Posts Tagged ‘Tajikistan’

Day 160. 62km. Moon – Sarytash

Posted: October 10, 2015 in Cycling, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan
Tags: , , , ,
3

The weather threw everything at us as we left the roof of the world. Our headwind remained. It snowed over the pass on the border with Kyrgyzstan, and pissed down as we descended. Then the sun broke, the tailwind was rolled out, and we crossed the most spectacular valley flanked with massive snowy peaks. Welcome to Kyrgyzstan.

Looking back at the Pamirs

Looking back at the Pamirs

One of my favourite videos is ‘The Road to Karakol’. A mountaineer cycles around Kyrgyzstan, climbing peaks, and nearly dying as he has to cross a raging river. The video is funny, the scenery is spectacular, and it gets me emotional whenever I see it. In one scene, the cyclist has a race with a little boy on a horse. Today I saw that little boy on a horse, shepherding his sheep. Cycling down across a wide valley with spectacular mountains as a backdrop, I couldn’t help but think about the film. I am here in Kyrgyzstan, in the ‘Switzerland of Central Asia’.

Horseboy

Horseboy

The descent was muddy and wet.

Precarious dunny

Precarious dunny

Mixing of colours

Mixing of colours

The little town of Sarytash felt like a small step back to civilization. There were shops with things to buy, and it all felt a bit wealthier. Still no showers, though.

Sarytash

Sarytash

Day 159. 39km. Karakul – Moon

Posted: October 9, 2015 in Cycling, Tajikistan
Tags: , , ,
4

We sat huddled in the metre high drainage pipe under the road. Outside it was howling a sandy gale in the moon landscape, and dark clouds were forming and swirling around the snowy peaks. Cycling downhill at 6 km/h against the wind with nowhere to hide, camping was looking problematic. ‘Onwards,’ we decided. There must be somewhere better than this.

Our hideout from the wind

Our hideout from the wind

After our monster effort yesterday, we slept in, and then went on a tour through the ‘markets’ of the town. Our homestay host took us to the markets, which were all in people’s homes. No chocolates were on offer to replace what I threw down the hatch yesterday in our evening slog. Like Old Mother Hubbard, the cupboards were bare. Just lollies and biscuits.

The grocery shop

The grocery shop

And then the cabbage truck drove into town. Hurray, hurray, oh glorious day! They even had a few apricots!

The cabbage truck

The cabbage truck

There was a blue hole in the clouded sky above the beautiful Karakul lake. Surrounded by snow-capped mountains, the lake created its own sunny weather. Skirting the lake, it seemed the wind always blew away from the lake – which lead to the theory of us having a tailwind going over the pass. This theory proved to be incorrect.

The long road out of Karakul

The long road out of Karakul

Lake Karakul

Lake Karakul

The wind was the strongest I have experienced – and it was a headwind. Scaling the steep bits of the pass involved 10 pedal strokes followed by a minute regaining breath. Descending required pedalling to move forward, and the speed rarely passed 10 km/h. After shivering in the drainage pipe, we realised we needed to continue to keep warm. We are now camping on the sand behind a mound that seems, somehow, to deflect most of the wind. It is going to be cold tonight.

Our moonscape camping spot

Our moonscape camping spot

Day 158. 81km. Camp site – Karakul

Posted: October 8, 2015 in Cycling, Tajikistan
Tags: , , ,
2

A grunt to make it up the 3 metre sandy verge from the parallel road (with fewer corrigations) to the main road. At 4200m I fail, slide off my bike, and stand there heaving in the thin air.

The view looking back from the pass

The view looking back from the pass

Today was a 4655m pass, bone shaking corrigations, and hurricane headwinds that made the descent on good road surface a crawl to the town that never drew nearer. Exhausted, I collapsed to sleep with the dinner still in front of me.

We were saved from the first snow flurry ascending the pass by a kind family just after the sign for the pass summit (5km from the top).

At the base of the pass

At the base of the pass

Father and kids

Father and kids

Little boy

Little boy

The steep ascent to the pass was a 3 km/h affair with amazing views.

View northwards from the Akbaital Pass

View northwards from the Akbaital Pass

Towards Karakul

Towards Karakul

The next threatening weather descended as we were pummelled by the corrugations and the headwind.

Cold wind

Cold wind

Corrugations

Corrugations

We decided to push on to the only town in the area – Karakul. Little did we know the wind would get stronger, and the town, always visible in the distance, seemed to stay the same distance away for 20 km. The sun set over the beautiful Karakul lake as we pushed on to the town.

