Flip Flop Caravan

Or, the Trans-Mongolian route as it were… 1. Get Cultured – Take in a ballet at the Bolshoi in Moscow, a throat singing performance in Mongolia or a Chinese opera.  A little too classy for ya? Then sing along to accordion music in a Russian pub, try a hit of snuff with your hosts in [...]

Every trip is different.  But any given destination remains the same for everyone. Every tourist visiting Rome sees the coliseum; every visitor to Paris, the Eiffel Tower. So is there really such a thing as a truly unique, original, one-of-a-kind trip? I thought there was.  Part of my desire to travel the Trans-Siberian Railroad was [...]

After over a month of traveling through Estonia, Finland, Russia and Mongolia, we rolled into Beijing and officially concluded the Trans-Siberian Railroad.  A bittersweet moment for sure (it was the conclusion of my DREAM trip after all), but I was eager to explore China! I’d love to say that I was enamored with Beijing from the [...]

Every border in the world has its own style, vibe and quirks.  Some are painless and the authorities greet you with such apathy that you question whether or not they’ve processed your paperwork at all.  Others seem to be in sadistic competition for “World’s Most Tedious/Annoying/Confusing/Sketchy/Slow Border Crossing.”Considering that China requires entry Visas, I guessed [...]

When I was little I adored going to my Grandmother’s house (still do!).  She had collections of every sort and had all manner of family heirlooms and memorabilia. There was always so much to look at and explore. The lovely Grandmother My Great Grandparents traveled to Asia in the 1970′s and brought back clothes, camera [...]