It starts with a flight to St Petersburg. From there I’ll make my way through to Moscow where i’ll cross Russia on the Trans Siberian Railway, through Mongolia where i’m going to chill in the Gobi desert for a few weeks. I love deserts, and the Gobi is remote, beautiful and has a rich history.

From Mongolia I’m going to cross into China and spend 2 to 3 months working in a circle from Beijing around the country in  a westerly direction to Kashgar, then south to Tibet and eventually crossing the country reaching Shanghai.

From Shanghai, it’s time to hit South East Asia. Hopefully at this stage, the seasons would have changed and i’d have missed the monsoon season and the associated humidity.

First stop will be Vietnam, starting in Ho Chi Minh City and working my way north to Hanoi. From Hanoi, a delightful 17 hour bus trip awaits to whisk me into Laos. I don’t have a plan for Laos – it seems like the country where one should wing it, so i’m going to wing it.

From Laos, I’ll cross into Cambodia for a month and then pitstop in Thailand for Christmas and New Years and meet some friends on a beach. I’ll spend another month in Thailand in the New Year, split between the rural north and beachy south.

From Thailand, i’ll head to Myanmar (Burma) and spend a month or 2 exploring the isolated beaches and pagodas of this stunning country. I’ll also go trekking in the mountains around Inle Lake.

Myanmar to Malaysia, working my way into Malaysian Borneo where the plan is to trek Mount Kinabalu and experience the sheer ‘wildness’ of it all.

A hop, skip and a jump from Kota Kinabalu are the Philippines where i’ll spend some time island hopping and exploring the mountains. A country with something like 3000 islands? I can see myself never leaving!

From the Philippines, i’ll spend a short while in Singapore before heading to Indonesia. I haven’t properly thought through this leg of the trip yet, but the goal is to skip on the touristy islands of Bali and Lombok (been there, loved it, but this trip is about getting off the beaten track). The only firm destinations in Indonesia at this point is Manado and the Banda Islands.

Indonesia to Australia, but my awesome South African Rand will ensure i’m only there for a week or 2.

From Australia, i’ll head to Central America and work my way from Panama to Mexico. This leg is still very early into its development, so i’ll update you on this when we get there.