A little over two years after I returned from my Grand Adventure on 8 August 2018, I finally completed writing my blog posts of the 100 days spent during the trip. I had initially targeted to complete the posts on 8 August 2020 (exactly two years after my return), but I missed the mark by five days (my Day 100 post was published on 13 August 2020). Nevertheless, I am very happy that I finished the task.
Writing the posts was a mammoth undertaking, as I averaged about 1,600 words per post and tried to capture as much details as possible. With the passage of time, certain memories faded and my writing became much less vivid. However, writing the posts allowed me to revisit those wonderful memories and I felt as if I was actually back there again.
As we are currently in the midst of a pandemic, the ability to transport ourselves to a foreign country becomes even more valuable. With COVID-19 shutting down international borders, we are not allowed to travel for leisure now, and for the near future. As I wrote my blog posts, I was reminded of how incredibly lucky I was to have managed to complete the entire trip successfully. The timing worked out perfectly.
If I had planned to embark on my Grand Adventure only in December 2019, I would have been devastated that I couldn’t complete my trip the way I envisioned it as COVID-19 would have forced me to return home less than halfway through my trip. Or if COVID-19 had happened two months before I was due to set off, I would have been equally devastated, as all the months of preparation and research would have gone down the drain. The bottomline is, everything has its time and place, and I was supremely blessed that my Grand Adventure took place when it was supposed to.
COVID-19 has been with us for only eight months so far but it has changed the way we travel forever. When I look back at the way I travelled and the activities I did during my trip, I fear that none of that would be remotely possible again in the future. I am not sure if I will feel safe enough to stay in a cramped, 10-bed dormitory again. Or watch a FIFA World Cup match with 80,000 other fans in a stadium. Even the most basic of human greetings, a handshake, is no longer possible in the new world order. These were things we took for granted in the past.
Hopefully one day, COVID-19 will be fully eradicated and life will return to normal once again. I look forward to the time when I can take an airplane and walk the streets without wearing a mask. Let us stay positive and stay safe, and defeat COVID-19 together as a human race. It is not about one country successfully defeating the virus; it is about the whole world doing it together. We have weathered so many storms in the history of mankind. We can do so again.
To wrap up this final post about the Grant Adventure, here are some figures to summarise my trip:
The Grand Adventure
Travel dates: 1 May to 8 August 2018
Number of days: 100
Number of countries visited: 19
Countries visited (in order): Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Russia, Mongolia, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia
Number of cities/major towns visited: 44
Cities visited (in order):
Greece: Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, Kalambaka, Thessaloniki
Bulgaria: Blagoevgrad, Sofia
Serbia: Belgrade
Hungary: Budapest
Austria: Vienna, Salzburg, Berchtesgaden (Germany, day trip)
Czech Republic: Cesky Krumlov, Prague
Germany: Dresden, Hamburg
Denmark: Copenhagen
Sweden: Gothenburg
Norway: Oslo, Stavanger, Odda, Bergen
Sweden: Stockholm
Finland: Helsinki
Estonia: Tallinn
Russia: St. Petersburg, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod
Mongolia: Ulaanbaatar
China: Beijing, Shanghai, Zhangjiajie, Fenghuang, Changsha, Nanning
Vietnam: Hanoi, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Ho Chi Minh City
Cambodia: Phnom Penh, Siem Reap
Thailand: Bangkok, Hat Yai
Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur
Number of international flights taken: 1 (Singapore to Athens)
Number of domestic flights taken: 2 (Santorini to Athens; Shanghai to Zhangjiajie)
Number of trains taken: 23
Number of buses taken: 15
Number of ferries/cruises taken: 4
Number of cars taken: 1
Longest train journey: 92 hours (Trans-Mongolian Railway from Nizhny Novgorod to Ulaanbaatar)
Longest bus journey: 17 hours (Hanoi to Hoi An in Vietnam, including a bus transfer in Huế)
Longest ferry/cruise journey: 17 hours (Stockholm to Helsinki)
Total distance travelled for the entire trip (between countries/cities): 32,807km
By plane: 10,568km
9,048km (Singapore-Athens); 220km (Santorini-Athens); 1,300km (Shanghai-Zhangjiajie).
By train: 16,237km
355km (Athens-Kalambaka); 228km (Kalambaka-Thessaloniki); 379km (Belgrade-Budapest); 214km (Budapest-Vienna); 251km (Vienna-Salzburg); 118km (Prague-Dresden); 380km (Dresden-Hamburg); 288km (Hamburg-Copenhagen); 228km (Copenhagen-Gothenburg); 254km (Gothenburg-Oslo); 302km (Oslo-Stavanger); 306km (Bergen-Oslo); 415km (Oslo-Stockholm); 650km (St. Petersburg-Moscow); 402km (Moscow-Nizhny Novgorod); 5,805km (Nizhny Novgorod-Ulaanbaatar); 1,553km (Ulaanbaatar-Beijing); 1,318km (Beijing-Shanghai); 887km (Changsha-Nanning); 396km (Nanning-Hanoi); 945km (Bangkok-Hat Yai); 57km (Hat Yai-Padang Besar); 506km (Padang Besar-Kuala Lumpur).
By bus: 5,040km
195km (Thessaloniki-Blagoevgrad); 100km (Blagoevgrad-Sofia); 392km (Sofia-Belgrade); 173km (Cesky Krumlov-Prague); 193km (Stavanger-Odda); 134km (Odda-Bergen); 370km (Tallinn-St. Petersburg); 434km (Fenghuang-Changsha); 796km (Hanoi-Hoi An); 511km (Hoi An-Nha Trang); 435km (Hoi An-HCMC); 228km (HCMC-Phnom Penh); 318km (Phnom Penh-Siem Reap); 410km (Siem Reap-Bangkok); 351km (Kuala Lumpur-Singapore).
By ferry/cruise: 745km
153km (Athens-Mykonos); 115km (Mykonos-Santorini); 397km (Stockholm-Helsinki); 80km (Helsinki-Tallinn).
By car: 217km (Salzburg-Cesky Krumlov)
Total amount spent on transport (between cities/countries): S$3,805.03
Flights: S$969.88
Trains: S$2,005.05
Buses: S$466.04
Ferries/cruises: S$311.26
Car: S$52.80
Most expensive journey: S$730.48 (Trans-Mongolian Railway)
Total amount spent on accommodation: S$4,192.49
Most expensive accommodation*: S$108.67 (Salzburg)
Least expensive accommodation*: S$S$7.68 (Phnom Penh)
* Based on one person’s rate for one night
Total number of currencies used: 16
Currencies used: Euro, Bulgarian Lev, Serbian Dinar, Hungarian Forint, Czech Krona, Danish Krone, Norwegian Krone, Swedish Krona, Russian Ruble, Mongolian Tughrik, Chinese Yuan, Vietnamese Dong, Cambodian Riel, Thai Baht, Malaysian Ringgit, US Dollar