Heavy Metal around Mongolia and Central Asia
- Thread starter Timolgra
- Start date
Cole
Registered user
well, Tim you puzzled me - I was sure the Kaz cops press money out of Russian travellers only.
Did they remember the LWR "stars" paid too?
The Kazakh GAI are challenged only by Ukrainian GAI for the world championship of roadside bribery.
The state recently significantly raised the salaries of Kazakh traffic cops, specifically so they would not need to resort to squeezing 1000 Tenge out of every person they wave over. According to locals it has made no difference to their find raising activities !!!
Sergeant Pluck
Registered user
Thats weird because when we were there (similar trip to Tim - 2006 ), we found the Kazakh cops the best of the bunch - whilst the Russian cops were a nightmare, followed closely by Uzbek cops. We got pulled over loads by the Kazakhs, but they were so friendly, going out of their way to tell that they weren't going to tax us - that we decided that there must have been some sort of dictat forbidding them from doing it
Pluck
Cole
Registered user
I have seen Russia change significantly over the past 3-4 years in terms of that sort of behaviour. 4 months in Russia this year and only one bad experience and one semi-dodgy one with the cops. And the bad experience was in the Caucasus, with a Caucasian (as in from the Caucasus) officer.
This year I have found Russian customs and Russian cops to be a breeze and very fair and efficient compared to their neighbors in this part of the world.
Uzbek cops were more annoying than anything else. You get pulled over for 15 minutes every 30-50 km but all they ever wanted from me was a chat.
As for the Kazakh cops, I have been advised by locals that as a foreigner on a foreign motorcycle I should not even to bother pulling over for them when they wave you over. I have followed that advice for the past 5-6 wave-overs ... just continued riding right past while the cop frantically waves his baton at me to pull over. No one seems to care.
This year I have found Russian customs and Russian cops to be a breeze and very fair and efficient compared to their neighbors in this part of the world.
Uzbek cops were more annoying than anything else. You get pulled over for 15 minutes every 30-50 km but all they ever wanted from me was a chat.
As for the Kazakh cops, I have been advised by locals that as a foreigner on a foreign motorcycle I should not even to bother pulling over for them when they wave you over. I have followed that advice for the past 5-6 wave-overs ... just continued riding right past while the cop frantically waves his baton at me to pull over. No one seems to care.
(RIP) petcul
Registered user
I recently came back from a Central Asian trip and apart from one "fine" for breaking the speed limit in Kyrgystan I had no problems with the police or border controls in Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Tajikstan or Uzbekistan. Border crossings could be slow and bureaucratic but apart from one over enthusiastic Uzbekistan customs official who went through everything looking for currency (what is it about Uzbekistan and currency?) there were no problems. In fact officials were incredibly helpful at the borders.
Any stopping by the police was to have a chat about the bike and my journey and could I open it up when I left the control post and do a wheelie? The occasional request for a "fee", when turned down, only resulted in the equivalent of "have a nice day"!
For my short time in Uzbekistan there were a lot of controls but I learned that Uzbekistan is regionalised and in effect has internal border controls between the regions.
Maybe I was lucky.
Any stopping by the police was to have a chat about the bike and my journey and could I open it up when I left the control post and do a wheelie? The occasional request for a "fee", when turned down, only resulted in the equivalent of "have a nice day"!
For my short time in Uzbekistan there were a lot of controls but I learned that Uzbekistan is regionalised and in effect has internal border controls between the regions.
Maybe I was lucky.
mystic
Registered user
Been a month to the day since your last post.
Keep checking every few days, but ZLICH, NADA!
In my doubting moments I'm half beginning to suspect that the lot of you hopped on a UK-bound Aeroflot flight out of Tajakistan!
Great to see you "back on the job" again
Hope you enjoyed your 'hols' 
Tim, you've managed to distract me consistently and drag me away from writing through a day of seriously important client work today with this. The more I read, though, the less important the client work became (I can say that - Mr Hale's stuff is all done ). And, more importantly, the more I want to get on my bike, stick a middle digit up at it all and ride out there.
What a bloody fantastic experience - I'm loving every minute of reading it. Mind you, I'd rather be riding it (even though I've got all the technical off-road ability of a fish).
Tim, in all seriousness, you should take the stuff you've written and the photos and publish a book with it.
). And, more importantly, the more I want to get on my bike, stick a middle digit up at it all and ride out there.What a bloody fantastic experience - I'm loving every minute of reading it. Mind you, I'd rather be riding it (even though I've got all the technical off-road ability of a fish).
Tim, in all seriousness, you should take the stuff you've written and the photos and publish a book with it.
There seems to be no consistancy with travellers experiences. For us the Russian cops were a complete pain, hardly a day passed without being hauled over, sometimes stopping us out of interest, other times 'very insistant' on getting their loot.
