One sweltering day, on the way to work by a star ferry in Hong Kong, I made a snap decision over the phone with my mother. I had come to the conclusion that we should go on a journey from Hong Kong to St. Petersburg in Russia by train. It is a massive/gigantic/gargantuan distance, of over 9000 km and would entail 9 days without washing my hair.
There were three factors which gave me a supportive push. The first one was the weather. The sound of Siberia was so cool in this hot air, like the exhalation of an ice-queen. The second was my mother's upcoming 50th birthday, for which I needed a gift, as I hadn't seen her for 3 years. The last one was a longing to come across the largest continent as an islander, who was born in Japan and still lives on Hong Kong Island.
This was easier said than done! Preparation took much longer, but eventually, we set off on an adventure to reach St. Petersburg on the 17th of October, my mother's birthday.
and booked the fancy hotel with a bathtub.
Naturally, there were some unexpected happenings and a lot of unforgettable experiences, however, I will extract three significant differences of this style/mode of transport to a trip by plane.
Firstly, I communed with my travel partner so deeply. It was smooth like silk and easy like a pair of pajamas. The night talk was awesome, especially while watching the starlit sky and listening to the sound of a train. As a result of this, the silence between us could be imbued with colours.
Secondly, I experienced a diversity in ways of thinking through conversations with unusual passengers, for instance, a North Korean roustabout/labourer and a Russian arms merchant.
Finally, the magnificent time I had was so long and basically involved no action, therefore I thought a lot until my imagination overflowed. Moreover, the slow passage allowed my five senses to take off. I put my hand down into the stream of culture from the window. It was imposing and a bit chilly.
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