El Sobrante, CA -- Last August I turned on my cell phone after 14 days on a fire in Hell's Canyon and found a message from a college friend. She said that she'd landed a job teaching English to German children in Beijing. What use is a friend in China if you don't visit her? I decided to go. A few weeks later, my sister suggested that I also visit her during her semester abroad in Dakar, the capital of Senegal. I looked into it and discovered flying from China to West Africa might break the bank. Luckily, though, there's an exciting and economical way to get from Beijing to Dakar -- make half the trip by train via Moscow on the Transiberian Railroad.
So that's the plan. I'm in the Bay Area right now, where I've been visiting my aunt, uncle, and cousin, but I'm leaving for the airport in about an hour. San Francisco to Beijing to Moscow to Paris to Dakar to Portland, with stops and side-trips along the way. We'll see how it goes. Check in here for updates.
