Asian Geographic Issue 03/2017 (125) | Page 6

No. 125 • SPECIAL EDITION 2017–2018 expeditionS issue CONTENTS picturesque 14 The Great Explorers Journey along the Silk Road, the Great Wall, into the Mekong, and in the footsteps of Zhang He and Marco Polo BY MICHAEL YAMASHITA reflections 26 Voyages of Discovery Trace the routes of some of history’s geographic pioneers revealed 28 Walking the Wilds 88 Tuk-Tuk Adventures Sarah Marquis discusses walking around the world – solo care 58 IMAGE © MICHAEL LEE Follow the escapades of a tuk-tuk fundraising initiative BY HASTINGS FORMAN nature 30 heritage The Ghost Lands 48 The Lyakhovsky Islands are home to a high concentration of mammoth remains, drawing tusk hunters and palaeontologists to these shores passport 102 A Step Back in Time BY ALEX CAMPBELL The world’s longest railway traverses Asia. In celebration of its 101 years, we explore the legacy of the iconic Trans-Siberian Railway BY JEAN-FRANÇOIS LAGROT MEMORIES 108 On the Roof of the World BY SARAH CHEW icon 112 Zheng He BY HASTINGS FORMAN BY SOPHIE IBBOTSON, ANNIE LING science 40 culture The New Space Race China and India vie for supremacy in the region’s space exploration programmes – from the Moon to Mars BY NAMRATA GOSWAMI Making Tracks 58 On the Silk Road A caravan of camels crossing the desert is the epitome of the Silk Road. But why were they journeying? BY SOPHIE IBBOTSON, MICHAEL LEE Chairman LIM Geok Khoon Publisher/Editorial Director Accounts Managers (Regional) John THET • [email protected] Desmond HO • [email protected] Anne LOW • [email protected] Editor Alex W. CAMPBELL • [email protected] associate editor Ian BONGSO-SELDRUP • [email protected] online editor Hastings FORMAN • [email protected] senior Graphic Designer Shellen TEH • [email protected] contributing designer events & marketing executive Spencer NAH • [email protected] Senior Manager Victor OW • [email protected] Operations Executive contributors Namrata GOSWAMI, Sophie IBBOTSON, Jean-François LAGROT, Kris LEBOUTILLIER, Michael LEE, Annie LING, David RENGEL, Aaron “Bertie” GEKOSKI, Michael YAMASHITA Editorial Submissions • [email protected] Subscriptions • [email protected] Feedback • [email protected] Kaero TEO • [email protected] EDITORIAL Intern Sarah CHEW • [email protected] Tin HTWE • [email protected] WEB/IT Dutch CATALON • [email protected] ASIAN Geographic is published bi-monthly by Asian Geographic Magazines Pte Ltd, 20 Bedok South Road, Singapore 469277 Singapore Tel: +(65) 6298 3241 Fax: +(65) 6291 2068 • Email: [email protected] Printed in Singapore by KHL Printing Co Pte Ltd