The road to Karakul

The road to Karakul

The road to Karakul

The road to Karakul

Day 157. 57km. Murghab – Camp site

Posted: October 7, 2015 in Cycling, Tajikistan
Tags: , , ,
0

The highest pass of the Pamir Highway is near, and today we put ourselves near its base. A big headwind and the altitude made it a breathtaking affair. Cycling with Mark, Kim and Will, we climbed to a lovely spot at 4100m, ready for an assault on the pass tomorrow.

Exhausted

Exhausted

We are cycling along the base of old glacial valleys. Relatively flat and wide, snowy mountains rise on both sides. And on one side is a fence. A fence marking only 15km to China. Even a watchtower ensuring that one does not penetrate to within 15km of China without a visa.

The 15km from China fence

The 15km from China fence

A little snow storm with strong winds rolled over us just after we set up camp. This meant we all retired into our tents and slept from 1700 until 1830. Then dinner and an early night. We need all the energy we can muster for tomorrow.

Our campsite

Our campsite

Day 156. 95km. Akbalik – Murghab

Posted: October 6, 2015 in Cycling, Tajikistan
Tags: , , ,
2

The plain was wide – sometimes grassy, sometimes just rock and sand. On both sides were rocky, snow-capped mountains. The sky was blue with beautiful white clouds. And the wind was at our back. Every bend in the road opened up a new stunning vista. I cycled the most beautiful road of my life with three others, and my, we had a day to remember.

The road to Murghab

The road to Murghab

We were prepared for the lonely road – no human life and no water for 100km to Murghab. Every now and then we spotted a lonesome yurt off the road and away from the bustle of the thoroughfare. This place is remote – a desert highland tucked away in a lost corner of central Asia. This is part of the appeal. So far from anywhere. Sitting in the little hut last night with the wind whistling outside, warmth radiating from the wood stove, one is at peace with the universe. On the Pamir Plateau, I am at peace with the universe, and at peace with myself.

The road to Murghab

The road to Murghab

The road to Murghab

The road to Murghab

The road to Murghab

The road to Murghab

The road to Murghab

The road to Murghab

Murghab

Murghab

Day 155. 13km. Alichur – Akbalik

Posted: October 5, 2015 in Cycling, Tajikistan
Tags: , , ,
4

I was the one with altitude sickness today. I had a headache at midnight, and took altitude sickness tablets at 5am. The day was a headache blur in the dormitory bedroom surrounded by posters of far-away waterfalls and bowls of fruit. To get away, I cycled 13km through the snow to the last hut of humanity for 100km.

My humble abode for the night

My humble abode for the night

Reece had improved before me, and left to make it to the bottom of the next pass on the way to Murghab. I stayed in indecision, seeing the horizontal sleet and snow outside. There was ‘maybe’ the hut I had heard of down the road to stay. After that, there would be nothing. I wanted to move on. I knew I was still recovering from altitude sickness. I didn’t want to camp outside tonight. I left in a break from the snow, and was blown along by my friend the tailwind to the most lovely little hut on the high Pamir plain.

View from my abode

View from my abode

The little kids in the hut were lovely. They cycled around on my bike, and even filtered water for me.

The kids

The kids

The new cyclist

The new cyclist

And then rolled in the cycle tourists. A group of 3 – from South Korea, Ireland and America. Some more cycling partners for the next days. Let’s see.

Day 154. 88km. Jelondi – Alichur

Posted: October 4, 2015 in Cycling, Tajikistan
Tags: , , ,
0

The Pamir plateau is spectacularly beautiful. Two passes around 4200m and some awful road later, we passed the crest and saw the most amazing vista of rolling sandy plains with a beautiful deep blue lake, surrounded by high, towering peaks. Reece’s head was thumping, The altitude sickness may force him down tomorrow.

The Pamir plateau

The Pamir plateau

Reece had a splitting headache, and the road was unforgiving. A sandy, rocky ascent to 4271m, then after a sandy rocky descent, another bumpy ascent to 4200m. Very exhausting, but surrounded by the most beautiful landscape.

Province border

Province border

A steep climb

A steep climb

The Pamir plateau

The Pamir plateau

Reece on the Pamir plateau

Reece on the Pamir plateau

In Alichur Reece and I went to the doctor. He has some emergency tablets, and plans to descend tomorrow.

Day 153. 61km. Ver – Jelondi

Posted: October 3, 2015 in Cycling, Tajikistan
Tags: , , ,
4

My ex called them ‘brain f*cks’. Worrying about something incessantly – something you wish you hadn’t done but now can’t change. I worried for ages about the unfiltered water I drank from the kind Pamir people last night. Slowly my mind cleared as I climbed the valley today, and once again revelled in its beauty.

