Hello everyone this is my first posting and I'm looking forward to reading any follow ups.
As as now I'm living in Osaka, Japan teaching English and I'm going to end my one year stint in Sept. I'm orginally from the U.S. (Wisconsin) so I figured I would make it one full circle of the globe by traveling from SE Asia through Russia and into Western Europe and the flying from Europe back to the States. I'm going solo and this is going to be my first major backpacking trip. Am I in over my head? I don't think so but perhaps I'm naive.
I've done plenty of research and my must hits are the temples at Ankor, Vietnam, Southwest china, Beijing, Mongolia, Trans-Siberian railway and Italy. Time is unlimited but my cash isn't. I figure I could have $5000 American for the trip. I'm thinking that I'll arrange the Trans-Siberia/Mongolia leg of the journey through
www.monkeyshrine.com. From Moscow I'll travel directly into Europe to make use of a 15 day railpass. Then I'll probably fly out of London to New York on a dirt cheap oneway Air India ticket ($180). Any advice/reccommendations. As a quick note I have no objections to long train rides as my favorite part of travel is the medatative feeling of staring blankly at passing scenery.