Archived:NightOnTheGalacticRailroad: Difference between revisions

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This is the crazy plan, that attempts to combine trains, lots of trains, with getting to Japan.

== ~~Approximate overall plan~~ ==

== Viable, finished plans ==

* Days 0-4 (~~Fri~~ - Tues) - Assemble in London, make our way to Moscow (in time to catch the Tuesday TSR) by $MEANS following $ROUTE.

=== The Trans-Mongolian ===

* Days 1-4 (Sat - Tues) - Assemble in London, make our way to Moscow (in time to catch the Tuesday TSR) by $MEANS following $ROUTE.

** Day 1, Saturday: Train to Cologne and a day there. Overnight train east

** Day 2A, Sunday: Warsaw, explore it, overnight train to Kiev (or Minsk)

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* Days 12-14 (Thurs - Sat) - Japan

* Day 15 (Sun) - fly home

=== Fear and loathing in Kazhakstan ===

* Day 1 (Fri): Catch the 05:25 Eurostar to Paris, arrives 08:50 Gare du Nord. Then RUN LIKE FUCK to the Gare d'l'Est for the 09:09 TGV to Mannheim. Connecting trains take us to Berlin, finishing in Warsaw at 23:15 in time to catch the sleeper to Moscow.

* Day 2 (Sat): Train train train to Moscow, arriving in the evening in time to catch the sleeper to Astana

* Day 3-4 (Sun-Mon): Train train train

* Day 5 (Tue): Arrive Astana at like 10:30AM, a bit of time to explore there before getting the 15:10 (?) sleeper to Urumqi.

* Day 6 (Wed): Train train train

* Day 7 (Thur): Arrive Urumqi early in the morning, explore very briefly before catching the train to Langzhou at 11ish, which I hope is a sleeper.

* Day 8 (Fri): Train train train, broken only by a brief change of trains (maybe 2 hours) in Lanzhou

* Day 9 (Sat): Train to Shanghai, arriving an hour and a half before our ferry leaves.

* Day 10 (Sun): Boat boat boat

* Day 11 (Mon): Arrive in Japan early in the morning

So this gives us more time in Japan, but at the cost of spending basically no time exploring anywhere on the way. For my money (lmm), it's not worth it. Though what might be worth it is a trans-kazhak route that takes its time, and catches the same tue-thur ferry as the above. Will spec that out in a minute.

==== When to go? ====

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| Astana

| 10:27 Tue (day 4)

| Can get to Almaty for 05:57 if we leave a little earlier - maybe that does something?

|-

| Astana

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Seems like no shenannigans can save friday. Note that the overnight ferry *does* join up with this - ferry thursday night at 23:15 from harwich, that is - so that might be the best way to do this if we wanted to.

Aha, I've made it join up with the Friday morning Eurostar: we can leave paris at 09:09

==== Let's try that east to west, for completeness ====

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 This is the crazy plan, that attempts to combine trains, lots of trains, with getting to Japan.
-== Approximate overall plan ==
+== Viable, finished plans ==
-* Days 0-4 (Fri - Tues) - Assemble in London, make our way to Moscow (in time to catch the Tuesday TSR) by $MEANS following $ROUTE.
+=== The Trans-Mongolian ===
+* Days 1-4 (Sat - Tues) - Assemble in London, make our way to Moscow (in time to catch the Tuesday TSR) by $MEANS following $ROUTE.
 ** Day 1, Saturday: Train to Cologne and a day there. Overnight train east
 ** Day 2A, Sunday: Warsaw, explore it, overnight train to Kiev (or Minsk)
@@ Line 16: / Line 18: @@
 * Days 12-14 (Thurs - Sat) - Japan
 * Day 15 (Sun) - fly home
+=== Fear and loathing in Kazhakstan ===
+* Day 1 (Fri): Catch the 05:25 Eurostar to Paris, arrives 08:50 Gare du Nord. Then RUN LIKE FUCK to the Gare d'l'Est for the 09:09 TGV to Mannheim. Connecting trains take us to Berlin, finishing in Warsaw at 23:15 in time to catch the sleeper to Moscow.
+* Day 2 (Sat): Train train train to Moscow, arriving in the evening in time to catch the sleeper to Astana
+* Day 3-4 (Sun-Mon): Train train train
+* Day 5 (Tue): Arrive Astana at like 10:30AM, a bit of time to explore there before getting the 15:10 (?) sleeper to Urumqi.
+* Day 6 (Wed): Train train train
+* Day 7 (Thur): Arrive Urumqi early in the morning, explore very briefly before catching the train to Langzhou at 11ish, which I hope is a sleeper.
+* Day 8 (Fri): Train train train, broken only by a brief change of trains (maybe 2 hours) in Lanzhou
+* Day 9 (Sat): Train to Shanghai, arriving an hour and a half before our ferry leaves.
+* Day 10 (Sun): Boat boat boat
+* Day 11 (Mon): Arrive in Japan early in the morning
+So this gives us more time in Japan, but at the cost of spending basically no time exploring anywhere on the way. For my money (lmm), it's not worth it. Though what might be worth it is a trans-kazhak route that takes its time, and catches the same tue-thur ferry as the above. Will spec that out in a minute.
 ==== When to go? ====
@@ Line 173: / Line 189: @@
 |  Astana
 |  10:27 Tue (day 4)
+|  Can get to Almaty for 05:57 if we leave a little earlier - maybe that does something?
 |-
 |  Astana
@@ Line 212: / Line 229: @@
 Seems like no shenannigans can save friday. Note that the overnight ferry *does* join up with this - ferry thursday night at 23:15 from harwich, that is - so that might be the best way to do this if we wanted to.
+Aha, I've made it join up with the Friday morning Eurostar: we can leave paris at 09:09
 ==== Let's try that east to west, for completeness ====