I want to walk along the Silk Road. I have a strong desire to explore Central Asia. Their culture and geographical position have always fascinated me. After visiting Bukhara and Samarkand, I want to head to Anatolia. A side quest in Istanbul. Then Andalusia, the Papal State, and the Swiss Alps. Like the Vikings, I want to go to Scandinavia. I’ll gaze in wonder at the Northern Lights in the night sky.

Can we forget the Balkan States? I’ll visit Ceaușescu’s and Tito’s countries. Dracula may not exist, but Vlad does. I’ll explore Vlad’s Transylvania. Through Eastern Europe, I’ll head to Petrograd. Midway, I might stop at the sight of vast wheat fields and blue skies. Taking a lungful of air, I’ll ride the Trans-Siberian Railway eastward. If I find solid ice between the Diomede Islands, I’ll cross to Alaska. I’ll feel sorry for the Tsar then, though. I’ll seek out Alaskan tribes. I’ll talk to them. Past Canada’s green-and-yellow pine forests, I’ll reach Niagara and be disappointed. Then I’ll run off to the Nevada desert. Camping there for one night wouldn’t be bad. I’ll see Orion, Andromeda. And UFOs at Area Fifty-One if they exist. Then my goal will be to meet Native Americans. To hear their mythology. Cross the Panama Canal and head to the Darién Gap. I’ll cross the Amazon. Who knows, maybe I’ll find a new El Dorado! I’ll get bitten by mutant mosquitoes in Brazil, but the lure of interesting Latin America ahead will keep me going. I’ll wander the alleys of Argentina and Chile. Listen to their music. After hugging penguins on the Falkland Islands, I’ll set out to cross the Atlantic. Can I not stop at Tristan da Cunha along the way? I’ll stay there for two days, cross the sea, and reach the Cape of Good Hope. Africa. I’ll explore Cape Town, Lesotho. Eswatini too. After measuring the slope of the Congo River, I’ll head to the savanna. I’ll see elephants, zebras, giraffes. Hippos too. Following the Nile’s great-grandchildren, I’ll reach Alexandria. Will Antony’s coffin still be there? And Cleopatra’s? I’ll visit Abu Simbel too, perhaps. After Cairo, through the Sinai Peninsula to Bethlehem. I’ll befriend a local and ask to tour their grape fields. They surely won’t refuse! Since I’m in Palestine anyway, I must see Jerusalem! I’ll go to the Dead Sea in Jordan. I’ll laugh for a couple of hours thinking about what lies beneath. After chatting with Arab Bedouins, I’ll head to Persia. Between the Tigris and Euphrates. I’ll read a few lines of Rumi’s poetry and search for the Yazidis. After chatting with the Mandaeans about their ethnicity, I might stop in Kandahar. I’ll eat Afghan food. I’ve come to Afghanistan — how can I not go to Ahmad Shah Massoud’s Panjshir? They say snow falls like cotton there. I’ll verify Massoud’s words then. Next, I’ll stop in Kashmir. I’ll ride a boat on the Jhelum River for a while. Then Maharashtra. Nasik. I’ll board a train on the Konkan route, cutting through green hills. After touring South India, I’ll hop on the Vivek Express and get off in Northeast India. From Dibrugarh, I’ll go to Mizoram. I’ll get soaked in the rain. Then through Kohima to Myanmar. I’ll explore Mrauk U. After Arakan, through Yangon to Cambodia. I’ll see the prehistoric hillside monuments there. Then Vietnam. I need to see their geography firsthand. There’s definitely something interesting in Vietnam. American soldiers got beaten black and blue on that soil! I might stay a few days in Cebu, Philippines. Then I’ll go to Pitcairn Islands. I’ll hear the tale of the Bounty mutiny. I’ll want to stay there. But I’ll talk my heart into going to Tahiti. Will the Marshall Islands, Palau, Tuvalu still exist by then? Next, Australia. I’ll joke with the Aboriginals in Tamil to see if they still understand the Dravidian language! In New Zealand, I’ll watch the Maori haka dance. Along with the nature there. Then I’ll head to Antarctica. I’ll tour the research centers there. Standing on the South Pole for a few seconds wouldn’t be bad.

For now, let me go to sleep! This dream won’t let me sleep.

‘Dream of Wandering’ Fifth November, Two Thousand Twenty-Five Two fifty-three at night.