Most mouths are full of gold
Traditional dancing in Khiva
Tajikistan, engage low gear now
Vero and her guests
Homeward bound
Smooth roads and steady climbing
Nurek reservoir
Nurak reservoir
The happiest day of their lives
Nurek reservoir
We like this sign. A lot.
Pool party
The coolest teacher in town
Our genererous and enforced hosts
Early sunsets as we move East
These two stopped to watch us emerge from our tent in the morning
Curious horse herder
Mobile Haystack
Mobile haystack
Dutch motor cyclists. 5000km in 5 weeks so a tad faster than us.
Dutch bikers. Covering 5000km in 5 weeks so a bit quicker than us.
Fixes panniers as well as shoes
He can fix panniers as well as shoes
Cooling off in a tent with a fighting pheasant
Cooling off with the fighting pheasant
The bee keepers camp
Nothing more refreshing than a water melon
Looking back down towards the winding climb
Looking back down towards the winding climb
The top of the climb
Hold on to your hats/helmets!
Brakes on, bumps galore. Hold onto your hats/helmets!
Sandy slalom
Sandy Slalom
Sandy slalom
Rough road, rewarding views
Bovine slalom
Red rock gorge
There’s another country over there
Our first view of the Panj Valley
Dropping down to the Panj valley. Donkeys are a much more sensible form of transport for this road.
Following the Panj River along the Afghanistan border
Storm battered camp site
Border crossing. They wouldn’t let us across.
Sometimes you just have to stop, look up and admire.
Afghan village
Whooosh!
Sometimes you have to stop for lunch
Afghan village perched high on the cliff
The fishy gift
Too good a camp spot to pass
Thanks to a Motor Biker from Colorado who took this and then told us we were awesome.
For the non technically minded, it’s not meant to look like this.
Precision bodging
Our friendly little helpers
Broken bike, welcome ride with an Agha Khan Foundation worker.
The man with the beard consults the precious goods being sold by the man with the beard.
A gaggle of school girls (or prisoners)
“Make sure your bike is in perfect working order before attempting this road”
Tea bed bed
“Try not to crash”, instructed Kirsty
A rare stretch of genuine tarmac
The river valley opened out.
Terraces in Afghanistan
Several years of hard work to create a lifeline between the villagers. Always at risk from more landslides though.
Afghan roadworkers preparing the rock with dynamite
Goat herders who joined us for breakfast in the mulberry orchard
View from the tent, night before Khorog
Cows cooling off just outside Khorog
It’s shiny and the right shape. Let’s go!
The river Gunt
Khorog
Meeting a friendly Tajik family after Khorog
Marco Polo Sheep statue
Camping at 2500m
Water melon season has started!
Snap?
Heeeeere’s Johnny!
Jelondi Sanatorium
Koitezek pass. 4271m
Grin and bear it on the gravel and rocks
The Alichur Pamir
A lone truck on the long road
Sassykul Lake: 3850m above sea level, 8.53 degC, duration of swim 3850 milliseconds.
Lake Sassykul
Cracked front pannier mount. Not a good thing to see on the forks in the morning.
A long way to the nearest branch of Halfords
Cracked fork! Need welder!
Alichur mud house
Alichur Playstation.
Rack fixing
Lots of broken junk
Marco Polo Sheep trophy
Hauling water from the well
The road from Alichur
Marmots – Squeeky, orange, chubby and if Kirsty had her way our panniers would be full of them.
The Pamir Highway, Tajikistan
Camping at just over 4000m
Morning walk up a mountain
Spot the tent
A convoy of Chinese trucks
The best road in the world?
Goat crossing
Stopping for fried fish in a yurt
Passing 16,050km or 10,000 miles
Approach to Murghab
A traditional Kyrgyz Ak-Kalpak hat. Probably not CE certified for use on a motorbike.
Lenin still looks after Murghab
Murghab bazaar, made from old containers
More welding, hammering and grinding
Welding with function over form
Murghab
Murghab bazaar
New improved front racks
A left turn after Murghab
A house with a very impressive rockery in the back garden
Grazing horses, high up the valley
Evening stroll
Following the stream up the valley
…till the yaks come home
Yaks come home
Overnight snow in the yurt village
Baby Yak on the run
Wise old yak herder
Yak calf
I’m in China! Sort of.
Camping at 4200m
Oats are impossible to find so we’re on rice pudding for breakfast. A tasty alternative.
Marsscape
No need to ride over the pass as the sign is at the bottom
If you lived at 4400m you’d look like this too
Looking back at the Ak Baital pass
That gradient may be exaggerated…
Ak Baital Pass. 4655m
What goes up must come down
Descending the Ak Baital Pass
Horrible corrugated road. Wonderful desolate view.
Stopping for whisky with our new Polish friends
Uy Buloq Pass
Karakul Lake
Trying out a new helmet
Masked shepherd near Karakul
Karakul Village
Tilda Han Home Stay, Karakul
Karakul well
Karakul Lake
Karakul
Moonscape
Looking back at the Chinese border fence
Very tempted to fill in the big exercise book myself.
Marco Polo sheep to mark the actual border at the top of the Kyzl Art Pass
