BOURNE End resident Sarah Rees, 22 is embarking on the journey of a lifetime with a three-month train trip from Russia to Thailand – and you can read about her adventures at bucksfreepress.co.uk.

Sarah, who works as a learning support assistant at Stony Dean School, Amersham left yesterday for her trip that will take in St Petersburg, Moscow, Beijing, Xian, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand.

She’ll be keeping you up to date with a blog and pictures on her trip, “inspired by the Paul Theroux book The Great Railway Bazaar and planned when I was supposed to be trying to write my dissertation!”

She says: “A highlight of this train extravaganza is going to be the famous Trans-Mongolian Express, a seven-day epic that will transport me from Moscow to Beijing through the dramatic countryside of Mongolia.”

Date: Sunday 19th July Location: Bourne End

Well here I am at last, teetering on the edge of a day I never thought would come! I am very excited! (But also very tired after the Big Send Off party last night).

Today was ruck-sack-packing day, which has been more stressful than I envisaged – 65 litres really isn’t a lot of space, and a few things had to be brutally abandoned in the desperate attempt to shut the thing. But it is done now and I feel much calmer.

It weighs an absolute tonne though, and the only way of hoisting it onto my back is by sitting down and wriggling into the straps before standing up like some great wobbling elephant. That will get fairly embarrassing.

Everything else is ready; visas, train tickets, hostel bookings, currency. I feel prepared and not half as scared as I thought I’d be. The only point of dread is that the alarm is set for 4am tomorrow – ouch. A 7am flight seemed a reasonable idea back in January!

Tomorrow is a flight to St Petersburg, where I will spend the week before catching an overnight train to Moscow on Friday. I know very little about Russia so I am intrigued as to what kind of place it will be. I am also hoping that my measly phrase book is going to be enough to get me around the rather large language barrier!

A few last minute songs to load onto the iPod and then I will be going to bed. Russia here we come!