We'd heard bad stories of cops in Kazakhstan and thought we'd avoided them all until close to Kyrgystan a road block with a medley of Machine gun weilding soldiers, who were actually ok, and the big hatted cops who were definately working a scam.
No problem in Kyrgystan.
The young Tajik soldiers patrolling the border with Afganistan SW of Kalaikhum had attempted to rape a young Swiss woman travelling alone by bicycle, they'd stopped another couple and taken them off the road and out of sight demanding money. Our policy in that area was not to stop for them since by now we'd recognise the official checkpoints.
No problems with the police at all in Uzbekistan.
Nor in Turkmenistan suprisingly, except Pete and I being stopped twice, once out of interest and once for me riding along side Pete shaking his hand as we caught our first glimpse of the Caspian Sea, with his wealth of motorcycling experience a big hatted cop gave me a safety lecture
Coming over the Neizatash Pass we ride the cold high road west stopping at the remote village of Alichur for warmth and grub.
A delightful family fed us and I wondered what this place must be like in winter.
For more information about this remarkable part of the world this is a good basic starting point
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorno-Badakhshan_Autonomous_Province
For anyone contemplating the Pamir Highway I strongly recommend you ride just the eastern part, the western side will be more of the same and you'll miss out on some of the most spectactular scenary in the world.
So we press on just for a short while.
Then turn off the Pamir Highway heading south over the Khargush Pass towards the Wakhan Valley and Afganistan border with views of the Hindu Kush.
A delightful family fed us and I wondered what this place must be like in winter.
For more information about this remarkable part of the world this is a good basic starting point
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorno-Badakhshan_Autonomous_Province
For anyone contemplating the Pamir Highway I strongly recommend you ride just the eastern part, the western side will be more of the same and you'll miss out on some of the most spectactular scenary in the world.
So we press on just for a short while.
Then turn off the Pamir Highway heading south over the Khargush Pass towards the Wakhan Valley and Afganistan border with views of the Hindu Kush.
Looking back, the Landrover is still on the Pamir Highway, if heading west as we were, this is the point to turn off and head south..DON'T MISS IT!!
The next several days were almost on a par with the joy of riding in Mongolia,
whoop whoop
Easy riding but excitement mounts as we press on waiting for out first glimpse of Afganistan.
And there it is.
We drop into the valley of the Pamir River which I recall was still over 11,000ft up, pass through a remote checkpoint and from now on for the next few hundred miles everything on the otherside of the river is Afganistan.
The next several days were almost on a par with the joy of riding in Mongolia,
whoop whoop
Easy riding but excitement mounts as we press on waiting for out first glimpse of Afganistan.
And there it is.
We drop into the valley of the Pamir River which I recall was still over 11,000ft up, pass through a remote checkpoint and from now on for the next few hundred miles everything on the otherside of the river is Afganistan.
Winding our way down alongside the Pamir River we saw no one on our path and only two people on the Afgan side.....we waved as if to say "we don't agree with the war!" ....They waved back.
The light was poor as we saw the Wakhan Range mountains.
The Pamir River runs down to Langar, where we're headed and joins with the Wakhan River to become the Panj which will accompany us for a long way yet along the border.
The road drops to Langar and we start to catch views of the Hindu Kush, the top of which are beyond this thin finger of Afganistan and marks it's border with Pakistan.
Decending further and the temperature begins to rise.
Finally into beautiful Langor or Layangar depending on which map you use.
The light was poor as we saw the Wakhan Range mountains.
The Pamir River runs down to Langar, where we're headed and joins with the Wakhan River to become the Panj which will accompany us for a long way yet along the border.
The road drops to Langar and we start to catch views of the Hindu Kush, the top of which are beyond this thin finger of Afganistan and marks it's border with Pakistan.
Decending further and the temperature begins to rise.
Finally into beautiful Langor or Layangar depending on which map you use.
Cole
Registered user
N 37.634, E 73.079 ... its easier to find that corner coming the other way
just look for the strange black stuff on the road.
I just finished reading what you have posted and it's Great! 
What the Hell I am doing sitting behind his desk.
Talk about a world class trip.
Thanks for posting.
What the Hell I am doing sitting behind his desk.
Talk about a world class trip.Thanks for posting.
Whilst in the planning stages of this trip I was asked by someone who knows me well, why this part of the world and not a trip across Africa?
Have I answered that yet or have you?
To put things in perspective, we're now in the Wakhan Valley.
If you have what appear, problems, complications even heart ache in your everyday life go somewhere wild, take a step back and picture yourself down there on a motorcycle....it's a kind of reality check and good for the soul.... whether you need it or not.
Perhaps it's a selfish therapy....who gives a shit
Have I answered that yet or have you?
To put things in perspective, we're now in the Wakhan Valley.
If you have what appear, problems, complications even heart ache in your everyday life go somewhere wild, take a step back and picture yourself down there on a motorcycle....it's a kind of reality check and good for the soul.... whether you need it or not.
