Away from the main Pamir Highway (M41), a myriad of smaller and less-travelled tracks await those cyclists looking for even more adventure and don’t mind riding on some pretty rough stuff! Among these, the most popular is the Wakhan Valley, which is raved about wildly by those cyclists who rise to the challenge. I pedalled […]
Cycling Across Asia
Qalai-Khumb to Khorog: A stone’s throw from Afghanistan
Reaching Qalai-Khumb had been an exciting moment for two reasons; firstly, I had joined up with the main road again, and I couldn’t wait for the road to be paved once again. Secondly, I saw my first glimpse of the River Panj, which I would cycle beside for the next 500km. The significance of this […]
Dushanbe to Qalai-Khumb: The Pamir Highway begins!
From Dushanbe, Tajikistan’s capital, there are two ways to get to the Pamirs. Most of the traffic takes the newer, southern road which, although slightly longer is well-paved and significantly flatter. The older northern route is now little used by traffic being virtually entirely off-road, complete with river crossings and a mountain pass of 3,250 […]
It’s time for the Pamirs!
When I was in Bosnia last year, anticipating having to battle through Central Asia in winter, thereby taking the lowland routes, and missing out on the mountain routes made impassable by snow and cold, I had a chance encounter with two Germans cycling back from Singapore. They shared their stories and showed me pictures of Tajikistan’s Pamir […]
Uzbekistan Money: Huge Wads of Cash and the Illegal Black Market
Have you ever seen the zombie films where zombies are coming from all directions, an unstoppable wave all relentlessly descending on one hapless victim, who quickly finds themselves completely surrounded? Entering Uzbekistan was exactly like that. I had only just cycled through the sturdy gates from Kazakhstan when a rotund women trundled purposefully over in […]
Cycling Western Kazakhstan: Headwinds, Heat and Camels!
I have left the Caspian and won’t see the sea again until Thailand next year. I am now nearing the end of my time cycling in Western Kazakhstan, just 100km from Uzbekistan, my next country. I’d told myself Kazakhstan would be easy, just 550km of nothing. But I’d massively underestimated how hard nothing can be. […]
Crossing the Caspian – The Journey
Susanna and I reached the port just after 5, both anxious we were cutting it a bit tight, with the ferries scheduled departure at 5/6. We shouldn’t have worried; in the end the boat didn’t leave until well after midnight.We had no idea what conditions on the boat would be like, where we would sleep, […]
The Caspian Crossing – Finding the Golden Ticket!
Crossing the Caspian Sea by FerryAzerbaijan’s capital city, Baku was an exciting milestone for me and my adventure bike touring around the world. I had reached the Caspian Sea and could go no further. I had wanted to go south, through Iran but visa requirements denied me access there. To the north was Russia. Closed […]
Bike Touring Azerbaijan – In Pictures
Hey guys! Wow, I have been so busy since my last blog post WiFi doesn’t seem to have really reached Azerbaijan yet! I haven’t had a chance to write a full blog yet, but I want to share some of my favourite pictures of the trip so far with you. Each one tells a story! Landing […]
Would YOU have said ‘Yes’?
I stared across the table at my generous Turkish host, Yusuf, currently deep in thought. Sensing a desire to do something out of his ordinary routine, an adventurous spirit lying dormant if you like, I had just asked if he would like to cycle with me for a few days. Sadly, I knew there was […]