|
|
|
There are two more trips planned besides the current one in progress. They have not been planned as of yet, and there are no specific dates set either, although I would like to do them in 2006 before going back to work fulltime. Trans-Siberian Railway Trip This would involve flying to Europe and starting off in Hungary where I have friends and family. I plan to take a train to Moscow, and from there take the Trans-Siberian Railway to Beijing. I would stop in a few places along the way, and definitely stop in Mongolia for a few days. It is one of those places that Western tourists rarely visit, and supposedly the ancestors of the Hungarians came from there. I never know, I may even find some long-lost relatives there. How to travel by Trans-Siberian Railway from London to China & Japan is the site that inspired me to consider making this trip.
Formally known as the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea), it is one of the last bastions of hard-line Communism existing today. In my opinion it is just a matter of time before the system collapses just like the iron curtain did a few decades ago in Eastern Europe. It is the curiosity of visiting the "Hermit Nation" that very few foreigners have seen that is intriguing to me. I would like to see a piece of history before it disappears. It would also shed some light to the many stories my father has told me about what it was like growing up in post-war Hungary under a communist regime. When I tell people about my plans to do this they think I am crazy and suicidal. I've done a bit of research and so far I am convinced that as long as a visitor does not say anything against the local government, then there is nothing to worry about. One has a better chance of getting shot and their money taking in any large city in the United States than in Pyongyang. Since Beijing is the most reliable gateway to the DPRK, I plan to terminate my Trans-Siberian trip there and apply for my Visas and purchase my plane or train tickets there. |
|
|
