Marginal Revolution: I am so jealous

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I am so jealous

Markets in everything: a bus trip from London to Sydney. That's 12 weeks, in case you are wondering.

Thanks to Jose for the pointer.

Posted by Tyler Cowen on September 18, 2007 at 02:03 PM in Travels | Permalink

Comments

This isn't a new kind of tour. I know a guy who used to lead this kind of tour in the 70s, he is now a travel agent in SW Australia. He has some of the best stories I've ever heard, involving drugs, death, fireworks and scary military interactions in Kashmir. If you ever meet someone whose been on a trip like this, take them to a bar, buy them a couple beers and have them tell you stories, you won't be sorry. (Note that Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran are core parts of this tour)

Posted by: Dave at Sep 18, 2007 2:24:54 PM

In this map

http://www.ozbus.co.uk/index.html

Tibet was included as if it were an independent country. Would the chinese let the bus in after this faux pas?

Posted by: andres at Sep 18, 2007 2:36:26 PM

Very surprised you've never heard of those Tyler. No knock intended, but these aren't that uncommon.

Posted by: David Tufte at Sep 18, 2007 4:40:01 PM

I didn't know there was a bridge connecting Indonesia and Australia, but I'm just weird like that.

Posted by: Person at Sep 18, 2007 9:18:44 PM

12 weeks? Pshaw! If you really want an international travel experience, try one of Dragoman's year-long overlanding trips, like St. Petersburg-->UK via China and Africa (http://www.dragoman.com/destinations/tripdetails.php?cat=WPU).

Posted by: Nathan Benedict at Sep 19, 2007 12:21:32 AM

Tyler, do not be jealous; do write another book!

Samit Sawhny, who was a year behind me in business school, wrote a fascinating travelogue "All the World's a Spittoon - Travels Back to India".

He was not on a tour bus of any sort. Having spent five years in London, he just decided to move back to India - the long way.

The summary plot is like this:

"Vowing not to board a plane between London and Delhi, he heads east with a backpack, and soon finds himself where no Indian has gone before. Born of a talent for seeing order and humour in chaos, this book is a rollicking journal of a road less travelled.

After experiencing twenty-four-hour sunlight in Norway and teaching Europeans to play Kabaddi* in Helsinki, Samit watches Russians sunbathe standing up in St. Petersburg and takes a stiff swig of Moscow's nightlife. Crossing the cultural border into Asia, he marvels at the courtship rituals of Yakutian women and the Siberian taste for B-grade Bollywood idols. Mongolia reveals the joys of open-air billiards, fermented mare's milk and stunningly pristine countryside. In China, Samit fishes for cormorants, watches the modernization march and follows briefly in Vikram Seth's footsteps.

Tibet brings thrilling treks to Mt. Kailash and Everest Base Camp, not to mention a hair-raising encounter with some boy monks. The journey comes full circle in Kathmandu, where Samit finds himself discussing 'the real India' with a group of Western backpackers. Called upon to define Indian culture, he rises to the occasion and finds that some things never change."

* Kabaddi is an Indian game, played between two teams. One person from each team goes into the other team's territory saying the words 'kabaddi, kabaddi' without stopping to breathe and the trick is that he touches out as many of the other team as he can without being caught by them in their territory or without losing his breath. Not an easy game, but needs no equipment, just some fun people and a small open space.

Posted by: Shefaly at Sep 19, 2007 3:40:26 AM

Also, the Soviet Union (minus the three baltic countries) still exist in the map

Posted by: andres at Sep 19, 2007 3:10:02 PM

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