Author Archives: Chris Desmond

Iran, Tehran, 01 – 07 October 2016

Posted on Friday, 7-October-2016 by Chris Desmond

Tehran – capital of Iran (Persia) population 16 million in the greater metropolitan area. I flew from Astana to Tehran via Almaty where I had to change planes. The flight arrived in Tehran at 1235, followed the signs to the visa … Continue reading →

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Kazakhstan, Astana, 24 – 30 September 2016

Posted on Friday, 30-September-2016 by Chris Desmond

There are no direct flights between Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and Astana, Kazakhstan apparently because the Mongolian authorities will not give permission for the flights. Therefore I had to fly back to Seoul which is in the opposite direction for 3 hours, … Continue reading →

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Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, 18 – 23 September 2016

Posted on Friday, 23-September-2016 by Chris Desmond

Mongolia with a population of 3 million is  the most sparsely populated country in the world. Nearly half of the population lives in Ulaanbaatar which is spread over a series of hills around the Tuul river valley at an altitude … Continue reading →

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Japan, Tokyo, 04 – 17 September 2016

Posted on Saturday, 17-September-2016 by Chris Desmond

I travelled from Kyoto to Tokyo on the Nozomi Shinkansen bullet train again but this time the maximum speed I saw was only 266 kph. Possibly because it was the older Series 300 which has a maximum speed of 270 … Continue reading →

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Japan, Kyoto, 31 August – 03 September 2016

Posted on Saturday, 3-September-2016 by Chris Desmond

I took the Nozomi Shinkansen bullet train from Hiroshima to Kyoto, cost Y11,610 or 100 euro, distance 380.6 km, travelling time 99 minutes. The Nozomi is the fastest of the bullet trains travelling at 300 kph. While on the train … Continue reading →

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Japan, Hiroshima, 27 – 30 August 2016

Posted on Tuesday, 30-August-2016 by Chris Desmond

I flew from Seoul to Hiroshima and for the first time ever had my luggage checked by Japanese Customs at the Airport. Well they removed all the contents from my suitcase and X-rayed it, never checked the contents or my … Continue reading →

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South Korea, Seoul, 17 – 26 August 2016

Posted on Friday, 26-August-2016 by Chris Desmond

I flew from Vladivostok to Seoul. Seoul – a big city, the greater Seoul area has a population of 25 million, modern, clean and organised, with a comprehensive public transport system. All signs and announcements  have an English version making … Continue reading →

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Russia, Vladivostok, 14 – 16 August 2016

Posted on Wednesday, 17-August-2016 by Chris Desmond

Vladivostok – population 600,000, was a part of China until 1860. It is built on a series of hills so you are always walking either up or downhill. It was renovated in 2012 when it hosted the 24th APEC summit. … Continue reading →

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Russia, Chita to Skovorodino to Belogorsk to Khabarovsk to Vladivostok, 09 – 13 August 2016

Posted on Saturday, 13-August-2016 by Chris Desmond

Chita to Skovorodino – From Chita to Khabarovsk is the most isolated part of this trip, mainly small towns and villages, cannot book accommodation online and fuel stops are not frequent. For this leg my GPS and Google maps said … Continue reading →

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Russia, Irkutsk to Ulan-ude to Chita, 06 – 08 August 2016

Posted on Monday, 8-August-2016 by Chris Desmond

Irkutsk to Ulan-ude – Left the hotel at 0740, no traffic being Saturday easy ride out of the city, then straight into the mountains, altitude up to 1000 m, fun ride, cool, roads good most of the time, saw a … Continue reading →

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