Our two week stint in Europe will see us rock under or over the choppy Chunnel into neighbouring France. Here we will load up on brie, baguettes and croissants, before crossing the spectacular Swiss Alps and dodging crazy irate fiat drivers in Italy. We will then head in an easterly direction, through picturesque Slovenia and turbo-folk mad Serbia. We might even manage a quick pit stop in Bulgaria as we eagerly cross the mighty Bosphorus into continental Asia. We hope to circumnavigate Turkey in 3 weeks enough time for a few history lessons, sheesha pipes and turkish baths.
Smelling like roses, our female contingent plans to don the proper attire in blistering heat, as we cross into Iran - near the foothills of Mt Ararat. During our two weeks there, we will commence one branch of the famed Silk Route, hugging the southern end of the Caspian Sea and skirting the pretty Kopet Dag range, before bumbling our way quietly into the quirky state of Turkmenistan in four days. In Uzbekistan we plan to soak up two weeks’ worth of desert rays and culture as we surround ourselves in the majestic architecture of former Silk Route city Empires. Having dramatically improved our pub-trivia eligibility we will travel more leisurely across the fertile plains of the Fergana Valley, spending two weeks in the pristine mountains of Kyrgyzstan with its spectacular alpine scenery, matching azure glacier lakes and unique nomadic yurt occupying folk. After successfully traversing the Irkistan pass, we plan to spend a month in China where we will have time to complete the remainder of the Silk Route into Xi'an and then head south into the rice paddy, panda bear country of south west china. We will travel at a more leisurely pace upon entering South East Asia, stocking up on fiery thai curries and tiger beers, meandering along the Mekong and factoring in some beach hopping as we pass through Laos, Thailand and Malaysia. Having reached the end of the Malaysian Peninsula we will be abruptly stopped by the skyscrapers and fast pace of Singapore, from where we will ship our car off to Darwin and catch a flight to meet her at the other end. Reacquainted with the car down under, we will then take three or four months to explore the great outback and dramatic coastlines of Australia and reunite with friends and family
Map of Asia courtesy of the University of Texas Libraries