Around 3500m.

Around 3500m.

I marvel the touring cyclists around me. With exploded tyres, they stitch them together and take off down the most corrugated roads of the planet without a worry. They are all a carefree, take-it-as-it-comes bunch. I take two spare tyres and numerous inner tubes and still worry.
When filtering water last night, a local woman warned me of camping where we were due to wolves. ‘Ah. We have been camping with wolves all the way,’ said Reece. He is right.
The woman told me that I should have some ‘good’ water from her house. Clean water. Drinking water. Before I knew it, all my bottles were filled with clean looking water from the little stream running past their house. Just the sort of stream that I would normally have filtered. They have a cow. Roaming upstream from the water. How much do the people know about hepatitis? I drank the water, and my mind went in a spin until this afternoon. Having overcome the fear of actually doing this world cycle trip, I still have returns of these mind f*cks. There have been some worriers in my family. I don’t want to be one..

I find myself tonight in an old, dilapidated hot spring ‘hotel’ from the communist times. The actual hot water from the springs is too hot to enter, and is in a mouldy pool that has seen better times. The outside toilet block is a first for me. Three squat toilets next to each other with no dividing walls. I’ve heard more of that is coming in China. Yay! ☺

On mind f*ck days, I am happy to have a roof over my head. Tomorrow I’m going over the first serious high pass – over 4200m. I’m interested to see how that goes.

The underbelly

The underbelly

The valley

The valley

Rain is coming

Rain is coming

Day 152. 80km. Khorog – Ver

Posted: October 2, 2015 in Cycling, Tajikistan
Tags: , , ,
9

One fine morning Happy Dolphin and Barf left Khorog to buy some cheap Chinese tyres and cycle to the roof of the world. Happy Dolphin felt pleased with his new name – the same as his cheap Chinese tyres. Barf had earned the name at 1am at the military base 4 days earlier. After a day of stitching tyres, Pamir stew lunches, and shoulder transport of bicycles over swinging bridges, Happy Dolphin and Barf set up tent in a wolf infested forest under a rock slide.

Barf

Barf

Reece’s stitched up tyre lasted about 40km. When changing to one of his Happy Dolphin cheap Chinese tyres, he spotted a rip and instead put on his other Happy Dolphin. His second Happy Dolphin is still of service.

While sitting in front of a little shop, gulping down a cola, we were invited to tea by the local village German teacher. Tea turned into lunch and a lovely talk with her daughter who dreams of travelling the world.

Dreaming of far-away places

Dreaming of far-away places

The cycle along the valley was stunning. The mountains got bigger and bigger, and the walls of rock higher and higher. The sun was shining, and the wind was gently blow us forward.

Road through the Pamirs

Road through the Pamirs

Towards the Pamir plateau

Towards the Pamir plateau

Our camping spot is across a swinging bridge. The bikes were transported across the bridge on our shoulders, and the bags one by one. A lovely spot.

Bridge to the campsite

Bridge to the campsite

Day 151. 72km. Rushan – Khorog

Posted: October 1, 2015 in Cycling, Tajikistan
Tags: , , ,
2

The cyclists meet again at the famous touring cyclist hostel – the Pamir Lodge in Khorog. Everyone knows everyone either directly or through another cyclist or motorbiker. And everyone is doing bike maintenance. Khorog and the art of bicycle maintenance. Where have I heard that before?

The road ahead

The road ahead

One motorbiker was putting vegetable oil into his hydraulic gears. Reece, who I met again after our brief separation, was stitching up his tyre that had exploded (when a kid forced him into a massive pothole in the attempt to get a high-five). Maxime, who I met in Uzbekistan and again in Dushanbe was fixing a broken spoke. I swapped some tyres around on my bike, and put on some new brake pads. Also, we went for dinner – twice.

The road surface was quite good and flatter than it has been, and I was feeling better. I was able to speed through the 72km to Khorog by lunch time. Being flat, the regular 20m spurts of gravel, rocky, potholed road, requiring 5-10km/h speeds were less annoying. The surface was much better than a few days ago, where there was only gravel, rocky and potholed road. The valley remained beautiful, but wider than before.

Flowers in the valley

Flowers in the valley

The road to Khorog

The road to Khorog

I will probably spend a day of rest and recreation in Khorog tomorrow, and then on and up to the really high mountains of the Pamir.

Older Entries