About deserts, the great wall, Sleeping Buddha's and high mountains
These last weeks were the last that we cycled on the silk road. The variety of landscapes and weather conditions we've seen in the last four months, were all coming back in just these few weeks. The biggest part of the route was through the Gansu-corridor, the only way through for all the caravans on their trading route. From Dunhuang we entered the corridor through the Gobi-desert and we left it by crossing the high Qilian-mountains.
Dunguang is an oasis, famous for its Buddhist Mogao caves and the sand dunes with the Crescent Moon lake at the edge of town. After many months of moslim art and architecture we now gaze at ancient murals en 36 meters high Buddha statues. These caves were ordered to be made by wealthy merchants, to pray for a safe journey on the silk road or to thank for a safe return and good trade.
From Dunguang to Jiayuguan we cycle through the Gobi desert. There are many oasis and the weather is okay, making it bearible. The tougher the circumstances, the more compasionate people are. On a hot and dry day, we get bottles of water and big melons besides the many 'thumbs up' from car windows. We do worry when all of a sudden the skies turn black/ yellow and the wind strengthens. Everything looks like a sandstorm is coming our way! We've read that sometimes they can last for three days.. It's another 15 km to a village and with the strong wind in our back we paddle as fast as we can. Just a few minutes before we reach safety, the storm catches us.
There are two more silk road cities on our way; Jiayuguan and Zangye. The caravans used to long for Jiayuguan. This point marked the beginning of the civilised (chinese) world and all the big dangers were left behind. This is where the Great Wall starts with an impressive fort wich used to control the whole corridor. In Zangye we find the biggest sleeping Buddha of China in a beautiful temple. We also discover that Marco Polo used to live in Zangye for one year when we find his statue in the centre of town.
From Zhangye we change our direction since months; we're heading south! We have to cross the Qilian mountains. It looks like a big farm up here, everybody's working on the feelds using only hands, yaks or cows. They do stop their work to look at the passing bikers. The harvest lies neatly packed on the fields, on the trucks or on the back of donkeys. Not a piece of land is unused and even on the steep hills they build terraces with simple but genieus irrigation systems.
We pass Mati Si, a secred buddhist place where we stay for a day to soak up the autumn. Ahead of us lie the big mountains. We do not know how many passes we have to cross or how high they are. It turns out there are three very high and very cold passes (around 3700 mtr). The road is very good, ascending slowly so we can climb without any problems. In the morning weather is clear and the vieuw is breathtaking; snow on the high peaks but the sheep and yaks are still grazing at the grasslands. Most people are Tibetan or Hui (muslim) and they cheer us very warmly.
We are now in Xining, having a rest and visiting a tibetan monastry, Ta Er Si. About 700 monks live in this beautiful place with its special atmosphere.
After five months we will leave the silk roads, heading south in the direction of Sichuan and Yunnan provence. Many high mountains on the way and autumn chasing us....Our adventure continues!
P.S. For those of you who haven't discovered our photo's yet: in the right collum on our website you'll find the links to all our pictures (and statistics). You can also click on this one: http://picasaweb.google.com/maartenhovers (photo's) http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pz5aK4ejq4Ozr_N3gIfyGMQ (statistics)
Friday, October 17, 2008
Xinjiang
Travelling as a lazy tourist
Once in China we celebrate our accomplishment of the last 4 months. In Kashgar everything is available what makes us enjoy the food, sweets and chocolates the first couple of days. Zapping the television channels we enjoy our luxurious hotel and freshly washed clothes.
The next couple of weeks we won't cycle much as we will leave our bikes in Urumqi from where we will fly to Beijing to see the Olympics. Very shortly we will return the Netherlands for Jorrit and Nienke's wedding and the retirement party of Maarten's parents. After these festivities we return to Urumqi and part two of our adventure will start.
