Next Destination

Let me introduce you to my next destination.
It has been a while since I have thought that I wanted to cross Siberia with a train. Actually, when I was small my dad already told me once that one day I would learn so many languages that we could speak everyday a different language at home. Monday would be the french day, tuesday german, wendsay italian,thursday english,friday spanish,saturday japanese and sunday we could speak in our language, catalan. Well, just cuz i like languages, and because school just taught me some and some friends taugh me a others, this has becomed possible. Not like we ever trully do this, but I can at least speak a few languages, and soemtimes it just makes it easier if i feel like watching a french DVD, like today or going to see a foreign movie... no need to have everything translated into catalan. Yeah, i know these languages are mostly all latin languages, so if you learn one the other one is easier, but still... a language is a language. For me a language is a puzzle, i just love to bring those pieces together and to form sentences its actually fun! I hate those grammar classes, or those essay writings, but when u just go somewhere and u can speak it with the ppl, that feeling is just great. My problem, a BIG problem is that i feel extremly embarasssed to talk at the beggining... and that just stops the learning process. How to overcome it? Just keep in mind that speaking it you will learn further...

I also remember my dad saying that one day we would cross Siberia with train. I dont know if he remembers but i know he said it. I never really thought about it again, we lived in south america so i just took care of thinking of that region, then we moved to spain. Who in Spain thinks of those eastern countries, never crossed my mind. Then moved to Prague, went to russia three times, loved it and thought about siberia once again. But still with no exact plans for anything. Then moved to Holland and started earning little money, but started earning. Then is when things could get done, what i wanted could get done, what i like which is to travel could get done. And im not refering to paris,rome,madrid or milan. Those cities are great, ive seen them, got a bunch more of "famous cities" to see, (really want to see Porto,Naples,Stochkolm) and would love to go to paris,rome,madrid and milan again to discover new places, or to go check out the ones that i never got to go. But the places that i trully like to go are the ones in which you can get in contact with the locals and they have a complete radical different culture than yours. I like the adventure as well of having a backpack with you and waking up without knowing where you will end up. I like to walk in the street and see a few backpackers but know that afterall its my trip, its my way, its me who does it. I like the chaos in not knowing how the other system works. I like to sit in a resturant get a menu that I cant read due to language problems and chosse some food, and then see what they give u.... i just like this adventure. Ill admit i like security. I like to go somewhere where i know ill come back alive, I like to go somewhere where i know ill be fine, i like to travel with one more person. But i like the landscapes,photography and people, talking and knowing the culture. That is why if i have to chosse a trip for Rome+Paris+Madrid or Ulanbatoor. Im going to Ulanbatoor, there is no doubt. But if i can do both,trust me ill do both. I still would like to become a writer for Lonely Planet South East Asia, but that might have to wait a while ;-) Or why not Lonely Planet Worldwide, hahaha. Afterall you dont need to be a good writer in the sense of writing novels, so it smth that could actually work out.

Siberia had been in my mind for a long time. So had India. India came this summer. As my first trip,on my own far away for a month, and as a backpacker,I decided India was more of a known place. I have been to Russia and things there dont work the way they work in western europe (duhh.. you might think). But i just felt in russian lands things might not have ended up the way they should have. India felt more "tourist friendly"... i guess it just depends on the regions, but it was my first trip so i was going to touristy india anyways. But now im back, one is done. Next is Siberia.

Ill be honest, I dont know much about Siberia, not to say nothing. But i still want to cross it. My plan is to take the train Moscow-Beijin, which passes through Ulanbatoor, Mongolia. I have been to Moscow and to Beijin, so what intrests me the most is the middle. Id like to take the train and stop in certain little towns, id like to see the Baikal. I think it might be boring though, desolated small towns. I dont know how "often" trains pass, but i dont want to be stuck 3 days in certain cities. Id love to go on my own, but without speaking Russian I have my thoughts about crossing the Russian-Mongolian border on my own, as a 21 year old, and as a woman. Then comes the chinese border. I dont know, i have my doubts. I wish i could just speak russian. I could take my russian friends with me, but i dont know how much they would enjoy that. Even if i have my doubts i know it will get done, i know 2 people who did it and said it was real great (except the food suxed...but well.)

My dream is to cross siberia, i still dont have a date. I still dont know much about it. Ive scaned the trans-siberian lonley planet book a few times, but never read it in detail.Today i bought the national geografic from june 1998 (for 1 euro hurray!) about the trans-siberian. I know i will cross it, but i want to make it perfect. And for me making it perfect means going on my own, with a friend and with a translator that takes us to the places he knows and we tell him to go. I really dont feel like joining a group of 10 ppl and doing it with them. Specially not a group of 10 spanish ppl, or 10 french ppl. I want to go on my own, i feel i wount find that translator.But who knows, got to keep researching. Or convince one of my russian friends;-)

Well, sometime soon, ill be crossing siberia. Last time I crossed it it was in 1990, by air. All I remember is seeing burning oil from the sky. This time ill touch the ground.

Anybody wants to join?