Site Search:
 
Get TEFL Certified & Start Your Adventure Today!
Teach English Abroad and Get Paid to see the World!
Job Discussion Forums Forum Index Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!"
 
 FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups   RegisterRegister 
 ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 

On a freak out

 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Taiwan
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
JFJAMES



Joined: 04 Sep 2006
Posts: 4

PostPosted: Sun Sep 17, 2006 5:52 pm    Post subject: On a freak out Reply with quote

Ok, I'm yellow as hell, but has anybody in these parts skipped the plane part of Taiwan (shiver) and gone for the trans rail route?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
markholmes



Joined: 21 Jun 2004
Posts: 661
Location: Wengehua

PostPosted: Sun Sep 17, 2006 8:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You mean internally within Taiwan? I hope so, because if you mean to Taiwan I suggest you look at a map.

I've flown internally within Taiwan, but the trains are just fine too. It's not a big place.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
JFJAMES



Joined: 04 Sep 2006
Posts: 4

PostPosted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 4:20 pm    Post subject: Sympathy wanted Reply with quote

That's it pick on the small, nervous, shaking kid. If the truth be told (as it must) I was flirting with the idea of taking the train from Moscow to China with rest pretty much writing itself. Ok, dread does wierd things to the thought process.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
markholmes



Joined: 21 Jun 2004
Posts: 661
Location: Wengehua

PostPosted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 5:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

That sounds like a cool trip and something I wish I had done. I would choose the Trans Mongolian over the Trans Siberian, which I guess you would if your final destination is Beijing.

Obviously (which was my point) you will have to fly eventually to complete the journey.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Girl Scout



Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 525
Location: Inbetween worlds

PostPosted: Tue Sep 19, 2006 1:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've flown all over China, Thailand and even in Taiwan. The planes are no worse or better then most american or canadian flights I've been on. The trains however, have not been the best experience. They are over crowed with people spitting, disgusting bathrooms and air so thick with smoke it could kill you. (and I smoke) There is also the boredom factor. These trip are long and there is very little to do. It is worth the experience once or twice, but unless you have a lot of extra time and a small budget, flying is more efficent.

Don't let us influence you. These are only our opinions. What ever you do make sure YOU have made the best decision for each situation.

By the way, YELLOW in many parts of Asia has a dirty connotation, like blue as in blue movie in america.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website Yahoo Messenger
Henry_Cowell



Joined: 27 May 2005
Posts: 3352
Location: Berkeley

PostPosted: Tue Sep 19, 2006 1:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Take a short train trip in one small part of Asia first before betting that a transcontinental journey will be a romantic adventure. Wink
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
markholmes



Joined: 21 Jun 2004
Posts: 661
Location: Wengehua

PostPosted: Tue Sep 19, 2006 2:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you travel in China I would upgrade to first class. I would do the same on the Trans Mongolian too. Actually I was thinking when I posted my last post that this kind of trip might be a good idea on your way home, not on you way out there.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
lou_la



Joined: 04 Oct 2005
Posts: 140
Location: Bristol

PostPosted: Wed Sep 20, 2006 10:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hee hee, I set off on my trip to Taiwan in the wee hours of saturday morning - I'm cheating a little and flying from London to Tampere in Finland (about as long as I can tolerate on a plane without freaking out completely), and obviously have to fly to Taiwan itself. It'll be trains between Tampere and Hongkong though!

There are various ways you can do it - the three different routes (well, the two that end in Beijing), and whether you want to go with a tour or independently. You could get the train straight to Beijing, but 7 days on a train? Who wants that?! Most people stop off at at least Lake Baikal, maybe Ekaterinburg, Krasnoyarsk, and Ulan Baator in Mongolia if you're going that way. I'm going on my own, giving myself just under two months to make the journey (would have liked longer, but work beckons). I'm a bit of a geek about Russia though.

If you don't speak any Russian, or want there to be other travellers around, you may feel better on a tour. If you google 'trans siberian' a lot of companies come up - Vodka Train and Monkey Shrine seem to have good reputations. Most tours seem to last between around 8 and 30 days, depending on the number of stops, and cost between �1000 and �3000ish I think. However, if you take the time to learn cyrillic (which you should, or you'll be completely lost. It's easy, I promise!) you could still get around ok on your own with minimal Russian.

I'd reccomend looking at the Eastern Europe and the Caucasus branch on the Thorn tree forum on www.lonelyplanet.com. There's a lot of info there.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Forumosa Maoman



Joined: 27 Jun 2005
Posts: 22
Location: Lotus Hill

PostPosted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 3:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

lou_la wrote:
Hee hee, I set off on my trip to Taiwan in the wee hours of saturday morning - I'm cheating a little and flying from London to Tampere in Finland (about as long as I can tolerate on a plane without freaking out completely), and obviously have to fly to Taiwan itself. It'll be trains between Tampere and Hongkong though!

There are various ways you can do it - the three different routes (well, the two that end in Beijing), and whether you want to go with a tour or independently. You could get the train straight to Beijing, but 7 days on a train? Who wants that?! Most people stop off at at least Lake Baikal, maybe Ekaterinburg, Krasnoyarsk, and Ulan Baator in Mongolia if you're going that way. I'm going on my own, giving myself just under two months to make the journey (would have liked longer, but work beckons). I'm a bit of a geek about Russia though.

If you don't speak any Russian, or want there to be other travellers around, you may feel better on a tour. If you google 'trans siberian' a lot of companies come up - Vodka Train and Monkey Shrine seem to have good reputations. Most tours seem to last between around 8 and 30 days, depending on the number of stops, and cost between �1000 and �3000ish I think. However, if you take the time to learn cyrillic (which you should, or you'll be completely lost. It's easy, I promise!) you could still get around ok on your own with minimal Russian.

I'd reccomend looking at the Eastern Europe and the Caucasus branch on the Thorn tree forum on www.lonelyplanet.com. There's a lot of info there.

I took the trans-Mongolian in 1987 when I was 19 years old. I travelled from Budapest to Moscow to Ulan Bator to Beijing. Didn't learn any Cyrillic, and didn't have any major problems either. It's a fun trip, but take a girlfriend. That's a long, long train ride, and it didn't help that I had to share a cabin from Moscow to Lake Baikal with two extremely attractive Swedish lesbians. It might sound like a good thing, but it wasn't. It was hell. Laughing
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
Toe Save



Joined: 04 Oct 2004
Posts: 202
Location: 'tween the pipes.........

PostPosted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 6:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Forumosa Maoman wrote:
... with two extremely attractive Swedish lesbians. It might sound like a good thing, but it wasn't. It was hell. Laughing


Ouch. Talk about your Blue Train.

Now, I haven't done the trans mongolian or trans siberian, but I did work on a 5 star luxury train as it traversed Canada for a summer. I love riding the rails. I spent 36 days straight living and working on The American Orient Express. Best job I ever had. Unfortunately, no swedish lesbians. Only soon to be corpses. So many old folks ride the luxury rails. I called this trip The Trans Incontinental.

The two best pieces of advice so far are to upgrade to a private sleeper and to bring a girl. Then you can become a member in good standing of the MHC.



The Meter High Club.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Serious_Fun



Joined: 28 Jun 2005
Posts: 1171
Location: terra incognita

PostPosted: Mon Sep 25, 2006 9:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Toe Save wrote:
I called this trip The Trans Incontinental.


Laughing
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Taiwan All times are GMT
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling.
Contact Dave's ESL Cafe
Copyright © 2018 Dave Sperling. All Rights Reserved.

Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group

Teaching Jobs in China
Teaching Jobs in China