ArcticTropic Panorama of this summer’s stop in Japan on the Round The World Journey .

The best way to explore Japan is on the 200 mph , 320 kph High Speed Shinkansen network on Japan Rail. The Japan Rail Pass allows 7 days of unlimited travel for $ 279 – only non-resident foreigners are eligible. Distances in Japan are great – but seem close on these trains that seem to fly along the ground.

In Kyoto, the highest pagoda in Japan.

A Shinto Shrine.

Kyoto has delicious cuisine. Here is some venison sashimi.

Locusts.

And Bee Larvae

From Lake Baikal we made a quick dash back to Irkutsk on the hydrofoil, and caught the Trans Siberian for the overnight run to Ulan Ude. Ulan Ude is the closest Siberian city to Mongolia and boasts the world’s largest Lenin head.

The train leaves Irkutsk at 10 PM and arrives about 6 the next morning. It also passes Lake Baikal’s eastern shore , so would be a beautiful day trip.

The sleeping arrangements are communal but not totally uncomfortable. There is a separate reserved cabin car for those doing the long haul from Moscow to Vladivostok.

Soviet Heroes who defeated the White Army in 1919 helping Communism spread east.

Old city street scene.

Inside an old wooden apartment building.

One of Josef Stalin’s greatest accomplishments, the Moscow Metro opened in 1935. To this day ,it is probably the best underground transit system in the world, with elegant stations everywhere along the lines.

The elaborate stations are a tribute to the Communist Ideal.

Chandeliers light the platforms.

A large mural at Kievskaya Station shows joyous Ukranian proletariats.

Murals on the ceilings. Hero workers.

Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic

A hub and spoke system.

Smolenskaya Station.

Comrade Soldiers.

Comrade Lenin.

Conrade Stalin.

A Saturday afternoon journey from Muizenberg to Fish Hoek near where the Atlantic meets the Indian Ocean. A preacher man works the aisle. The train is much like the NYC subway, but with better scenery. Cost is 6 Rand or 60 cents US.

Every Tuesday morning at 8:05 , Train K23,the Trans-Mongolian Express, leaves Beijing Railway Station for the 30 hour journey to Ulanbataar,Mongolia. From there it is possible to connect all the way to Moscow. It is truly the way to arrive in Mongolia- to get a sense of how large,empty and remote this Central Asian nation is.

The Route.

The timetable all the way from Beijing to Moscow.

Midnight Crossing.

ArcticTropic was in Spain – the first stop on the Round The World Trip – for three days – to visit with business associates in Barcelona and then to pick up my son who was accompanying me to China. Above – the AVE from Barcelona to Valencia.

On the Floor of Catedral Sant Jordi.

A delicious lunch at Portoles.

Above the Gran Via Marques del Turia in Valencia.

Valencia !

In late June ArcticTropic travels to China and Mongolia. First Beijing for a few days, then the Trans Siberian to Ulanbataar. From Mongolia down through Central China, winding up in Chengdu – and onwards to Hong Kong.

Yesterday ArcticTropic boarded a train in Sofia for the 3 hour ride to Plovdiv in the south central part of Bulgaria.

Plovdiv is the oldest continually inhabited city in Europe, dating from 3000 BC. This Roman Amphitheater, was written about in this past Sunday’s New York Times. It dates from 98 A.D.

Street scene in the Old City.

A monument to the Soviet soldiers erected in 1945. They probably were not welcomed warmly since Bulgaria was on Germany’s side.

Saints of Bulgaria.

An Ottoman era house.

In March of this year ArcticTropic and family took an excursion to Germany. While hardly adventurous, it is where the Director as young boy lived while the family was transferred for work. It was in Germany where the quest for worldwide adventures began. We flew from MIami to Munich via London and went immediately to Garmisch in Bavaria and ascended the Zugspitze.

On top of the Zugspitze – Germany-Austria border.

The frozen Elbsee ,below the Zugspitze.

Sunrise over the Zugspitze – highest peak in Germany. After 3 days enjoying the snow, we headed North to Berlin.