Nuts & Bolts
Marie is going around the world by surface transport. That is, she is taking
ships, buses, trains, donkeys, and whatever local transport is available.
It's not the most comfortable way of seeing the world, but it is the best way
to see the world, up close. She is using cybercafes to post updates, enabling
readers to travel along with her on a virtual field trip.
Marie is allowed three short airplane trips over the course of 2001. These
may only be used in cases of imminent danger or utter deadends, with the
consultation and approval of the reading public. Vote on the lifelines at the
Marie's World Tour Forum.
Lifelines must not be used to cover major distances or cross oceans, except
in emergencies.
Experience - Marie has been around large parts of the world already, and Bali to Hanoi is a repeat
for her.
She's visited India,
Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt so she's
trying to avoid the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East. She has also
been to Central
America, Ecuador, and Peru a few times, so that area is not on the
Marie's World Tour itinerary.
Allergies - Marie is lactose-intolerant. Soy makes her break out in giant,
itchy hives. Dill makes her stomach hurt, and she can't eat lime, tomatoes,
olives, MSG, or fish. Some forms of wheat are suspect, and she can't use DEET
insect-repellant. Tobacco smoke makes her light-headed and woozy after about
20 minutes in a bar (just imagine what the diesel-infested air of Bangkok
will do to her). She can only use oil-free shampoo, conditioner, and soap,
which is not available in many countries. Marie can, however, eat heaps of
anti-malarials with no apparent side effects.
Seasickness - Marie gets terribly seasick. She is also a mediocre SCUBA
diver, due to always getting sick before managing to get under the water.
Hair dye - Not a natural blond, Marie will have to find suitable salons on
the road. This is especially challenging in countries where everyone has very
dark hair.
Coffee - it's an addiction, especially when you insist on good, real coffee
instead of that Nescafe crap that the British have colonized the world with.
Internet - maintaining an active travel website from the road means that
Marie will have to be constantly on the lookout for cybercafes and internet
kiosks.
Illustration by Don Hudson
The Route:
Jan. 4 to 8 — New York to Los Angeles by Amtrak.
Jan. 14 to Feb. 3 — Los Angeles to Melbourne, Australia by "Direct Kiwi"
freighter.
Feb. 4 to 12 — Australia by train and bus. Melbourne, Adelaide, Alice
Springs, Darwin.
Feb. 12 to 14 — Darwin to Dili.
Feb. 14 to March 18 — public ferries across Indonesia, train from Singapore,
through Malaysia, to Bangkok.
March 18 to April 3 — traveling with UK pals Lynne and Fiona from Siem Reap,
Cambodia to Hanoi, Vietnam.
April 3 to April 15 — trains and buses from Hanoi, through Hong Kong and
southern China to Shanghai.
April 15 —Pal Yancey flies to Shanghai to resupply deprived Marie with
oil-free products and comic book gossip.
April 15 to April 28 — Shanghai to Beijing with Intrepid Small Group Adventures.
April 22 — Marie turns a whopping 35-years-old today.
April 29 to May 4 — Sleeper train to Mongolia, where Marie and Yancey stay in
a nomad "ger" camp and try to avoid eating sheep's eyeballs. Marie becomes a
fair-weather vegetarian, while Yancey takes his chances.
May 4 to 12 — Yancey leaves from Mongolia. Marie continues through Irkutsk on
the Trans-Siberian Railway.
May 13 to 14 — two nights in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
May 15 to 25 — Uzbekistan.
May 25 to 30 — Moscow, St. Petersburg.
May 30 to June 8'ish — Estonia, Helsinki, Latvia, Lithuania.
June 9 to June 10 — Gdansk, Poland
June — apartment rental in Berlin. R&R. Mom visits. Lynne visits. Pals John and Rachel visit.
July 16 to 30 — Bremerhaven, Germany to Cape Town, South Africa on the "Dal
Kalahari" ocean liner. Booked through the helpful Christina Horn of Internaves.
July 30 to Aug. 5 — Cape Town, South Africa.
Aug. 5 to Aug. 8 — Windhoek, Namibia.
Aug. 8 to Aug. 17 — Crazy Kudu trip around Namibia.
Aug. 17 to Aug. 18 — bus to Victoria Falls.
Aug. 19 to Aug. 21 — Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.
Aug. 21 to Aug. 26 — Nomad Tours trip around Botswana's Chobe park and Okavango Delta.
Aug. 27 to Sept. 7 — Victoria Falls, Zambia, Kruger, Zambezi canoe safari with Shearwater, TAZARA railroad to Dar Es Salaam.
Sept. 9 to Sept. 10 — Dar Es Salaam.
Sept. 11 to Sept. 12 — Zanzibar.
Sept. 13 to Sept. 20 — Arusha, Mt. Meru.
Sept 21 to 29 — Guerba trip "Tanzanian
Adventure," based out of Nairobi.
Sept. 29 to Oct. 11 — Masai Mara, mountain gorillas in Uganda or Rwanda.
Oct. 11 to Nov. 21 — Dragoman trip
from Nairobi to Ethiopia.
