The First Leg

May – July 1999

North Asia can be loosely defined as Asia outside the tropics (i.e. north of the Tropic of Cancer).  Our plan for this leg of the trip was to cross the Eurasian landmass by rail, and this meant spending most of our time meandering through the forests, steppes and deserts of North Asia.  We started in England, travelled to Russia and across Siberia to Mongolia, and ended up in China.

So what were the highlights?  People say great things about St. Petersburg, the Trans-Siberian railroad and the Great Wall of China.  And don't get us wrong:  we're glad we didn't miss them.  But taken all together, they're not a patch on Mongolia.  Entertaining the locals at Khovsgol Nuur, trekking to meet the Reindeer People, sipping fermented mare's milk at Kharkhorin, climbing giant sand dunes in the Gobi Desert, and just about every day in that wonderful country were among our all-time travel highlights.  We can't wait to go back!