Recommendation
prolog

Part 1.
First day heading to the continent
From Donghae Port to Vladivostok
International passenger ship to Vladivostok
Visit to the Vladivostok Independence Movement site
Vladivostok Tourism

Part 2.
Crossing the Siberian Plain
Forced migration of Koryo people, 'Rizdolnoye'
Khabarovsk on the Amur River
Running through the virgin forests of the Siberian Plains
Belogorsk, the 'Free City Massacre' of the Independence Army
Siberia burning in peat
Trans-Siberian battle
Romance and hardship on the pastoral plains
Relaxation on the pristine lake “Lake Baikal”
Chunwon Lee Gwang-su's novel "Yujeong" and the refreshing shamanism

Part 3.
Journey to Inner Mongolia
From Lake Baikal to Mongolia
Mongolian Plateau, the hometown of Genghis Khan
Tibetan Buddhism in Mongolia and Early Modern Mongolian History
Passing through the Mongolian Plateau and the Gobi Desert
Elenhot, a border city in Inner Mongolia, China
Taihang Mountain and Xuan Temple in Datong, Shanxi Province
Pingyao Ancient City of the Ming Dynasty

Part 4.
China's Silk Road section
Chang'an of the Tang Dynasty and Xi'an of the Ming Dynasty
The Silk Road begins in Xi'an
Loess Plateau and the Haseo Corridor
Jiayuguan, the westernmost gate of the Great Wall
Dunhuang, the Silk Road's "international transit trade" city
Dunhuang Grottoes and the Wangwu Heavenly Kingdom Hall
Jade Gate and Yang Gate, gateways to the Silk Road
From 'Hami' to 'Turpan'
Turpan's 'Gochang Ancient City, Jiao Ancient City'
Silk Road 'Otani' relics
Kucha, the ancient settlement of the Taklamakan Desert
Footsteps of the Ancient Silla People and the Kizil Caves
Kashgar, the holy city of the Uyghurs
The Pamir Plateau, the Roof of the Earth
Crossing the Tian Shan Mountains and the Tian Shan Plateau

Part 5.
Central Asian Silk Road section
Entry into Kyrgyzstan
Tashkent's Koryo Village
Samarkand Goguryeo ruins, the Afrasiab Museum
Remains of the Timurid Empire
Bukhara Acro (Castle), the ancient Silk Road capital
Khiva Castle and the Hardships of the Kyzylkum Desert
Kazakhstan in the northern Caspian Sea

Part 6.
South Russia and Georgia
Astrakhan, lower reaches of the Volga River in southern Russia
Beyond the Caucasus Mountains to Georgia
Tbilisi, Georgia tourism
Black Sea port “Batumi” and Turkey’s “Trabzon”

Part 7.
Destination: Turkey
Sivas and Cappadocia on the Anatolian Plateau
Ankara's Korean War Memorial arrives in Istanbul
Istanbul's Silk Road Friendship and Cooperation Monument
The end of the long journey and return home

Retirement is a challenge, crossing the Pamir Plateau and the Tian Shan Mountains by car!
The Silk Road and Eurasian Crossing: A Journey Filled with the Footsteps of the Korean People

『22,000km Crossing Eurasia』 is a two-month journey of three teams using three of the most durable 'Mojave' vehicles, starting from the East Sea, passing through Lake Baikal in Siberia, Mongolia, the Pamir Plateau, the Tian Shan Mountains and the Tian Shan Plateau along the Silk Road in China, and finally reaching Istanbul in Central Asia, Turkey, covering 22,000km.


Car travel comes with many inconveniences, including diesel fuel and urea water, insurance for each country, highway tolls, consulting fees for Chinese entry permits, and replacement of car parts before departure.
In the Gobi Desert of Inner Mongolia, parts were also airlifted from Seoul.
Since I had no experience with long-distance car trips through remote areas, I had a hard time bringing enough side dishes, snacks, and first aid kits from Seoul.
Fortunately, those countries have maintenance shops that are open on Saturdays, Sundays, and even late at night, which reduces inconvenience.
However, the unfriendly and inefficient administrative procedures of border officials working in remote areas such as deserts and plateaus made road travel even more difficult.
Therefore, everything in the world is a mixture of good and bad things.

The final stop on our Eurasian journey is the Hagia Sophia Museum in Istanbul.
The Hagia Sophia Museum, which has been used as a museum since 1934 after being a former Eastern Orthodox cathedral and Islamic mosque, is also famous for being a place where Christians and Muslims can enjoy history together, as Christian and Islamic cultures coexist.
The entrance fee to the Hagia Sophia Museum is 40 euros (60,000 won) instead of Turkish lira.
The Hagia Sophia Museum has long lines of tourists from all over the world waiting to buy tickets.

The Hagia Sophia Museum was built in the 6th century and has withstood several earthquakes.
The Ottoman Empire converted Hagia Sophia into a mosque in the 15th century, which it used for over 500 years.
The early modern Turkish Republic was transformed into a museum for tourists, charging high admission fees, allowing visitors to experience the power of its history and culture.

"Crossing Eurasia, 22,000km" is a challenge after retirement.
This book is a delightful travel book that allows readers to follow in the footsteps of our Korean people, confirming and taking pride in the history and culture that exists in Siberia, Lake Baikal, the Silk Road, and Eurasia. It is also a history book that encompasses culture and art.
As this was my first time crossing Eurasia by car, I had many difficulties with administrative procedures, such as being able to enter China only through Mongolia and only using a Chinese driver's license. However, upon arriving in Istanbul, my final destination, I felt as if I could fly and finished the crossing with a light heart. I rested and enjoyed my time in Istanbul, sent my car by boat, and returned to Korea to work on my manuscript for a year.

Therefore, this book is an excellent humanities travel guide for readers who enjoy traveling and are interested in history and culture.