The province of Xinjing is unlike many parts of China. This is Uighur land and it resembles Central-Asia. Many farmlands but also deserts and mountains and very few big, modern cities. These days we travel as lazy tourists, taking taxis to and from nice places. We visit Kashgar's livestock market where there is more action than in a zoo. In the morning carts arrive with small animals ready to be sold (and eaten). Open trucks with giant bulls arrive and Uighurs chase escaping goats. Men make trail runs with a donkey cart and all sheep are ordered colourwise. Just around the corner we enjoy the freshest kebab ever.
We also make a sidetrip to Karakol, a deep blue lake at the foot of the mighty Mustag Ata (7700mts). We drive for a few hours on the Karakorum Highway in the direction of Pakistan. The road is very scenic, but the sight is hindered by a sandy mist. A storm in the Taklimakan desert has swept too much sand into the air. We still enjoy the scene and make a long ride on a small horse around the lake. In the evening we stay in a yurt and eat watermelon with the Kyrgyz family, all of us sucking in the juice with great noises. Just before heading back to Kashgar the yurt owner brings a sheep for the driver which is unwillingly put into the trunk. At least the poor animal has made one ride in his life along the Karakorum highway.
We cross the Taklimakan desert by train and arrive in the hottest city of China, Turpan. The combination of heat and melting water made the region famous for its huge and delicious grapes. Many streets in the city are covered with grapes and make a good shelter against the soaring heat. In grape valley we chill out with fresh grapes, raisins and a bottle of red wine!
Upon our arrival in Urumqi we start longing for some cycling again and a plan is made by Maarten. From Urumqi we take a taxi for 120km to Heavenly Lake from where we will cycle back. But first we make our way up for 20km to the lake where we swim in the turquoise glacier lake. During the ride back the climate changes gradually but quickly and we end up in a desert with camels while we can still see the snow-capped mountains. The Chinese roads are very good with a good speed we end up in the modern city of Urumqi.
We fly to Bejing for one week of Olympics and we did not expect to experience the biggest culture shock in that city, more precisely in the Holland Heineken House. It takes some time to get used to the drinking and singing Dutch all dressed up in orange, but in the end we easily blend in. We are lucky to witness the golden and silver rowing medals and we join the party with our crown prince when the Dutch field hockey ladies make their way to the final. In the Birdsnest we enjoy two evenings of athletics. It was great to see so much sport-emotion during the games.
Part one of our adventure ends like it started, a Philips colleague of Maarten gives us a good treat. Ernst and Kim receive us in their house and we enjoy Dutch goodies like bread, peanut butter and hagelslag. Great!
Once in China we celebrate our accomplishment of the last 4 months. In Kashgar everything is available what makes us enjoy the food, sweets and chocolates the first couple of days. Zapping the television channels we enjoy our luxurious hotel and freshly washed clothes.
The next couple of weeks we won't cycle much as we will leave our bikes in Urumqi from where we will fly to Beijing to see the Olympics. Very shortly we will return the Netherlands for Jorrit and Nienke's wedding and the retirement party of Maarten's parents. After these festivities we return to Urumqi and part two of our adventure will start.
The province of Xinjing is unlike many parts of China. This is Uighur land and it resembles Central-Asia. Many farmlands but also deserts and mountains and very few big, modern cities. These days we travel as lazy tourists, taking taxis to and from nice places. We visit Kashgar's livestock market where there is more action than in a zoo. In the morning carts arrive with small animals ready to be sold (and eaten). Open trucks with giant bulls arrive and Uighurs chase escaping goats. Men make trail runs with a donkey cart and all sheep are ordered colourwise. Just around the corner we enjoy the freshest kebab ever.
We also make a sidetrip to Karakol, a deep blue lake at the foot of the mighty Mustag Ata (7700mts). We drive for a few hours on the Karakorum Highway in the direction of Pakistan. The road is very scenic, but the sight is hindered by a sandy mist. A storm in the Taklimakan desert has swept too much sand into the air. We still enjoy the scene and make a long ride on a small horse around the lake. In the evening we stay in a yurt and eat watermelon with the Kyrgyz family, all of us sucking in the juice with great noises. Just before heading back to Kashgar the yurt owner brings a sheep for the driver which is unwillingly put into the trunk. At least the poor animal has made one ride in his life along the Karakorum highway.
