Citytrip, Crossing Asia, Culture & heritage, Germany, Overland travel, Poland, Russia (Europe), Ukraine

How my journey ended

The funny thing about being back in Moscow six months after I got there the first time, is that it seemed so much closer to home this time around. It looked more familiar and less exotic than when I had been travelling outbound. It was soothing, because it meant that the difficult journey back was… Continue reading How my journey ended

China, Citytrip, Crossing Asia, Culture & heritage, Food & traditions, Kazakhstan, Overland travel, Russia (Europe), Travel planning

How my overland travel mission almost ended in Kazakhstan

When I had planned out the bigger outlines of my itinerary to Southeast Asia and back, I decided I would not come back exactly via the same route as on the outward journey. One reason was that I didn’t feel like doing the Transsiberian twice on the same trip; the other was the idea of… Continue reading How my overland travel mission almost ended in Kazakhstan

China, Citytrip, Crossing Asia, Culture & heritage, Food & traditions, Nature & adventure, Overland travel

How I travelled through alienating places in western China

I had given myself 11 days to make my way from Kunming in the south to the border with Kazakhstan in the northwest. Everything was planned out, as I had to in order to obtain the visa. My first stop in Yuanyang was already a bit off the beaten track as far as tourism in… Continue reading How I travelled through alienating places in western China

China, Crossing Asia, Culture & heritage, Food & traditions, Laos, Overland travel, Southeast Asia, Thailand

From Thailand to China: the unlikely overland route through Laos

On December 5, 2017, the time had come for me to start the journey back to Belgium. Departing from northern Thailand, my mission was to arrive back in Antwerp before New Year’s Eve. The easy part: from Thailand to Laos It was with teary eyes and a very heavy heart that I stepped into the… Continue reading From Thailand to China: the unlikely overland route through Laos

China, Crossing Asia, Nature & adventure, Overland travel, Southeast Asia, Thailand, Travel planning

Getting a Chinese visa in Bangkok

It was now mid-November and I was back in Bangkok, with the important task of obtaining a new visa for China. I would be starting to head back to Belgium in early December, and crossing China was going to be a crucial part of that journey, which would be impossible without a new visa. And… Continue reading Getting a Chinese visa in Bangkok