Mark D reports from the Silk Route to Xi'an

The Green Green Grass of Home

 

We received this great email from Mark D who travelled from Istanbul to Xi’an search code IKX. Thank you Mark for your glowing report.

Tom Jones,the singer not that chap who was always chasing after women -or was that me? sang this ghastly song and made a fortune. I cannot sing but I now know what the writer meant. It's a whole world of green out side my window and it's raining and it's lovely with the sun making rainbows under the puffy nimbus clouds.

My trip was exactly the experience I expected and was looking for. A herd of crazy cahoots, being bounced from doorjamb to fridge to table, while two manic laughing hyenas drove crazily down the wrong side of the road straight at the incoming traffic.

I suppose I should have realised that when I first met our Dear Great Leader Turkman Mikeebashie who was giggling helplessly at at our efforts to fit 10 people into a dorm in the hostel in Istanbul which would have made the inside of a Mini Minor look luxurious that things could only get more interesting and sometimes surreal.

But that is what Dragoman is about, 'Not The Ordinary Overland Travel Experience' is right. If you cannot see the humour in this crazy method of travel then it is definitely not for you. Fortunately most did and guys you made it great for me. I loved the camaraderie and the pranks, even the the locker full of my latest fantasy girl friend's underwear!

Then there was 'The Food to Die For',or 'Death by Mummified Chicken' a Wazza special and of course not to forget the amazing Cook Group 2 which was actually two cook groups, M Angeles (ably assisted by the redoubtable ( but not part of the group) Hejes ) in the left corner and Warren and Rob in the right corner. Communication was 'No Possible' as one was trying to cook 'a la Warrenaisee' and the other 'Espanoleese' comedy upon comedy enhanced by stealth attacks by Rob, alias 'The Man in Black'.

Happy days dear friends happy days indeed.

Thanks a bunch

Mark

Ultimate Overland

Comrade Jeff is on 16 week overland trip from the Istanbul to Xi'an. This is a combination journey that encompasses Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and China.
For those wanting shorter journeys check out SOME OF THE FOLLOWING SECTIONMSour:

Mountain Kingdoms of Kyrgyzstan (KYR) - 15 nights Tashkent to Bishkek. Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan

The Silk Route to Xi'an (SRX) - 4.5 weeks, Bishkek to Xi'an via Kyrgyzstan and Chinese Xinjiang.

Yangtze & Eastern Explorer (YEE) - 23 nights Xi'an to Hong Kong

Other combination trips are available making up journeys ranging from 4 to 22 weeks.