We cross the Taklimakan desert by train and arrive in the hottest city of China, Turpan. The combination of heat and melting water made the region famous for its huge and delicious grapes. Many streets in the city are covered with grapes and make a good shelter against the soaring heat. In grape valley we chill out with fresh grapes, raisins and a bottle of red wine!
Upon our arrival in Urumqi we start longing for some cycling again and a plan is made by Maarten. From Urumqi we take a taxi for 120km to Heavenly Lake from where we will cycle back. But first we make our way up for 20km to the lake where we swim in the turquoise glacier lake. During the ride back the climate changes gradually but quickly and we end up in a desert with camels while we can still see the snow-capped mountains. The Chinese roads are very good with a good speed we end up in the modern city of Urumqi.
We fly to Bejing for one week of Olympics and we did not expect to experience the biggest culture shock in that city, more precisely in the Holland Heineken House. It takes some time to get used to the drinking and singing Dutch all dressed up in orange, but in the end we easily blend in. We are lucky to witness the golden and silver rowing medals and we join the party with our crown prince when the Dutch field hockey ladies make their way to the final. In the Birdsnest we enjoy two evenings of athletics. It was great to see so much sport-emotion during the games.
Part one of our adventure ends like it started, a Philips colleague of Maarten gives us a good treat. Ernst and Kim receive us in their house and we enjoy Dutch goodies like bread, peanut butter and hagelslag. Great!
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Tadjikistan, Pamir Highway
The Pamir Highway...here we go!
The Pamir is a plateau at 4000 mtrs surrounded with snow capped mountains. It's a very high desert in fact, in summer there's only water from the melting glaciers. Near these streams you can find grasslands and the possibillity of life. The Kyrgyz people of Tadjikistan live up there with their yurt-tents and herding their yaks. They live a traditional but simple life. We cycle through this land and are completely taken away by it.
Cycling at this height ain't simple and right at the most difficult parts the surface of the road turns bad. There are no alternatives for this bad road and we cycle up the first pass of 4275 mtrs, gasping for air. After a long day we reach the exit to Bulunkul, a small detour to a beatiful lake. We love to go there and camp next to the lake, even though we are already tired. We go down the steep sandy road and I love it! When I stop to wait for Janneke, I see she's really unhappy about the choice we made. But there's no way back now, we're trapped because back up is to steep. The weather also changes quickly; strong head wind, a black sky and a little sand tornado next to us. We've finished our watersupply already an hour ago.....what are we doing in this place?! We keep on going without speeking for two hours and very slowely we're getting closer to Bulungkul village. We should forget about camping. The welcome in the small villages is so warm that within 15 minutes we've completely forgotten about our suffering. There's hot tea, cookies, good food and very friendly people in a warm house.
After a good night the weather is great and everything looks totally different. The ugly black lake from yesterday turned out to be magical. Even the road is not so bad when the wind is in the right direction. This is the most beautiful day of our trip! We cycle for 45 km in complete deserted area. It's unbelievably quiet and the Pamir is magnificent. When we reach the mainroad again we read the "yurt-stay" sign. We ride into the field and after a few miles we reach the camp. The yurt is nice and comfortable and the people treat us o so well. We have learned by now that sleeping in a yurt is better than in any other place.
In Murghab we have a two day "rest". We book a trip by jeep south where we are hopefully able to spot the Marco Polo sheep for it's almost extinct. We sleep in another yurt camp, they own big herds of yak, goat and sheep. We leave early in the morning to look for the famous sheep at a high pass. We don't see anything at all at first, but through the binoculars we can spot two groups of Marco Polo sheep.
