26/8

The morning begins with partly cloudy weather and almost no wind. The road is still incredibly good, but I remember that it is supposed to get worse ahead. The rest of the way up to Yoged, which is just under 300 km from Khorough, not only offers a good road, but also breathtakingly beautiful and majestic landscapes, though there are some quite tough climbs at times.

When I left my tent camping just outside Kishti Poyen I have covered 250 km and still 340 km left to checkpoint two, Khorog. and the toughest part is left.
This part om Pamir Highway or M41 following river Panji which is also border river between Tajikistan and Afghanistan. I often see small villages, vehicles  being driven, and hearing children’s play on the Afghan side.

The villages are small in most cases and I only cycle through them if I am not in need of water or suchlike.

Just before ten a´clock a.m. I took my first longer break at a small village and a typical roadside café with a leafy area below and several tables set out.

Early lunch break at a popular roadside bar

It is Saturday, and many are probably off work today, as there are plenty of people gathered around some of the barbecue spots. It also seems to be a place for travellers, since several cars are parked there.

I choose a table indoors and get salad, rice and some pieces of chicken, lukewarm drink and tea.

Praying mantis are ambush predators that chase other insects.

What we Westerners are not quite used to are all the flies and other insects that love to gather where there is food, but the other guests seem to take it all in their stride!

Curious glances come from all directions, and I suppose they wonder who I am and where I come from. The flag I have on the back of my bike, I suspekt few know where it is from.

The proximity to Afghanistan and the civil war that raged between 1992 and 1997 has left visible traces…

Russian tank left since the russian war in Afghanistan

and a number of times I encounter patrolling soldiers along the road with Kalashnikovs.

Patrolling Tajik soldiers, more curious than suspicious

Most of the time, they just note my passage, but occasionally someone wants to check my Visa and whether I have a GBAO permit or not.

After some tough climbing I reached Yoged, a small village but a Homsestay (B&B) made my interest so I stoped and asked for one night stand.

– 5 $ for bed includning dinner a young guy told me.
– I´ll accept

You couldn’t possibly haggle, even if you had no shame at all.

I get a room divided into two, with a 20” Russian tube TV. The bed is a thick red mattress on the floor. I drag it to one corner of the partition wall towards the other room so I can lie down and watch Russian TV.

The dinner was meat soup, vetetables and bread. Not a gourmet dinner but I got full and that was the most important.

Yoged-creek floats into  Panji river

See yea Later

P-G
//The Global Cyclist

23 august

I woke up to the screams of local youths and the sounds of their livestock, along with the thundering traffic below.

I rode downhill for a few kilometers before crossing a beautiful blue-green shimmering river called Vakhsh, which is also home to one of the world’s highest hydroelectric dams, the Nurek Dam. Hydroelectric power is one of Tajikistan’s export assets.

Crossing Vakhsh river at Nurek

Then, I faced a tough uphill climb of nearly 10 kilometers before reaching the next tunnel to pass through. The heat, which had now risen above thirty degrees, made cycling quite a challenge, and the water I had with me was lukewarm.

The tunnel was unlit, and cycling through it was no fun. When I emerged on the other side, I was greeted by a breathtaking view down to a lake that the road signs referred to as the Blue Sea. It’s actually the reservoir of the Nurek Dam.

Blue Sea, Nurek dam from above

A few hundred meters ahead, after a cut through the mountain, I came across a large gravel area with numerous tents serving food and drinks. Many cars, trucks, and buses had already stopped here for a meal and a break, so I did the same.
I was hungry and also needed some rest, especially from the heat and sun. I ordered soup with boiled meat.

While eating, I enjoyed the view of the large blue lake with several prominent mountain formations. Again, it’s the reservoir of the Nurek Dam. After this  lunch, I had a challenging climb left before completing the final 25 kilometers on relatively easy roads.

Unfortunately, I noticed that my front tire had a slow leak, but it wasn’t bad enough to prevent me from pumping it up and cycling a few kilometers at a time. I decided to wait until my evening camp to change the inner tube. I also needed to replace two broken spokes, which I planned to do when I reached Kulob.

At a roadside eatery, I stopped when I saw a few other cyclists and parked my bike beside their table. It was a copule from Germany and we exchanged a few words with each other. I changed the inner tube, pumped it up, and was about to go inside for some coffee or a glass of beer when I noticed that the couple had parked their bikes in a courtyard and had a room for the night.

The eatery had a large yellow-green grassy area in the courtyard where you could pitch a few tents, but they also had three or four rooms that you could essentially stay in for free if you dined there. There were shower facilities, but the water supply wasn’t up to our usual standards.

The German couple caught my attention with their light blue T-shirts. The man, about my age, and his wife, roughly fifteen years younger, had an inspiring story. He’d been fighting blood cancer for twelve years, and the words on their shirts read, “Cycling for Cancer.” It was impressive to learn he had cycled through many countries, including visiting Iceland six times.
Apparently, exercise is good for both the mind and keeping diseases at bay.

The room had four bare white walls with two electrical outlets, no carpets, no tables, so I inflated the mattress and brought out my sleeping bag. Before settling in, I had to chase out all those pesky ants, but the flies were harder to deal with.
Despite the heat, I fell asleep fairly quickly.

See yeah later
P-G
// The Global Cyclist

22 August
After three nights at the Green House Hostel in Dushanbe, without doing anything except resting my body and especially my legs, I was ready for the next challenge, getting to Khorough and then to into Kyrgyzstan. Cycling from Dushanbe over Pamir to the border of Kyrgyzstan is quite a tough ride.

I have planned for four intermediate goals, Kulob – Khrog – Murghab and Karakul lake before  crossing the Kyrgyz border after approximately 1100 km

Before leaving Dushanbe, I made a bank transfer at the Sheraton hotel because it’s not sure, like in Europe where ATMs are everywhere. Here, you need to have cash!

The first 25 kilometers towards Kelob were mostly easy cycling on a very good road. Then I had to work hard to climb all the hills.

After nearly 40 kilometers, I reached the summit for the day and enjoyed a nice descent before I cycled through the 4.5-kilometer-long Khatlon tunnel, previously known as the Chormaghzak tunnel.

My longest tunnel so far. Khatlon tunnel 4.5 km long and the lighting inside was non-existent

I have to admit, it wasn’t a great experience. The tunnel was almost completely dark, and my bike’s front lights were far too dim.

When I finally came out the other side, evening dark had fallen, and it was time to find a good camping spot. About 300 meters from the tunnel, a side road led me up to a plateau where I pitched my tent, with a nice view of the traffic below.

See Yeah Later
P-G

// The Global Cyclist 1719