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With excitement, I took out a map and started drawing my planned route. That's something I'd seen for hundreds of times before but never really watched it seriously. There are steep mountains, mysterious rain forests, reflective green coasts and magical seasons on it. Endless and lifeless polar plains, mother rivers that bred ancient civilizations running til nowadays, holy places that were washed by blood and tears again and again, stubborn nomads living on lonely and ruthless lands, and those billions of lives that are so much different and unpredictable. The world I'm living was just unfolded out and waiting for me exploring it.
Then there come those days when I'm dazing in front of a maximum zoomed-out Google map. There are so many things I want to see, and so many possible problems I might encounter as well. Just the visa problems would bother me for a long time; where I don't need a visa, where I could stay longer, where I have to get the visa in advance....I'm writing my E-mails, making phone calls and asking to someone reliable. As long as there's somewhere wrong, everything needs to be redone again from the beginning. I am very excited and tired during those days. Every day I'm burning my passion until I'm exhausted, and repeating again the next day. Sometimes I'm considering giving up during those forging and reforging process. How could I make a real round-the-world trip if I could not finish a map trip?
Gradually, my mind and thoughts are changed. Many uncertain things are considered as normal situation. I'm also getting more and more prepared for those without clues and information. Adding some supports of objective conditions, I finally complete my treasure map. Actually the final route is not much far from its prototype, which surprises me a bit. I guess that means I have roughly ideas about the international relationships between Taiwan and other countries, and how difficult it might be to enter some countries. That also means I am a very willful and stubborn person, who could stand for so much annoyance just because a simple desire of traveling. There's not really a "why" for visiting some places, just because I want to. And I just care about visas, not climate, languages, transportation and living cost. This preparing process reminds me the quote I made for myself in my thesis: being willful and messing up for 20 years. Now this quote is still suitable for me, after another 10 years had passed.
People ask me, how to prepare a years-long trip around the world. Looking back to those time when I was preparing for it, I would like to tell them:
(1) Something material is minor, what matters is something metaphysical. Make your mind strong enough and get well prepared. It's absolute usual for a foreigner to be cheated and be picked on. You would expose yourself to some kinds of danger, you might have no place to sleep, no stuffs for cooking, lose all your gears...etc. You need to clearly understand what you might pay for such a simple idea, what kind of results you might get at the end, and what you are going to face. Prepare for the best and plan for the worst, then enjoy everything on the way, no matter it's good or bad. As long as you have clear and enough awareness, visas, illness, transportation, cost, safety, climate and something like these would not be problems. If they don't allow me to cross the border, go around then. If I got stolen or robbed and lost all money, come back then. Those big nature disasters could happen in Taiwan as well. If I'm pointed by a gun, or suffering from horrible diseases....well, we'll see then. Try to imagine what might happen to you if you go to some countries, with your understanding of this world. As time goes by, someone with positive views would keep on going, someone else might stop somewhere and tell himself not to be stupid again. If you are still worried about visas and something material, pay attention to your mind and something inside. You might not really want to do this, or might not really understand what you could be at the end.
(2) Just take principles with you. There're so many different places, what you might encounter is absolutely beyond imagination. Make plans for eating, sleeping and shitting, you would know how to deal with others when they happen. As for where to visit, I do have some key places and main themes, but everything depends. I might decide to skip some places to stay longer in where I like.
(3) Time is a much stronger enemy, comparing to the geographical space. Almost everything could not be sure as the time phase gets longer. Some guys spent 20, 30 days completing a round-the-world trip, while other some guys spent 10, 20 years. A short trip would be easier, and you could have more control on things. But you would just be visiting scenery and spend more money(daily-based or country-based cost). A long trip is tough and more dangerous, but it would be cheaper(comparing to short trips for several times), you could leave or stay as you wish. Be well aware that you would miss many things and places if you make a short trip, and you might lose your parents if you make a long trip.
(4) Make sure what kind of journey you really want, then try hard to complete it. Even if you cannot complete at the end, you could still tell yourself: "I'd done how much I could, but still fail to make it. That's it. I won't have excuses and reasons to complain anymore". That would be great. Do you understand yourself? Do you really know what you want? How much can you insist for what you are chasing for? If you are not sure about what kinds of journey you really want, what kinds of jobs/relationships/life you really want, keep on asking yourself those questions, and keep on asking this world with courage. Those are life-long tasks and I still believe everyone would find his answers sooner or later. Traveling is a good way to do it.
Details would be in next few posts, and feel free to ask me anything.
That's the plan. I will start from China, Mongolia, Russia then going west to Scandinavia or Baltic to enter Europe, visiting some Schengen countries, Eastern Europe, Ireland and British islands. Then flying to Madagascar from UK, and traveling overland from Mozambique to Egypt, going east to Israel. The situation in middle-east is more complicated, depending on the safety issues, visas and how I feel about those places, I would make some plans then. India, Nepal and keeping on going east to Burma, Thailand, maybe Malaysia. Flying to northern Australia, traveling along the east coast til Sydney, Melbourne, and New Zealand south island to Auckland, then starting North America, from San Francisco to New York by Greyhound or train. Going south to Texas then entering Mexico and central America, mainly for Cuba. South America would be started from Peru and Chile, including Easter Island, then going east to Brazil.
It's just a plan for now. Everything depends on ...well, everything. I wish what I will see would be more shocking than I expected. I wish I could find something that I'd never imagine before. And I wish, the best, that I could complete this journey and come back safely, to tell you how beautiful this world is.
2009/12/31 Kaohsiung.
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