In three days cycling we enter the Kyrgys border and we leave the Pamir behind us, descending to the valley of Sari-Tash. It's crowded with yurts here in the green grass, full of cows, horses and yaks. From here it is only one day cycling to the Chinese border, but we are put to the test once more: The road is the worse road so far. Going up and down on a surface of rocks and unexpecting parts of climbing, we can't go faster than 12 km/hr. In bad weather we find a great camping spot near a creek only 10 km from the border, our last obstacle to beat.
Have they closed the border? Do they even refuse travellers with visa? Do they sent cyclist straight back to Kyrgystan? We don't know anymore what stories to believe, but we are not feeling relaxed about it. In the end the Chinese officials turn out to be the most friendly of all. They even have this electronic questionaire about their service! After 6090 km by bike we have entered China!
To get the visa for China we did everything we could and booked transport to a hotel in Kashgar, just to be sure. Happy and proud as can be we drive the 250 km to our well deserved luxurious hotel!
The Pamir is a plateau at 4000 mtrs surrounded with snow capped mountains. It's a very high desert in fact, in summer there's only water from the melting glaciers. Near these streams you can find grasslands and the possibillity of life. The Kyrgyz people of Tadjikistan live up there with their yurt-tents and herding their yaks. They live a traditional but simple life. We cycle through this land and are completely taken away by it.
Cycling at this height ain't simple and right at the most difficult parts the surface of the road turns bad. There are no alternatives for this bad road and we cycle up the first pass of 4275 mtrs, gasping for air. After a long day we reach the exit to Bulunkul, a small detour to a beatiful lake. We love to go there and camp next to the lake, even though we are already tired. We go down the steep sandy road and I love it! When I stop to wait for Janneke, I see she's really unhappy about the choice we made. But there's no way back now, we're trapped because back up is to steep. The weather also changes quickly; strong head wind, a black sky and a little sand tornado next to us. We've finished our watersupply already an hour ago.....what are we doing in this place?! We keep on going without speeking for two hours and very slowely we're getting closer to Bulungkul village. We should forget about camping. The welcome in the small villages is so warm that within 15 minutes we've completely forgotten about our suffering. There's hot tea, cookies, good food and very friendly people in a warm house.
After a good night the weather is great and everything looks totally different. The ugly black lake from yesterday turned out to be magical. Even the road is not so bad when the wind is in the right direction. This is the most beautiful day of our trip! We cycle for 45 km in complete deserted area. It's unbelievably quiet and the Pamir is magnificent. When we reach the mainroad again we read the "yurt-stay" sign. We ride into the field and after a few miles we reach the camp. The yurt is nice and comfortable and the people treat us o so well. We have learned by now that sleeping in a yurt is better than in any other place.
In Murghab we have a two day "rest". We book a trip by jeep south where we are hopefully able to spot the Marco Polo sheep for it's almost extinct. We sleep in another yurt camp, they own big herds of yak, goat and sheep. We leave early in the morning to look for the famous sheep at a high pass. We don't see anything at all at first, but through the binoculars we can spot two groups of Marco Polo sheep.
In three days cycling we enter the Kyrgys border and we leave the Pamir behind us, descending to the valley of Sari-Tash. It's crowded with yurts here in the green grass, full of cows, horses and yaks. From here it is only one day cycling to the Chinese border, but we are put to the test once more: The road is the worse road so far. Going up and down on a surface of rocks and unexpecting parts of climbing, we can't go faster than 12 km/hr. In bad weather we find a great camping spot near a creek only 10 km from the border, our last obstacle to beat.
Have they closed the border? Do they even refuse travellers with visa? Do they sent cyclist straight back to Kyrgystan? We don't know anymore what stories to believe, but we are not feeling relaxed about it. In the end the Chinese officials turn out to be the most friendly of all. They even have this electronic questionaire about their service! After 6090 km by bike we have entered China!
