David Mark Erickson

Le Grand Route

So, here is an updated map of my grand route … for now.  I reserve the right to change this at any moment for any reason, and most probably they will be reasons beyond my immediate control.  Click on the map for a larger view.

A couple of key things which have changed since my first thoughts about this trip.  Most importantly, I have started out one month later that I had originally planned.  This was totally in my control.  While it would have been nice to catch some of the Indian Summer that Europe was experiencing this year (check out the wiki article on ‘Indian Summer’ for an interesting read).  However, spending the extra month back home with family and friends was well worth it and I am glad I did delay.

Another big change was the election in Iran and the resulting crack-down by the regime.  Realistically, it would be far to problematic for me to try and visit.  Somehow I don’t think the regime would appreciate a guy like me, especially with camera and laptop in-hand.  It was a sad decision to make, but the right one.  I was really looking forward to visiting the country and getting to know the Iranian people, but it will now have to wait.

With the time delay and Iran off the route, it caused me to make a big shuffle of what/where/when and, after many discussions (read many beers) with several friends, I have finally come up with this revised route which I think works pretty well.

Basically, I will slip down the Balkans and then over to Turkey, as I had originally planned.  I will skirt through Western Turkey and then try to enter the Middle East so that I am there around mid-December.  Middle East plans, for what they were, have not changed either.  In essence, I will work my way around the various countries as feasible.

One of the new ideas is to try and get from the Red Sea to India, by boat.  Yes, you read it right, by boat.  I have NO IDEA of the feasibility of this, but it sounds fricking cool so I am going to try.

In India, I would love to spend a month doing some yoga and then a month just traveling.  Ideally, I will work my way North so that I am catching the early spring in the more Northerly latitudes of Central Asia.  From there, head towards the Caspian via “The Stans.”  I heard that visas can be tough in this region, so again, let’s wait and see.  From the Caspian, around or across (under?) to the Caucuses, down to Eastern Turkey and then the home stretch, back to Budapest via Bulgaria and Romania.

The other significant trips changes are that I want to start where I finished and that I will be going home to Seattle after Budapest.  I love the idea of being back in Budapest at the end of summer next year.

Feeling overwhelmed by it all?
I certainly am.