Thursday, November 11, 2010

Where should I go?

I am planning my next trip, and I am wondering where you think I should go.

Should I go investigate China's new high-speed trains? I am curious to see if the system is as extensive as it looks on the map. I have never heard of anyone actually taking some of them. Even if the system is not as extensive as it looks, I will get to go to Wuhan by high-speed train, and Wuhan is awesome.

Should I take the train from Singapore to Thailand, investigating Malaysia's rail system on the way? I might actually be able to take the train into Cambodia, although that may still be a freight-only line.

Should I investigate Vietnam's railways? At least one new intercity rail line has opened in the last year along with some new commuter track in the major cities. Vietnam may have a lot more possibilities in a couple of years, though.

How about Siberia? I have heard that winter is the best time to go.

Any ideas are welcome. What would you like to read about?

2 comments:

To Fly To Serve said...

why don't you do a grand tour of china by high speed rail? I figured you could do so in 1 week to cover 5000 miles of tracks (both 350km/h and 250 km/h track) and visit a dozen city a long the way. I would say you probably can do it under 500 USD (hotel expense extra).

Helen Bushnell said...

Perhaps, when the money arrives. You have to remember that the cost of some of these new train lines is comparable to flying. One person I know was quoted over $200 for the Beijing-Shanghai overnight route. So it would cost more than $500.

Of course, I want to find out if there are actually 5,000 miles of track. On the one hand the railway ministry is $300 billion in debt. On the other I can only find reports of trips on the routes in eastern China.