To get the visa for China we did everything we could and booked transport to a hotel in Kashgar, just to be sure. Happy and proud as can be we drive the 250 km to our well deserved luxurious hotel!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Tadjikstan 2
Time travelling
Have you ever had the wish to go back in time, just for once? I think we stepped into a timetravel machine when we crossed the border to Tadjikistan. There are more mountains here than people. Only in the little spots between the mountains where there's water, there are houses. You can already see it from far away marked by a big explosion of green grass and big fruit trees. Everybody is farmer and is growing his own food and is baking his own bread. In one of those villages we see a four year old boy, riding his donkey while he wistles at us. When we look at him, he sticks his thump up high in the air. An old man carrying wood on his back is making small talk with us. He isn't bothered at all that we can only speek five words in his language. With his hand crossing his heart and a big smile he waves us goodbye.
Unfortunately we have to leave Marco Polo's path for about two weeks; he travelled through Afghanistan, we don't. We do cycle for about three days next to the Afgan border, only separated by a big river, the Panj. We are waving hello to a lot of Afgan people walking with their donkeys, dressed in their 'Osama' suit .Their road is spectacularly built with rocks and trees against the cliff. We would not dare to cross it, but it is a magnificent sight for three days.
The road looks like it is from the old days most of the time. Sometimes it looks more like mountainbiking when we ride trough rocks, sand and holes. Our helmets are very useful against falling rocks between the big cliffs on both sides of us. We often experience a 'low battery' riding those mountains. To charge our battery again we ask for food at the nearest house, it's never a problem (for a little money). We are gestured to sit next to grandma in the garden with fresh yoghurt and warm bread. Meanwhile a few kids are sent to get some treats from the field (peaches, cherries etc). With full stomachs we can climb for another few hours. The water we drink straight from the streams, it tastes even better than the water at home.
All Tadjik people we meet are very friendly, laid back and they just let us be. It's no problem when we want to pitch our tent in their orchid or between their cows. Therefor we wake up at the most beautiful places, between cows, apricots or even at a beautiful blue lake. So far Tadjikistan is the most physically demanding part of our trip but also the most beautiful. And we even haven't started with the Pamir Highway yet. Can it even be more beautiful.....?!
Have you ever had the wish to go back in time, just for once? I think we stepped into a timetravel machine when we crossed the border to Tadjikistan. There are more mountains here than people. Only in the little spots between the mountains where there's water, there are houses. You can already see it from far away marked by a big explosion of green grass and big fruit trees. Everybody is farmer and is growing his own food and is baking his own bread. In one of those villages we see a four year old boy, riding his donkey while he wistles at us. When we look at him, he sticks his thump up high in the air. An old man carrying wood on his back is making small talk with us. He isn't bothered at all that we can only speek five words in his language. With his hand crossing his heart and a big smile he waves us goodbye.
Unfortunately we have to leave Marco Polo's path for about two weeks; he travelled through Afghanistan, we don't. We do cycle for about three days next to the Afgan border, only separated by a big river, the Panj. We are waving hello to a lot of Afgan people walking with their donkeys, dressed in their 'Osama' suit .Their road is spectacularly built with rocks and trees against the cliff. We would not dare to cross it, but it is a magnificent sight for three days.
The road looks like it is from the old days most of the time. Sometimes it looks more like mountainbiking when we ride trough rocks, sand and holes. Our helmets are very useful against falling rocks between the big cliffs on both sides of us. We often experience a 'low battery' riding those mountains. To charge our battery again we ask for food at the nearest house, it's never a problem (for a little money). We are gestured to sit next to grandma in the garden with fresh yoghurt and warm bread. Meanwhile a few kids are sent to get some treats from the field (peaches, cherries etc). With full stomachs we can climb for another few hours. The water we drink straight from the streams, it tastes even better than the water at home.
All Tadjik people we meet are very friendly, laid back and they just let us be. It's no problem when we want to pitch our tent in their orchid or between their cows. Therefor we wake up at the most beautiful places, between cows, apricots or even at a beautiful blue lake. So far Tadjikistan is the most physically demanding part of our trip but also the most beautiful. And we even haven't started with the Pamir Highway yet. Can it even be more beautiful.....?!
