Travelling

World Adventurer (June 20, 2003 Chautauqua)

  "Well, I'm

ramblin', ramblin' around, I'm a

ramblin guy."

- Steve Martin

   In my last installment, I said something about examining marriage in Korea more closely. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to do that this time. I've been travelling around the world, and I'm going to tell you a little bit about those adventures before I return to Korea.

   When I first went there, I had the idea that the return trip could be just as much of an adventure as teaching small children, and perhaps a little less frightening.

   It seemed like the logical thing to do would be to continue the journey westward, and so end up by literally going around the world before arriving home.

   Possible stopovers on the way were considered. A southerly route would take a person by such locations as Hong Kong, Vietnam, India, and the Holy Land. Africa offers countless realms of adventure.

   But during the past year, that route's dangers have grown. Israel's war with the Palestinians, India's differences with Pakistan (complete with the possibility of nuclear exchange), and finally Bush's war on Saddam have made a trip through this area an iffy proposition.

   So I thought if not south, why not north? And what is north of Korea?

   Russia! And how do you travel across Russia? Why, the Trans-Siberian Express, of course!

   I cannot remember where or when I first heard of this route. I think it was just one of those things I came across and decided to keep in my subconscious as a "possible." Now that I have become such a "Ramblin' Guy," these "possibles" are now becoming realities.

   Of course, the easiest thing would be to just book a flight travelling west, and so complete my 'round the world’ jaunt easily. But I have never believed that travel should be so "easy." One should take the time to stop and see the sights along the way, and not just learn something new, but enjoy what other people and cultures have to offer.

   I had no idea when I set out to organize this trip just how far from "easy" I was going to get.

   From Calgary, my usual base of operations, I have been as far east as China, and as far west as England. To complete my circumnavigation of the globe, all I had to do was get to London. The trip from there could be a flight, but getting there should be done on the ground, I thought.

   The eastern terminus of the Trans-Siberian is Vladivostok. From South Korea, there is no overland route. Korea is on a peninsula, with water on three sides, and a hostile regime on the fourth. There have been some on-again off-again moves towards reconciliation, including plans to build a rail link, but the atmosphere after the North's disclosure of its nuclear program has been chilly, to say the least.

   If I couldn't get there by land, water would be the next logical choice. The "Titanic" has always fascinated me, and taking a long sea voyage (without the iceberg encounter) has a certain romantic appeal.

   So, from Korea, I would take the ferry to Russia, and then travel by train across that country to Moscow. And then? I have friends in Poland, and they kindly offered to act as hosts. I would get to them also by rail, and then continue on to London in similar fashion. Simple, no?

Yikes!

    To Be Continued...