THE BACKGROUND
The question we are always being asked is WHY are we going, where we are going?? but we say why not?
We have travelled a lot in the past & have always loved it, & with the onset of widespread & cheaper travel many places have lost their charm. However we don't believe the charm has been lost from "The Stan's as most people, me included have either never heard of them or know where they are. It seems to be a part of the world that is never mentioned except in the movie "Borat" & most people have a fear or suspicion about this part of the world. Well we are on our way to check them all out & give our first hand opinion.
Svend started our adventure by saying that when Nathan had finished school we (or he) was 'off' and driving a car from Vladivostok to Europe. Although I don't mind an adventure I wasn't too convinced about the car thing!!. I thought it would be a huge liability & burden, not to mention the red tape of taking a car across borders etc etc. I did however agree to going on public transport, hence the trip was re thought & the route was changed to Shanghai to Europe more or less overland all the way, essentially the Old Silk Road or parts of it.
So Nathan left school & was quietly relocated to Denmark, Aden is bunkered down in The Royal Military College Duntroon, so neither of them need a home for quite some time. Svend quit his job, I told mine I wouldn't be available until November, we sold 3 of our 4 cars, rented out the top part of our house & moved into the lower part of it. Culled 27 years of belongings, booked a ticket to Shanghai (on Qantas by the way). Got some really fabulous advice & tips for the region we are going to from someone who has 'been there, done that' pulled out our back packs & leave 4th April.
Build up to our Silk road trip.
Nathan finishes his HSC & moves to Denmark for 1 year.
Svend resigns from work.
Our house is put up for rent.
Visa to China obtained.
Letter of Invitation obtained from Uzbekistan & Iran.
Tickets booked for Almaty in Kazakhstan to Tashkent in Uzbekistan.
Air tickets booked Sydney to shanghai April 4th 2014.
Helen gets her Iranian visa photos!
Go to Iranian Embassy in Canberra, Svend needs to get fingerprints, come back in 3 weeks we are too early!.
Kazakstan Letter of Invitation applied for.
Air tickets booked for Kashgar to Almaty In Kazakstan
Hotel booked in Almaty
Dinner at Persian Rooms in Pyrmont testing the food with Central Asian expert travellers Kevin & Natalie.
Our Xtrail car sells.
9th March have our first farewell with our Lovely Ladies & Gents group at Long Reef Golf club.
Helen buys some suitable clothes for travelling.
Checking out the 3 day train from Tehran to Istanbul The Trans Asian Express.
Checking out the 5 hour 1300km train Shanghai to Beijing
Letter of Invitation obtained for Kazakstan visa.
Hotel booked in Shanghai.
New camera lens ordered 18 to 250mm will replace 2 of our other lens & take 1kg off our weight.
Iranian visa received in post, cost 50% more as it was now deemed urgent.
House rented out & we move to our basement apartment.
Svend arrive home with an Iranian dress for me!!
Svend finishes work & has a grand fare well with his workmates.
Skype credit & a phone number bought.
Travel card bought & tested from post office.
A weekend of fare wells to friends with the Danish contingent & mothers group.
4 sleeps to go!!!! panic, will we be ready, excitement, can't wait.
Typhoid & cholera vaccinations taken care of.
Credit card hacked 2 weeks prior to trip, all direct debits etc had to be changed, lucky our utilities weren't cut off.
Exhaust on car went 3 days before we leave, lucky Aden we got it fixed as he takes the car from Saturday
The question we are always being asked is WHY are we going, where we are going?? but we say why not?
We have travelled a lot in the past & have always loved it, & with the onset of widespread & cheaper travel many places have lost their charm. However we don't believe the charm has been lost from "The Stan's as most people, me included have either never heard of them or know where they are. It seems to be a part of the world that is never mentioned except in the movie "Borat" & most people have a fear or suspicion about this part of the world. Well we are on our way to check them all out & give our first hand opinion.
Svend started our adventure by saying that when Nathan had finished school we (or he) was 'off' and driving a car from Vladivostok to Europe. Although I don't mind an adventure I wasn't too convinced about the car thing!!. I thought it would be a huge liability & burden, not to mention the red tape of taking a car across borders etc etc. I did however agree to going on public transport, hence the trip was re thought & the route was changed to Shanghai to Europe more or less overland all the way, essentially the Old Silk Road or parts of it.
So Nathan left school & was quietly relocated to Denmark, Aden is bunkered down in The Royal Military College Duntroon, so neither of them need a home for quite some time. Svend quit his job, I told mine I wouldn't be available until November, we sold 3 of our 4 cars, rented out the top part of our house & moved into the lower part of it. Culled 27 years of belongings, booked a ticket to Shanghai (on Qantas by the way). Got some really fabulous advice & tips for the region we are going to from someone who has 'been there, done that' pulled out our back packs & leave 4th April.
Build up to our Silk road trip.
Nathan finishes his HSC & moves to Denmark for 1 year.
Svend resigns from work.
Our house is put up for rent.
Visa to China obtained.
Letter of Invitation obtained from Uzbekistan & Iran.
Tickets booked for Almaty in Kazakhstan to Tashkent in Uzbekistan.
Air tickets booked Sydney to shanghai April 4th 2014.
Helen gets her Iranian visa photos!
Go to Iranian Embassy in Canberra, Svend needs to get fingerprints, come back in 3 weeks we are too early!.
Kazakstan Letter of Invitation applied for.
Air tickets booked for Kashgar to Almaty In Kazakstan
Hotel booked in Almaty
Dinner at Persian Rooms in Pyrmont testing the food with Central Asian expert travellers Kevin & Natalie.
Our Xtrail car sells.
9th March have our first farewell with our Lovely Ladies & Gents group at Long Reef Golf club.
Helen buys some suitable clothes for travelling.
Checking out the 3 day train from Tehran to Istanbul The Trans Asian Express.
Checking out the 5 hour 1300km train Shanghai to Beijing
Letter of Invitation obtained for Kazakstan visa.
Hotel booked in Shanghai.
New camera lens ordered 18 to 250mm will replace 2 of our other lens & take 1kg off our weight.
Iranian visa received in post, cost 50% more as it was now deemed urgent.
House rented out & we move to our basement apartment.
Svend arrive home with an Iranian dress for me!!
Svend finishes work & has a grand fare well with his workmates.
Skype credit & a phone number bought.
Travel card bought & tested from post office.
A weekend of fare wells to friends with the Danish contingent & mothers group.
4 sleeps to go!!!! panic, will we be ready, excitement, can't wait.
Typhoid & cholera vaccinations taken care of.
Credit card hacked 2 weeks prior to trip, all direct debits etc had to be changed, lucky our utilities weren't cut off.
Exhaust on car went 3 days before we leave, lucky Aden we got it fixed as he takes the car from Saturday