Tadjikistan 1
See Dutch Version for pictures or the link to the photoalbums on this page
Tadjikistan
1.400km
17.500 meters ascending
4.635 highest pass
26 days
We have been in the land of the Pamir Highway since six days now. We expect this to be the most beautiful part of our trip concidering the scenery. The first five days of cycling from Samarkand to Dushanbe were already fantastic; After Panjikent we are cycling in magical surroundings. We cycle between high mountains on each side, hardly any traffic and through small farmer villages with friendly people.
The road is very bad and is ascending most of the time, therefore we have to change our daily distance planning.There aren't any hotels but camping somewhere quiet or in an orchard is easy. The hospitality of the Tadjieks is very impressive and before we know it we are stuffed with all kinds of foods and drinks.
To get to Dushnabe we have to cross the 3373 mtr Anzob pass. The road is getting smaller and worse and is really getting steep. The surroundings are splendid and we really enjoy the long climb. At night we're camping at the creek waving good night to some donkey drivers.On top of the pass we can see this amazing world of mountains with a few small villages. From here we descend for 2500 mtr over 85 km to Dushanbe. It feels like riding a rollercoaster. Almost without peddling we reach Dushanbe in the evening.
In Dushanbe we are preparing for the Pamir Highway. We are stuffing ourselfs and the bags full of food, while the bikes are in for an oil-treatment. We will be on this road for three weeks untill Saritash (Kyrgyzstan). The first 600 km we have to cross some high passes before we are truly on the Pamir. The road should be okay over there, but the altitude will definitely have it's affects. For two weeks will be cycling around 4000 mtrs. We'll see when there is an opportunity to use interenet again and give you an update!
Tadjikistan
1.400km
17.500 meters ascending
4.635 highest pass
26 days
We have been in the land of the Pamir Highway since six days now. We expect this to be the most beautiful part of our trip concidering the scenery. The first five days of cycling from Samarkand to Dushanbe were already fantastic; After Panjikent we are cycling in magical surroundings. We cycle between high mountains on each side, hardly any traffic and through small farmer villages with friendly people.
The road is very bad and is ascending most of the time, therefore we have to change our daily distance planning.There aren't any hotels but camping somewhere quiet or in an orchard is easy. The hospitality of the Tadjieks is very impressive and before we know it we are stuffed with all kinds of foods and drinks.
To get to Dushnabe we have to cross the 3373 mtr Anzob pass. The road is getting smaller and worse and is really getting steep. The surroundings are splendid and we really enjoy the long climb. At night we're camping at the creek waving good night to some donkey drivers.On top of the pass we can see this amazing world of mountains with a few small villages. From here we descend for 2500 mtr over 85 km to Dushanbe. It feels like riding a rollercoaster. Almost without peddling we reach Dushanbe in the evening.
In Dushanbe we are preparing for the Pamir Highway. We are stuffing ourselfs and the bags full of food, while the bikes are in for an oil-treatment. We will be on this road for three weeks untill Saritash (Kyrgyzstan). The first 600 km we have to cross some high passes before we are truly on the Pamir. The road should be okay over there, but the altitude will definitely have it's affects. For two weeks will be cycling around 4000 mtrs. We'll see when there is an opportunity to use interenet again and give you an update!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Uzbekistan
Sweet to ride forth at evening from the wells
When shadow pass gigantic on the sand,
And softly through the silence beat the bells,
Along the golden road to Samarkand
(James Elroy Fletcher op the silk road)
We actually need 5 days to recover in bukhara. We visit the old town, which looks like nothing has changed since the old silk road time. there's no traffic, everywhere we find buildings with beautiful turquoise domes and minarettes from which the prisoners used to be thrown off in order of the emir.
