Job Discussion Forums

[JFJAMES]

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?

[markholmes]

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.

[JFJAMES]

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.

[markholmes]

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.

[Girl Scout]

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.

[Henry_Cowell]

Take a short train trip in one small part of Asia first before betting that a transcontinental journey will be a romantic adventure.

[markholmes]

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.

[lou_la]

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.

[Forumosa Maoman]

[Toe Save]

[Serious_Fun]