On August 10 a special train with mentally handicapped tourists started a journey from Venice (Italy) to Beijing. 220 people accompanied by relatives and doctors will cross Europe, Russia, Mongolia, and will reach China – the final destination - on August 28.
      According to the trip’s organizers, the journey is a way for the mentally handicapped people to state: “We exist! And we have a full right to a normal life!”
      Last year another group of mentally handicapped travellers crossed the Atlantic Ocean on a sailing ship; however, that time the group consisted of only 10 people.
      It is also known that there are plans of shooting a documentary about the trip during which the doctors will gather all necessary scientific data on their patients.
      
      A note by Wikitravel: The Trans-Siberian Railway is the name given to the three rail routes that traverse Siberia from Moscow. These are: the Trans-Mongolian - goes from Moscow to Beijing, China via Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; the Trans-Manchurian - travels through Siberia and Chinese Manchuria to Beijing; and the Trans-Siberian - goes from Moscow to the Pacific terminus of Vladivostok.
      The Trans-Siberian Railway is the longest railway in the world. It was built between 1891 and 1916 to connect the Russian capital Moscow with the Far-East city of Vladivostok. En route it passes through the cities of Perm, Yekaterinburg, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Chita and Khabarovsk.
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      Source: www.dni.ru wikitravel.org