We take 3 days to cycle to Samarkand. there's plenty of shade due to the trees along the road. Great after the heat of turkmenistan. there are white farms on the side of the road with blue doors leading to the patio's. Grandpa is sitting in front of the house where the cows are tight-up at the trees. We take over a lot of donkeys and their loads. On the other hand we are taken over by a lot of colorful Lada's. The road really looks golden every now and then because of the wheetfields on both sides. Also peoples' teeth are gold plated.
In contrast to Iran we see plenty of beautiful, proud women, dressed in colourful dresses (and with a golden smile). We enjoy cycling without time pressure and we take lots of breaks. We easily quaff 1.5 liters of cola or eat a whole watermelon in no-time.
In Samarkand we find a wonderful guesthouse where we meet more travellers. Seven bikes are parked in the courtyard, together with to motor bikes. We exchange stories and have great fun
about all bizar adventures, even our own suffering in Turkmenistan generates laughter after a few beers.
This city is remarkable as well, with many beautiful Madrassahs (Islamic Schools), Mausolea and Mosques. We start getting used to these enormous ancient buildings and we find it hard to understand why all this is so unknown at home.
the only drawback we discover in Uzbekistan is the food. Finding a meal without fatty meat is hardly possible and all available vegetables at the market are ignored in restaurants. It makes us long back for our mother's food.
We are preparing ourselves for the most longed for stretch of our journey: Tadjikistan and the Pamir Highway.
When shadow pass gigantic on the sand,
And softly through the silence beat the bells,
Along the golden road to Samarkand
(James Elroy Fletcher op the silk road)
We actually need 5 days to recover in bukhara. We visit the old town, which looks like nothing has changed since the old silk road time. there's no traffic, everywhere we find buildings with beautiful turquoise domes and minarettes from which the prisoners used to be thrown off in order of the emir.
We take 3 days to cycle to Samarkand. there's plenty of shade due to the trees along the road. Great after the heat of turkmenistan. there are white farms on the side of the road with blue doors leading to the patio's. Grandpa is sitting in front of the house where the cows are tight-up at the trees. We take over a lot of donkeys and their loads. On the other hand we are taken over by a lot of colorful Lada's. The road really looks golden every now and then because of the wheetfields on both sides. Also peoples' teeth are gold plated.
In contrast to Iran we see plenty of beautiful, proud women, dressed in colourful dresses (and with a golden smile). We enjoy cycling without time pressure and we take lots of breaks. We easily quaff 1.5 liters of cola or eat a whole watermelon in no-time.
In Samarkand we find a wonderful guesthouse where we meet more travellers. Seven bikes are parked in the courtyard, together with to motor bikes. We exchange stories and have great fun
about all bizar adventures, even our own suffering in Turkmenistan generates laughter after a few beers.
This city is remarkable as well, with many beautiful Madrassahs (Islamic Schools), Mausolea and Mosques. We start getting used to these enormous ancient buildings and we find it hard to understand why all this is so unknown at home.
the only drawback we discover in Uzbekistan is the food. Finding a meal without fatty meat is hardly possible and all available vegetables at the market are ignored in restaurants. It makes us long back for our mother's food.
We are preparing ourselves for the most longed for stretch of our journey: Tadjikistan and the Pamir Highway.
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan (see photolink or Dutch version for pictures)
From Masshad we had to go back to Teheran by train for some heavy visa days. Whether we can continue our trip or not, totally depends on obtaining our China visa. We had to do everything we could in Teheran to get it. When we we're already cheering in the taxi with the China visa, we discovered that the entry date was wrong. We turned around and right before closure I convinced the consul to change the date.
Back in Masshad we had some incredible experiences with the Turkmen consul, but finally we we're back on the bikes with both visas. We knew a Swiss couple had left Masshad just a day before us and we really wanted to catch up with them so we could team-up against the strong wind in Turkmenistan. After a long ride we found their tent against the wall of a 900 year old caravanserai. It's a beautifull building and with little imagination you can picture life in the old days. From the Iranian bordertown the four of us head for Turkmenistan. We are expecting a tough adventure; 500 km in a maximum of 5 days (because of visa), temperatures like you would expect in the desert, strong headwind and very little facilities. With good teamwork and working in shifts at the front we hope to have a change in achieving our goal.
