Begin your journey sometime between November and February in AHMEDABAD, India, where over 10,000 people cram into each square mile [highlight: the Sabarmati Ashram, established by Mahatma Gandhi].
From there, catch a domestic flight to BAGDOGRA [Jet Airways offers one-way tickets for US$200], then catch a shared jeep [cost: about $5 for the 3-hour trip] past the CHAPRAMARI WILDLIFE PRESERVE [worth a visit--this small preserve is famous for its elephants, not to mention bears, tigers, and myriad bird species]. Continue in your jeep into the foothills of the Himalayas, winding up the jungly mountain roads to DARJEELING.
At 7,000 feet, Darjeeling is a Dr. Suess-ish hill station perched precariously on the summit of the misty hills [highlight: a walk at dusk or dawn from the Chowrasta around Observation Hill; from the far side, you'll catch a stunning view of the world's third-highest peak, Kanchenjunga. Lodging in Darjeeling can be had for as little as $5-$10 a night or even less]. Darjeeling is famous for its tea--for tea-drinkers we recommend looking for pink, blue, or gray ELEPHANT-EMBLAZONED tin cans of the stuff [Williamson Fine Teas].
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Book another shared jeep [again, about $5] and head north, where you'll cross into Sikkim [as this is a semi-autonomous kingdom, you'll need a visa--available at the border or in Darjeeling] and traverse mountain and valley almost completely covered in the kingdom's majestic FORESTS [81 percet of the Himalayan kingdom of Sikkim is forested]. It's a five-hour drive, but eventually you'll reach the kindom's capital, GANGTOK [highlight: Enchey monastery (Tibetan Buddhist), built in 1840]. In addition to the city's monasteries, be sure to visit the HINDU TEMPLES located in Gangtok's upper reaches [names: Ganesh Tok and the Hanuman Tok; admission is free]. |
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After roaming about [be sure to visit the nearby glaciers and glacial lakes--and the highway is finally open, which leads to the Natu-la, the pass that crosses into Tibet], jeep your way back to Bagdogra, where you can catch a flight [a one-way Jet Airways tickets costs $250] to INDIRA GANDHI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT in New Delhi [highlight: Old Delhi, wherein lies the Red Fort of Mughal fame, India's largest Islamic Mosque--the Jama Masjid--and an amalgam of humanity like none you've ever seen]. While there, be sure to journey the Golden Triangle: Delhi, Agra [home of the Taj Mahal; $25 entrace fee for foreigners], and JAIPUR--the "pink city" and capital of Rajasthan.
| { |
LEARN THE BASICS IN: |
Hindi/Urdu
Bengali
Nepali
Tibetan
Iban
Mandarin Chinese
Malay
Ilocano
Icelandic
Faroese
Polish
Slovak
Bulgarian
Romanian
Greek
Turkish
Zazaki |
} |
Upon returning to Delhi, fly to KUCHING, Borneo [Malaysia Airlines for less than $300]--then venture out to the various old headhunting Dayak LONGHOUSES just outside of town, situated in the jungle along the rivers.
Rent a bike and hit the Pan-Borneo Highway [rental fee: less than $20]. Destination: MIRI, for one of the best scuba diving experiences of your life [purchase a four-day package that includes meals, equipment, hotel, transport, and 3 dives a day for $395 from Dive Borneo--diveborneo.com]. Hit the road again, and finish your cycling saga [over 600 miles] by crossing into the state of NORTH BORNEO (Sabah), arriving at the island's adventure capital, Kota Kinabalu [accomodation can be found for as low as $15 a night].
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After hundreds of miles worth of bicycling, you'll probably want to cool off at the Likas Sports Complex's OLYMPIC-SIZED swimming pool, followed by a trip out to Mount Kota Kinabalu. |
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Catch a flight to the island of Luzon, PHILLIPINES [an Air Asia ticket costs between $30 and $40], and find a seat on a public utility jeepney to QUIRINO province, in the east [fare: chump change]. Quirino is a jungly, forest-covered tribal area--and perfect for adventure travelers. Just 20 miles outside of the provincial capital of Cabarroguis, brave the RAPIDS of Governor before SPELUNKING in the plentiful caves just outside of town [best caves: Nagbukel and Aglipay].
Return to Manila and board a plane headed to TEXAS--specifically, Austin [$743 on Japan Airlines], where you are only a few miles away from UNINC TRAVIS COUNTY's Onion Creek, which sports class II, III, and IV rapids [not for beginners...; while there, hike the Onion Creek trail to McKinney Falls--costs $4].
Catch a flight from Austin to Reykjavik, Iceland [$505 on American Airlines], then board the Smyril Line [as in, a ship; less than $250 Euros for a round-trip ticket] and head for VAGAR, the westernmost island in the Faroe Islands. It will be cold, but well worth the trip--the true North is like nothing you've ever seen before [highlight: besides the half-dozen villages themselves, which have sported grass-covered roofs for hundreds of years, we recommend Sřrvágsvatn and Fjallavatn Lakes].
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A week should do the trip [accomodation ranges from the very cheap--at special camping spots--to $90 a night at the odd-looking Hotel Vagar, right next to the little airport], then it's back on the Smyril Line to catch a plane out of Reykjavik to WARSAW, Poland [$430 on Iceland Air]; train it to Krakow [less than a hundred bucks], where the old city will be decked out for the holidays, and where you aren't too far from Oswiecin--otherwise known as Auschwitz. |
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From here you can continue by train through Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and into Greece [fare: several hundred dollars, depending on exact route]--into the prefecture of XANTHI, near the spot where the ancient city of Amphipolis is located [legendary birthplace of Xena, Warrior Princess--look, two Xs!]. The prefecture also borders the Aegean Sea.
Continue, by bus [fare: chump change] across the Turkish border to Ankara, and on through the ancient city of YOZGAT [highlight: Nizamoglu Mansion, not to mention the nearby forests].
Continue due east and you'll reach the homeland of the ZAZA PEOPLE--we suggest you spend 6-9 months here taking intensive Zazaki language classes [native Zazaki speakers: 2-6 million].
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You've now traveled the world from A to Z--on foot, by bus, by train, by jeep, by plane, by bike, and by boat, from AHMEDABAD, India to the ZAZA homeland in eastern Turkey. |
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{ |
ESTIMATED TOTAL COST: |
$4,800 without the Zazaki classes
Double that with 7 months of Zazaki classes |
} |
