The highest point in the Abajo Mountains of southern Utah--aptly named ABAJO PEAK--will serve as this month's alphabetical springboard. And let's make things interesting: begin at the peak's summit, a not insubstantial 3,463 meters (11,362 feet) above sea level. From Abajo's crest, an unusually green southern Utah stretches out before you, while in the distance the familiar red deserts can be glimpsed as well. The Abajo mountains are less trod by tourists, though they are brimming with trails--a perfect combination.

We now descend the peak and, after taking in our fill of Abajo country, we head to our next stop: BALANCED ROCK, one of the many wonders of Arches National Park [entrance fee: US$5 per person or US$10 per vehicle]. The hiking here is incredible, as is the camping, climbing, and opportunities for photography. After a day or two at Arches, we head to CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK [entrance fee: US$5 per person or US$10 per vehicle]. Let's add three more Cs, just for kicks: Cataract Canyon, the Colorado River, and Chesler Park: all integral parts of this Canyonlands journey. Seriously, folks--if you've never been to southern Utah, what are you waiting for?

We started on a mountaintop, journeyed to a massive boulder, and now we seek the incredible DOUBLE-PINE ARCH, a seemingly impossible stretch of rock set between two massive pines in inspiring Zion National Park [US$12 per person or US$25 per vehicle]. While here, we'll stand in awe of the Great White Throne and strike out for the Narrows--among other things. Lots of hiking and camping in these parts. Then, having tasted Zion, we'll leave the park--and make our way to EUREKA, Nevada. You'll have to change course somewhat, traveling northwest, rather than straight west, but eventually you'll end up on the Loneliest Road in America--otherwise known as Highway 50. By the way, most people in Eureka (teenagers included) are armed, so don't mess with anybody.

With that, we bid adieu to the grand US of A and cross the Pacific by air [US$615 on Singapore Airlines], only to land 22 hours later in the sprawling capital of INDONESIA: JAKARTA. Obviously there's much to do and see in this, one of the world's great island nations, but we're here for real adventure journeys. Thus, we head to an island that veritably reeks of adventure: Borneo [roundtrip tickets from Jakarta to Kuching on Malaysia Airlines: US$430]. From the great city of Kuching (notice that we're not using Kuching as our K-word. Why? Well, we did use it already--in a previous World A-Z. Can you find it?), we make our way by bus [fare: chump change] through the mountainous jungle inland, over the Malaysian-Indonesian border (now we're back in Indonesia) to the town of Bengkayang [accommodation: chump change] . From here, head northeast, into the jungle area of Papan and Madi. Time to learn an obscure language: KENDAYAN, spoken by some 150,000 people, mostly jungle-dwellers.

Kendayan mastered? We told you it'd be worth it--learning a language usually is. After returning to Kuching, the saga continues to our next rendezvous point: the LAKE PARK in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia [airfare: US$147 on Malaysia Airlines]. Lake Park, created almost a century-and-a-half ago, is an amalgam of lakes, fountains, bridges, and botanical gardens--and will serve as our starting point on the long, overland trip ahead.

Our mode of transport: railroad. We'll board the train in Kuala Lumpur and take it all the way to Padang Besar [fare: less than US$100], perched on the northernmost tip of the country. This border town can best be described in one word: MARKET. Indeed, the best of both Thailand and Malaysia can be found here, but for killer deals; the Malaysians themselves come here seeking the best prices. But let's not waste too much time on the border; we've got to reach NAKHON SAWAN, Thailand, and specifically that country's largest freshwater lake, Boraphet. Any time you can visit a large-scale crocodile breeding center like the one on this lake, why not take advantage of it?

Having set eyes on Burma, it's now time to backtrack a little, to Chiang Mai, set on the banks of the PING RIVER, from where we'll briefly take to the air--to Kunming, China [US$391 on China Eastern; accommodation here can be had for under US$8 per night]. More specifically, we'll meet in the QINGNIAN LU district, from where we'll take a few days to explore this, the "City of Eternal Spring." After a week or two here (Yunnan Province is full of adventure for those who seek it), we'll set out by train, past RICE PADDIES and some of the most photogenic mountains on the planet, into SICHUAN PROVINCE and its capital, Chengdu [fare: US$20; accommodation: under US$5].

CLICK MAP TO SEE ROUTE

This ten-million-person city is just a stopover--but we suggest a week or two, or even more, to explore the area. Heck, from Chengdu you can even take a two-day bus to Tibet (there's a trip you'll never forget), but we digress. After thoroughly exploring the area, it's time to continue. We go now to one of China's enormous colonies: East TURKESTAN, though known by another name by its Chinese masters. From Chengdu, then, we board the--you guessed it--train to East Turkestan's current capital city: URUMQI [fare: US$67; accommodation: under US$4]. The trip will take just under two days, and we'll cut across central and western China. Another U-word: Uighur, the name of the largest East Turkestani ethnic group, as well as their language. Kendayan not enough for you? Why not learn Uighur? Just a thought. You'll be able to converse with 8 million Uighurs, and understand bits and pieces from most Turkic languages. Consider it, for us.

East Turkestan is home to some of the world's great mountain and desert wastelands, oases, and a history forever transposed upon the Silk Road. The area is deserving of several weeks, at least. While here, don't be fooled by abundant Chinese government propaganda; try mixing with the real locals as much as possible, but don't get them into trouble... Then it's off to Kushi (by rail, of course) [fare: US$25], not far from Tajikistan's border. From there, make your way by automobile [fare: chump change] to the fork in the road that leads to Tashkurgar to the south and to Tajikistan to the west--and go west. Now it's over the Kulma Pass (4,362 meters; 15,967 feet) for us, then on to Murghob. Welcome to Tajikistan. More specifically, welcome to the Pamirs. Be on the lookout for the Bearded VULTURE, a native here. This route, flanked by craggy mountains and razor-like summits, is one of the great (albeit bumpy) road trips on earth.

	Being in the Pamirs, you are in WAKHI country. The Wakhi people have no recognized, sovereign homeland, but are instead spread out across Tajikistan, East Turkestan, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.

We have now laid eyes for the last time (at least on this trip) on XINJIANG (the Chinese name for East Turkestan). Indeed, we are now firmly and deeply in that most mountainous of countries, Tajikistan.

As with so many nation-states on our trans-world journey, we are faced now with the task of completely crossing the country. There is much to see and do here, of course, though we highly recommend YISHUL KUL, an intensely scenic, drying lake high in the Pamirs, and not far off the Pamir highway, our road of choice. After roaming the Pamirs, we'll hire a car to Khorog [fare: less than US$40], then board a plane (get ready: this is one of the coolest flights you'll ever experience) to Dushanbe [fare: US$80, in a tiny aircraft that likes to glide alarmingly close to mountain peaks]. If you can remember back that far, we began this whole adventure on a mountaintop. Let's end it high up as well. To do that, we'll drive from Dushanbe into the ZERAFSHAN RANGE, formed by a river of the same name, to the high-elevation, ancient ruins of Penjikent. For the sake of adding one more Z-word, let's make mention here of the millenia-old Zoroastrian temples here, or what remains of them. A perfect setting to contemplate the fantastic journey we've just completed.

MORE WORLD A-Z FROM ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT TO ZEBALLOS, CANADA FROM ABAJO PEAK, UTAH TO THE ZERAVSHAN RIVER, TAJIKISTAN FROM AMBATO, ECUADOR TO NORTHEASTERN ZAMBIA FROM AHMEDABAD, INDIA TO THE ZAZA HOMELAND, TURKEY

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