At the beginning the desert is not so bad because of the huge irrigation channels, dug out by the Russians. All our other expectations are reality so we are making slow progress en make long days. But with four we are having a good time and we really work well together for 10 to 13 hours a day. We get up as early as possible, hoping we will have maybe 1 or 2 hours without the horrible headwind. The rest of the day we are only able to cycle with some 12 km/hr.
To camp in the desert is great. We put the tent in a little piece of shadow, take a shower with half a liter of water and we sleep like babies. But we do not close our eyes before we've taken a look at the beautiful sky, with the milkyway like a big cloud above us.
We make a precise scedule for our supplies, especially concerning the water of which we need about 10 liters a day. We now realise what a big plus it is to just drink from the tap in Holland. Despite all our precautions I get sick on the last day. I'm not able to eat and I loose liquids very quickly. Unfortunately there's no other option than to keep on cycling to the border. When we reach the Uzbek border half an hour before closing time I'm completely finished. Janneke is taking care of all formalities while I'm unable to stand on my feet.
After the border crossing we can sleep in the little house of a few young sheppards. I can not thank them enough. We are now in Bukhara, the heart of the silk roads. The first 2 days we used for rehabilitaion. We took a really luxurious hotel, which we've enjoyed very much. The town itself has a lot to offer. It's great to see nice hang out places with cold beer! Tomorrow we're heading of to Samarkand and taste a little bit more of Uzbekistan.
From Masshad we had to go back to Teheran by train for some heavy visa days. Whether we can continue our trip or not, totally depends on obtaining our China visa. We had to do everything we could in Teheran to get it. When we we're already cheering in the taxi with the China visa, we discovered that the entry date was wrong. We turned around and right before closure I convinced the consul to change the date.
Back in Masshad we had some incredible experiences with the Turkmen consul, but finally we we're back on the bikes with both visas. We knew a Swiss couple had left Masshad just a day before us and we really wanted to catch up with them so we could team-up against the strong wind in Turkmenistan. After a long ride we found their tent against the wall of a 900 year old caravanserai. It's a beautifull building and with little imagination you can picture life in the old days. From the Iranian bordertown the four of us head for Turkmenistan. We are expecting a tough adventure; 500 km in a maximum of 5 days (because of visa), temperatures like you would expect in the desert, strong headwind and very little facilities. With good teamwork and working in shifts at the front we hope to have a change in achieving our goal.
At the beginning the desert is not so bad because of the huge irrigation channels, dug out by the Russians. All our other expectations are reality so we are making slow progress en make long days. But with four we are having a good time and we really work well together for 10 to 13 hours a day. We get up as early as possible, hoping we will have maybe 1 or 2 hours without the horrible headwind. The rest of the day we are only able to cycle with some 12 km/hr.
To camp in the desert is great. We put the tent in a little piece of shadow, take a shower with half a liter of water and we sleep like babies. But we do not close our eyes before we've taken a look at the beautiful sky, with the milkyway like a big cloud above us.
We make a precise scedule for our supplies, especially concerning the water of which we need about 10 liters a day. We now realise what a big plus it is to just drink from the tap in Holland. Despite all our precautions I get sick on the last day. I'm not able to eat and I loose liquids very quickly. Unfortunately there's no other option than to keep on cycling to the border. When we reach the Uzbek border half an hour before closing time I'm completely finished. Janneke is taking care of all formalities while I'm unable to stand on my feet.
After the border crossing we can sleep in the little house of a few young sheppards. I can not thank them enough. We are now in Bukhara, the heart of the silk roads. The first 2 days we used for rehabilitaion. We took a really luxurious hotel, which we've enjoyed very much. The town itself has a lot to offer. It's great to see nice hang out places with cold beer! Tomorrow we're heading of to Samarkand and taste a little bit more of Uzbekistan.
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