We’ve all got our suitcases packed and labels filled out… and for my Son and China (plate… mate) that’s Chong Cheng.
We’ve been mapping out our itinerary since The Son and Heir announced that he was off to teach English in China last year.
That’s been pushed out to Easter.
But that gives us time too (and our politicians) to plan how we’ll get out there to see him.
Our go-to people in such odysseys are G Adventures .
And they have the very thing a 16-day Trans-Mongolian trip from Moscow to Beijing, valid on April 23, 2022, from £1799, to lure us in.
Take it as Red in Moscow
I’ve been mugging up on all things Mongolian in the many Travel programmes I’ve been taking in during lockdown.
And I can thoroughly recommend the excellent the Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan when he dons one of those onesies for a bit of Mongolian wrestlng… which is me all over.
Your journey will kick off in Moscow where you’ll get a day to yourself to check out Lenin’s Mausoleum, the Kremlin, the Hermitage.
Or you can always head for St Petersburg first and make your way to Moscow along the St Petersburg Express.
Siberia is VERY big
You ever been 88 hours on a train? Well it’ll just fly by as you cross the Ural Mountains and Siberia.
Enjoy the charms of Irkutsk on a walking tour before driving to the village of Listvyanka.
You’ll overnight on the shores of Lake Balkal and dig into local cuisine…
And try a banya, or Russian sauna to you and me.
Mongolia, yes we Khan
Before you enter Genghis Khan’s Mongol kingdom of.
And you’ll be able to fulfil your life-long ambition to stay in a traditional ger, or yurt, and channel your Genghis with a spot of archery.
Nothing finishes off a day better in Mongolia of course than a bit of throat-singing… best leave it to the locals though.
A yen for Beijing
You’ll get two clear days plus time either end in Beijing.
And, of course, no trip to China would be complete without a trip to the Great Wall, and yours will be a walk along the Mutianyu section.
For most of us that’ll be enough train travel for a while.
But for others, we’ll be taking another eight-hour journey to Chong Cheng…
After all the Son and Heir will want his Mammy there to do his washing!