Perhaps it's a selfish therapy....who gives a shit
Eugene
Registered user
Bollo-- the LWR this is considerably better Timolgra
Very inspirational, thanks for posting, a RR that all will be judged against methinks.
It's getting me thinking, hmm anyone up for a bash to Mongolia 2011-12 to get away from the olympics shite!
Very inspirational, thanks for posting, a RR that all will be judged against methinks.
It's getting me thinking, hmm anyone up for a bash to Mongolia 2011-12 to get away from the olympics shite!
bladerunner
Registered user
And so we crest the top of the Kyzyl Art Pass, a moment I'd been looking forward to for a very long time.
I'm reading "The Road gets better from here" by Adrian Scott - your brilliant pictures bring his book to life.
A definite must do!
Today, Langor was is wonderful tranquil village, surrounded by stunning scenery.
I loved it, in fact this whole region was a real highlight of the trip.
Many of the roads through villages were tree lined.
There was a sense of pride amongst the buildings and it's people.
We spent the night at a 'Home Stay'.
With it's idealic surroundings. The 'washroom/shower' was a large pipe gushing water from the stream and screened by a tarpaulin.
Baz takes a nap before we were fed copious amounts of packeted noodles.
No matter their age, all the the women were both beautiful and colourful.
This was our hosts wife.
Everyone waved and beamed a genuine smile as we rode this region.
And the father who tended the garden.
I loved it, in fact this whole region was a real highlight of the trip.
Many of the roads through villages were tree lined.
There was a sense of pride amongst the buildings and it's people.
We spent the night at a 'Home Stay'.
With it's idealic surroundings. The 'washroom/shower' was a large pipe gushing water from the stream and screened by a tarpaulin.
Baz takes a nap before we were fed copious amounts of packeted noodles.
No matter their age, all the the women were both beautiful and colourful.
This was our hosts wife.
Everyone waved and beamed a genuine smile as we rode this region.
And the father who tended the garden.
chad
Registered user
when things are shite its threads like this that keep the dreams alive
as stated tim you should think about putting this in a book, such a great range of pics , as well as your writing
keep em coming
as stated tim you should think about putting this in a book, such a great range of pics , as well as your writing
keep em coming
Cole
Registered user
A little tip which improves the quality of reading this thread.
In user CP at the top left of your screen go to 'edit options' and change the 'skin' to UKADVRider.
It gives a black background which is a much better frame for photos than the traditional yellow
Fu@k me Tim ... wish I had known about that earlier. I never bother on UKGSer with the bigger pics cause I found the background sucks so much away from the pics.
Should be the default background, at least for photo heavy forums like the ride reports and travel thingys.
Right... time to pick out some pics to start linking in.
Enjoying your ride report Tim. A few of the Mongolian pics were most definately familiar
... I am not up to the Kyrgyz and Tajik bits yet tho. Slow reader / viewerHere's a tip back ... dont know how well you kept your camera clock settings, but there is a good program that i have just spent a few days using (free of course) that trawls your GPS tracks to match up with time stamps from your fotos, and geo-tags each foto. I just did about 10,000 pics. All now have the GPS co-ords stored on the foto's EXIF data.
Program is at http://www.geosetter.de/en/ ... Takes a bit of time to get used to all the options, and working out how to offset the photo's timestamp correctly, but end result is you have an exact location on every pic - or at least evey pic taken when your GPS was on.
That way you wont get your Kyrgyz passes mixed up with your Tajik ones
Fu@k me Tim ... wish I had known about that earlier. I never bother on UKGSer with the bigger pics cause I found the background sucks so much away from the pics.
Should be the default background, at least for photo heavy forums like the ride reports and travel thingys.
Right... time to pick out some pics to start linking in.
Enjoying your ride report Tim. A few of the Mongolian pics were most definately familiar
Here's a tip back ... dont know how well you kept your camera clock settings, but there is a good program that i have just spent a few days using (free of course) that trawls your GPS tracks to match up with time stamps from your fotos, and geo-tags each foto. I just did about 10,000 pics. All now have the GPS co-ords stored on the foto's EXIF data.
Program is at http://www.geosetter.de/en/ ... Takes a bit of time to get used to all the options, and working out how to offset the photo's timestamp correctly, but end result is you have an exact location on every pic - or at least evey pic taken when your GPS was on.
That way you wont get your Kyrgyz passes mixed up with your Tajik ones
Thanks for that mate.
I don't really have GPS tracks but I do have a felt tip pen scrawled acrossed the maps, will that do the same?
I knew I had the passes mixed up and it wasn't until I both thought about it and of course had it pointed out on ADVrider that I got it straight in my head again
I didn't keep a diary or make notes so am writing it straight off the of of my head as groups of photos trigger what's left of the old memory cells
Yes, these type of threads are much stronger with the black background. I use it all the time here now. The yellow default washes the pictures out a bit.
Wish I was back out there now!
