For my last two-month long break as a student in 2019, I decided to take 48 days to travel overland from Xinjiang, China back home to Singapore!

The plan to start at Xinjiang Province was derived from my desire to visit after hearing so much about it. I posted my plan online and found a local travel buddy who was also keen to visit Xinjiang. Christine will join me for the first 14 days of my 48 day journey. Whilst searching for possible routes home, I was presented with the choice of returning back to Singapore via either the China-Lao or China-Vietnam border. Due to time constraints, I eventually crossed the China-Lao border which allowed me to return back to Singapore within just 10 days of exiting China.

Yet, reading up travel encounters from others online heightened my awareness of the risk in purchasing one-way tickets. One-way ticket holder might encounter problems at the boarding gate. Without a return ticket, the airline who flew one to the host country would have to be responsible for deportation, should anything occur to the said traveler in the host country. An alternative would be to present exit proof from the host country in my case, China. As the China-Lao Border can only be crossed via bus transportation which tickets I was not able to pre-book online, I decided to purchase an international train ticket that leaves Nanning in China and arrives in Hanoi, Vietnam as evidence of exit. Since my plan was to travel from Laos from China, I intended to refund the international ticket once I have been given clearance. Additionally I also prepared enough to purchase a flight ticket out of China in the case the international train ticket did not suffice as proof of exit. With a backup plan and a bag full of nerves, I purchased my one way ticket to Urumqi on 31st March 2019, nearly three months ahead of our scheduled departure on 25 May 2019.

This journey was planned around my desire to visit destinations like Xinjiang Province, Litang (Garze Tibetan Prefecture) and Luang Namtha (Laos) which I would stay put for at least three days before moving on. Other destinations functioned as a transit-points for my overland route where I would stay a night before continuing on. It certainly helped to know that I was stopping by shopping destinations like Bangkok and food paradises like Ipoh in Malaysia! Singaporeans who intend to stay in Mainland China for more than two weeks will have to apply for a visa, which I did by getting a relative to extend an invite. One can submit a handwritten letter by referencing detailed templates displayed at the Chinese Embassy of Singapore.

I returned back home to Singapore on 13 July 2019, shades darker, and many experiences richer. I couldn’t tell if I smelled but it was a journey I would never forget. By typing it down, I hope to relive my experiences as I move along with the hustle and bustle of life.