Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have always been mysterious to me. I distinctly remember during my grade school day when these Baltic Beauties were a part of the Old Soviet Empire. Their names poetically rolled of my tongue while their capital cities appeared dark, mysterious and more fairytale then real places with real people. There was something about these three former Soviet satellites that has held my attention to this day.
Then, in August of 1989 came the Baltic Way. Approximately two million people joined their hands to form a human chain spanning 690 kilometres (430 mi) across the three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania (Wikipedia) which lead the way for independence from the failing Soviet Union. Lithuania's parliament declared independence on March 11, 1990. Estonia and Latvia's parliaments soon followed. The Baltic states regained independence and were admitted to the United Nations on September 17, 1991. The Baltic History is dark and troubled. The occupation of the Baltic States during the 20th Century was unsettling and one can only imagine a struggling to create a life in such uncertain and perilous times.
When planning a trip I have MADD, Map attention deficit disorder. For Example I will start by looking at the Baltics, but that will also include Poland, and since I am so close my not Czekia and Slovakia. If I am in Prague it is easy enough to visit Dresden the of course Berlin. No problem, all within easy and logical travelling. HOWEVER, my heart is set on going to Afghanistan and in order to do that I will need to get my tourist visa which means an in person interview. The Taliban can refuse visas are acquired in Europe so that leaves me going to Dubai or Islamabad/Peshawar. Cool, I have my sights on Pakistan and the
K2 Base Camp Trek. Now here is where I start to wobble.
Dubai is a major international hub so flights from europe are considerable less expansive so it makes sense for a bit of time in UAE. Now timing is everything and since my Afgan hour is in September and I am leaving in late March it would make sense that I could hit up Turkey along the way. Now as I traverse Eastern Turkey that leads me to Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Don't forget that Cyprus is an easy flight or ferry from the Turkish coast and climbing Mt. Olympus would be well worth the trip alone. Cyprus easily leads to Israel and Lebanon, which would make me get my "travel game face" on as those areas are a bit sketchy as I type these words.
But fast forward over to Dubai and off I go to Afghanistan. From there I could fly to Islamabad and spend some time in Pakistan and with time permitted before the winter snows I have the option of the other "STANS" or get on a plane an get to Mongolia for the Fall Festival season. That will bring me into Asia and I can now regroup with the trip I had planned for the fall of 2024. Now I will find myself in S. Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau, N. Vietnam, Laos and either Thailand or the Philippines for a long rest in a beach hut to regroup. Then were? You see where I am going with this. It am not about counting countries visited, although a nice number to accumulate it is not an obsession for me. Neither is Vlogging or trying to monitise my travel. I am not that interesting.
Here is the rub. I am getting older and I am not sure how many "long trips" I have left in me. My days or staying in cheap dorms is well in the rear view mirror but I am not opposed to it when necessary. I am looking at you Dublin, although when an old guy sets up camp in a 10 bed dorm it completely crushes the sensibilities of anyone born after 1990.
Couchsurfing is a nice random option but in the end the world has become expensive so dealing with it is the only option. So, if I can plow through a MADD trip, maybe a year to 18 months that will be it. The rucksack will not be put away, but I figure that my future trips will be shorter and more dedicated. I guess that is the evolution of travel.
So be it.
