Bi Shumin's cruise around the world-"Blue Ocean"

The weather was sunny on June 7, 2018

I once read Jules Verne's science fiction novel "Around the World in Eighty Days", which is about the protagonist Fogg in 1872. For a bet of 20,000 pounds (a huge sum of money at the time), the gentleman set out from London, spent a full 80 days circling the earth, and returned to London. At that time, there were no airplanes, only slow trains and coal-burning ships, which sounded incredible.

"Around the World in 80 Days" is a science fiction novel. It would have been impossible to travel around the world in 80 days more than 100 years ago, but the author's imagination is admirable and it is a very exciting book. novel.

In 2008, writer Bi Shumin took a cruise ship, which took 114 days to circle the earth, covering a distance of 52,248 kilometers. Her journey is much slower than that of Mr. Fogg more than 100 years ago, but it is more realistic and exciting.

Let me give you a brief introduction about Bi Shumin. He served as a soldier and a doctor in Tibet, and later became a psychological counselor and writer. Her special life experience has given her a special perspective, and she is my favorite writer.

This trip is said to have consumed half of Bi Shumin’s life savings. I wonder if she earned it back from the book "Blue Heaven"?

So what are the requirements for traveling around the world? Having money, time and good health are the three most basic conditions.

This is something that most readers are very concerned about. However, due to human nature, the author is unwilling to disclose how much money he spent in the book. But based on the information in the book, I can roughly calculate it.

First of all, there is the boat ticket. Although Bi Shumin is a well-known writer with a high income, he is not a wealthy person. She had the following conversation when booking a space with a travel agency.

The ferry ticket costs 167,500. The price in 2008 is not cheap anymore. But the boat ticket is only a small price, and the cost of land travel is much higher than the boat ticket.

Because you have to reach more than 20 ports and pass through countless countries along the way, there are hundreds of land routes listed in the ship book. The total cost is much more expensive than the ferry ticket. Many land routes require taking local buses. To fly, you must book air tickets, hotels, car rentals, etc. 4 and a half months in advance.

In order to save money, the author booked low-cost flights, which cannot be refunded or changed. Once the ship's itinerary is delayed, the ticket will be voided.

Among them, a six-day trip to the Galapagos Islands cost tens of thousands of dollars. The author was reluctant to go and regretted it very much.

In addition to air tickets and land travel expenses, there are also visa fees for N countries, port fees for arrival, environmental protection fees in Alaska, and tips of several thousand dollars, which is also a lot of money. cost.

The ticket includes three meals on board, and other items are expensive. Coin-operated laundry costs US$4 a time, and the simplest haircut costs RMB 300. It's impossible for you not to have a haircut for more than 3 months. In order to save money, the author actually used small scissors to give himself a haircut.

A minor cold costs more than 1,000.

The author spends 1,000 yuan each time on the wireless Internet card on the ship. When writing a blog, it will be all spent in a short time.

Insurance is compulsory, otherwise you will not be allowed to board the ship and will not be allowed to enter EU countries. The insurance premium totals several thousand yuan.

In addition to visiting so many places along the way, you have to buy some souvenirs and so on, which adds up to a lot of expenses.

I estimate that the author’s expenses for one person are between RMB 500,000 and 1 million. She did not disclose how many tourist routes she went to and the price of each route. She only said that it was much higher than ticket, but the book contains extensive descriptions of her participation in various activities. Including my son traveling with me, we have to multiply by 2, and the total cost is estimated to be around 1 million to 2 million.

The first thing is naturally time. People who have time often don’t have money. People who have money often don't have time. In fact, it was Bi Shumin's first time for Chinese citizens to travel around the world at sea in 2008. There were only six Chinese on board.

Secondly, you should prepare a large number of personal belongings before boarding the ship. But the weight limit per person is only 20 kilograms. For a trip of more than three months, 20 kilograms is not enough.

For example, you have to bring your own shampoo and soap, which weigh 1 kg. You should also bring clothes for each season. Although the room is air-conditioned, the room temperature cannot reach 24 degrees near the Arctic Circle.

Besides, you have to go out. There is a formal banquet on the ship, so you have to bring your own formal attire.

In addition, you must prepare US dollars, euros, and Japanese yen. Redemption is not possible on board the ship. Although various cards can be used to withdraw cash abroad. But the time for free activities is limited, and you can't let the whole team wait for you to exchange money.

Continuously traveling in different countries places high demands on one’s physical fitness. Unaccustomed to the climate, and often suffering from jet lag, it is not uncommon for tourists to fall ill and collapse in the past four months. Minor illnesses can be treated on board, but if you can't survive it, you'll have to give up your next trip and fly back home for treatment.

The cruise ship is managed by a Japanese company, and the itinerary is very strict, and there will never be any delays due to personal reasons of tourists. Passengers who participated in land tours also missed their schedule due to delays and had to take a plane to the next stop to catch up.

Therefore, you must also have the ability to travel freely in a foreign country.

The "Mir Cruise" departs from Yokohama Port in Japan, and its general direction is all the way west, passing through Vietnam, Singapore, Oman, and Jordan. Then through the Suez Canal, from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, and from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean. Via Egypt, many countries along the Mediterranean coast. Türkiye, Greece, Italy, Spain, France, Netherlands, arriving in Norway.

After that, we went to Iceland and Greenland, and after 6 days of sailing on the Atlantic Ocean, we arrived in New York, USA. Then from New York to Venezuela in Central America, followed by Panama. After passing through the Panama Canal, it returned from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Then, pass through Guatemala, Mexico, Canada, and reach Alaska in the United States.

After that, it took 9 days to cross the Pacific and return to Yokohama, Japan, completing a voyage around the earth.

The voyage was originally planned to be completed in 104 days, but due to ship repairs on the way, weather and other factors, it was delayed for 10 days.

As a person who loves traveling, I have been to some countries, most of which were in-depth self-guided tours, although I was able to see more carefully and experience them more deeply. But at the same time as the author, I connect the world into a circle, continuously visit different countries, quickly go from frigid to tropical to frigid zone, see different cultures and races, and be able to constantly compare and reflect. Completely different.

There is a view in philosophy that the whole picture is greater than the sum of its parts. If possible, we should still travel around the world in one go.

After reading this, do you want to take a trip like this? No money or time?

Then buy this book and follow the author’s journey around the world, along the ocean, and listen to the earth without makeup whispering to you the ancient story...