at this point, with the pressure off and ample visa time available (presumably), I’ll just revert to my old pattern of going where the wind blows. I may stay in the country a few weeks, or I may depart on the last leg of my trip… Step 5 distance, excluding any random adventures, 1,300 km.

Step 6: Back to the Future… I mean Japan. Last year I spent three months exploring the northern half of Japan, which meant I missed out on some of the truly historic sites in Kyoto, Hiroshima, Osaka, etc.. That’s not why I’m returning, but it is a solid side reason. The real purpose of my return to Japan is to finish writing a book that I began while sailing across the Pacific in the summer of ’16. Details to follow, but the book was originally set in Toronto until, on arriving in Tokyo, I realized it had to be set in Tokyo. I need to spend some time getting a real feel for the city, so I plan to find long-term (a few months) accommodations and hunker down to write. I could take a plane from Shanghai to Tokyo, but that would run against the spirit of my travels, so instead I’m looking into a ferry that runs from Shanghai to Osaka. It’s a two-day sea voyage that wends its way through some of the southern Japanese islands, and is undoubtedly a gorgeous trip. Sea distance, 1,500 km, plus another 450 by rails to get from Osaka to Tokyo.

So that’s the general idea. This trip requires more planning and organization than I honestly enjoy, but I suppose sometimes you just gotta suck it up. I estimate about a month to get from Ireland to China, then another three months in Japan, after which I will be out of money and likely homesick… and it’ll almost be Christmas anyway. My schedule in Ontario right now is somewhat hectic as I’m forced to bounce between Toronto and Ottawa to get these visas, but before I leave I’ll get a write-up posted about my book, and why I think it’s worth traveling 15,000 km by boat and train to write.

As always, if you hear of me passing through your country, or a country you’re familiar with, please reach out with any tips or advice – I’m notoriously poor at doing much research before I go anywhere, for better or worse. But it’s a good life…