Nov. 21 to Dec. 10 — truck overland to Khartoum and up to Wadi Halfa. Ferry to Aswan. Train/bus to Hurghada, ferry to Sinai and bus/ferry combo back to UK.
Dec. 11 to 21 — cruise to Florida on the QE2 luxury liner.
Vaccines and pre-trip health care — $70 for updated typhoid vaccine. Other
vaccines were up to date. Approximately $100 more dollars for pre-trip
medical advice and for preventive prescription medications, including
anti-malarials for Cambodia and anti-seasickness patches.
Visas — Austalia, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Russia (2 entries), Kazakhstan
(one tourist, one transit), Uzbekistan. Around $500.
Gear — small fortune spent on gear at Magellan's and TravelSmith. $200 for
Eagle Creek pack, bought in part with frequent flyer miles through MilePoint
Mall, Flooz, and EMS Online. Another $50 for packing cubes and locks. Ex Officio kindly offered a significant
discount on durable, lightweight clothing (end result was $200) and Teva offered free sandals.
Spending money for hotels, food, local trains and buses — budget is for one
thousand US dollars a month. This will be too little in some countries, too
much in others.
Major transportation — cross-Pacific ship approximately $1600. Europe to
Africa ship approximately $1200. Trans-Siberian rail trip, plus hotels,
homestays, and Mongolian ger trip approximately $1400. Amtrak $280. $197 for
German Railpass.
Pre-booked holidays — Around $3500 for Intrepid, Dragoman, Guerba trips.
Insurance — cheaper to buy travel
insurance than US domestic insurance. Approximately $950 for year,
including hazardous sports coverage.
Storage — $109 a month for a 10x10 space at Liberty Storage, Jersey City, NJ.
Another $900 for movers.
Potential budget busters — apartment in Berlin, "Reunification Express" train
in Vietnam, "Friendship" train from Hanoi to China. Postage for care packages, cargo ship possibilities for the ride back to Europe if Sudan is impassable
and souvenir packs.
Q: Who is the pig?
A: Suzy is my sister's pet pig and trip mascot. She eats peanut butter
sandwiches for breakfast and lives in Virginia. She is also featured in the
logo for Pig Run Press
Q: What if you get attacked by pirates in the South Seas?
A: The South Seas pirates have gotten a lot of press lately, in magazines and
the New York Times. My ship is not going into pirate-infested areas, but if
we should go off course and run afoul of those scallywags, rest assured that
I would prefer to join up and mimic Anne Bonney than to walk the plank. Har.
Q: What did you do before you decided to be a full-time traveler?
A: I spent 13 years coloring and editing comic books for Marvel Comics in New
York City. I expect to go back to New York after I finish traveling, but that
could change.
Q: What languages do you speak?
A: I speak English fluently, and can say "thank you" and "how much" in about
a dozen languages.
Q: Did you have to get a lot of vaccinations?
A: Yes, but I already had most of them and I opted out of the rabies vaccine
because it was too expensive and required three visits to the doctor.
Q: How do you book hotels in these places you're going to?
A: I totally wimped out the first night, and booked a room in Albuquerque
over Expedia.com. But usually, you show up in a town, store your bag, and
wander around (using your guidebook and asking for advice) until you find
clean, safe, inexpensive accommodation.
Q: Are you going to try kangaroo meat?
A: No, I'm allergic.
Q: What if you get kidnapped and held for ransom?
A: We will take up a collection on this website.
Q: Will you eat the rat-on-a-stick this time?
A: No.
Q: Is this trip safe?
A: It's probably safer than living in Manhattan's Alphabet City for seven
years. When I moved in there, everyone thought I was crazy, although now it
is totally gentrified. The difference is that as a traveler, I am a visible
target. Most people are not criminals, however, and dangerous situations are
the exception, not the rule, as most tourists travel with no problems other
than the occasional tummy upset. I also have no intention of going through
any warzone, and am not averse to using a plane-lifeline to get out in a
pinch. Although, of course, I would consult the message boards before doing
anything rash.
Q: How are you financing this?
A: That apartment in Manhattan's Alphabet City... I owned it and bought low,
sold high.
Q: I thought it only took 80 days to get around the world. Why is it taking
you so long?
A: I'm not taking airplanes.
Q: Why are you doing this?
A: If you have to ask...
Q: No, really, I know you like to travel but why no airplanes?
A: I am not afraid to fly, but I have found that on overland trips, one gets
a much better feel for regions. When you fly from city to city, you miss all
the non-highlights of a country, such as the regular people living out their
lives. And that is what I want to see- the real culture of a country, not
just tourist attractions.
Q: What's your favorite country?
A: I'm fickle. Whenever I go to a new country, I like it best. Highlights of
past trips include Laos, Cambodia, Jordan, New Zealand, and Guatemala.
Q: Are you a traveler or a tourist?
A: See the raging debate on this! Click on "Chat" "Bangkok" from the home page.
Q: What are you going to do after this?
A: I don't know yet. I'd like to write a book, but I don't have any idea how
to find an agent or publisher. Useful, concrete advice is welcomed.
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