First things first...

The big title up there should give you a clue: I'm travelling from Germany to China, for the most part on my own. It will be like one of those Charlie Boorman shows, except I don't have a support crew, or 4-star accommodation at the taxpayer's expense, or anything really. I'm not even famous for not being Ewan McGregor.

Most of it will be done by train, with a bit of bus, shared taxi and hitch-hiking thrown in. The countries I'm visiting are as follows: Germany, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Iran, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, China, and finally Hong Kong, by which time it should (hopefully) be January. Seems very straight-forward on Google Maps, but once you start sorting out the visas, travel arrangements, medical provisions etc. you realise that some of it is a right pain in the arse. But, like a lot of things, being persistent has its rewards.

I did this in two minutes but you get the idea

Why Munich? Well, I had originally planned to do the entire journey overland from London to Hong Kong. This idea was killed off when I looked at the Eurostar prices, which aren't included in an Interrail pass. It's just cheaper to fly to Europe via EasyJet. My cousin Rob lives here as well (I'm writing this on his laptop), making it an obvious starting point for my assault on the Eastern hemisphere.

Why Hong Kong? That's an easy one - my Southampton mate/Awooga F.C. team-mate Alex and his wife Nancy have offered to put me up after a few months hard travelling. There I will probably act as a temporary adopted son, minus the usual drawbacks of having my nappies changed, or putting bath foam into the video player (I actually did this once.)

If I make it all the way - and I'm under no illusions as to how hard it will be - then I'll have a straight-forward decision to make. If I'm feeling homesick then I'll fly back to England, otherwise I will stay on in China and teach English somewhere. Ciaran, another of my Southampton mates, is already teaching in Guangzhou, the penultimate stop on my trip. I hope to join him in Facebook-ban exile in January.

I'm cheating a little bit in October by flying from Iran to Uzbekistan, skipping out Turkmenistan. This is thanks to the North Korea-esque xenophobia of the Turkmen authorities, who require all foreign visitors on a tourist visa to be accompanied at all times by an official state guide, to the tune of $50 per day. This guide bloke could turn out to be a great laugh, but I'm not paying for his bloody meals.

The main logistical challenge is getting into China. I plan to cross over the Tian Shan mountains from Kyrgyzstan, which is only possible via two lonely mountain passes - the Torugart and the Irkeshtam. Both are known to snow over during the winter months (and this is the Kyrgyz mountains, not the Cotswolds, so winter lasts from October to May), and it will be a close call as to whether I make it. Plan B is simply to fly.

Another challenge is Xinjiang province, which is the largest and most Westerly region of China. It's also the only one which is predominantly Muslim, and there have been serious political tensions in the past few years. In Kashgar, the first stop on my Chinese jolly, 15 people were killed in an uprising in July. The Chinese visa people in London routinely reject applicants intending to visit Xinjiang unless they provide a precise itinerary (plane tickets, hotel bookings etc.) Obviously I can't provide these yet, which is partly the reason I am applying for my visa on the road.

I hope this blog will be a good way of staying in touch, and it will certainly save me a lot on postcards. I'm currently with my brother Mike, who is accompanying me all the way to.... Budapest. I'll report back on our adventures soon. Tschüss!