Heavy Metal around Mongolia and Central Asia

[Timolgra]

In places the mud, rock and sand track was a river bed running through the centre of a village, I can only imagine how difficult life would be when it's in flood.

The way parts from the river and we take our last look at Afganistan.

Climbing north we ride across the high, cool grassy plains before dropping into the searing heat at Kulyab.

An endless road twisting over mountain ranges eventually took us to Dushanbe around 11pm, we're exhausted, the others checked us all into a 5 star hotel...yuk, a waste of $100 were my thoughts but it wasn't the time to complain and we were all glad of a good nights sleep and a touch of luxury.

Reflecting on it now, it'd been a long time since we'd had such a treat and they were right after all. Good call guys

 

[Timolgra]

Refreshed and north out of Dushanbe at first, the perfect twisting uphill road in a deep valley......I round a left hander...immediatly roll off and brake..too late the coppers speed gun was trained on the first glimse.
He was nice enough and more interested in our journey and made no mention of my speed, "Ah, you go through the tunnel" he smiled......

I'd heard about this tunnel!

Chinese road builders everywhere....there must be something in it for their country.

Great riding country.

On a great bike

That's the river down there!

The tunnel!
5km through a mountain, off road, in the dark, up to 18" of water hiding huge potholes, water pouring from the roof, noise from fans and generators reaching a crishendo, you feel your head will explode, twisted reinforcing steel lurking up from what was presumably a concrete floor threatening everything from tyres to body.

The first big hidden pothole was the hardest I've ever hit...it snapped the front spring in Baz's uprated Wilbers suspension, when I hit the second it threw my bike 90deg to the right and into the tunnel wall, I stayed upright, continued and waited for the next.

In a western world no member of the public would be allowed in such a place, it was the most dangerous 'road' I've been on a bike...also the most fantastic and wouldn't have missed it for the world, but can tell you the light at the end of the tunnel was a welcome sight.

 

[Packer]

I can't start to imagine what that was like. To actually snap a spring like that is amazing. I was shaken half to bits off roading my 1150 at EM09 but the suspension was the least of my problems. Lack of skill was the key factor.

What a great report Tim.

Thank you!

 

[chad]

those pics are amazing it must have been hard to take it all in

 

[Canuck]

Great stuff. . . I'm getting itchy for summer 2011. . .

 

[(RIP) petcul]

Ah, Happy memories. Keep them coming

ps Chinese are heavily involved improving roads to make it easier for them to transport goods. Probably counts as foreign aid too. Saw as many Chinese trucks as Tajik/Kyrgys etc.

 

[Micky]

Great reading... great piccies

 

[Firebird]

Some truly inspiring photos. Keep 'em coming.

 

[mystic]

Ah, Happy memories. Keep them coming

ps Chinese are heavily involved improving roads to make it easier for them to transport goods. Probably counts as foreign aid too. Saw as many Chinese trucks as Tajik/Kyrgys etc.

Friend of mine in northern Laos had this to say about the Chinese:

<style><!-- .hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage { font-size: 10pt; font-family:Verdana } --></style>He believed they only have one God-Money. They pray is like this : Bowing to the four directions of the universe ......
1) give me more money
2) give me more money
3) Come on God - give me more money
4 ) Fuc..... Hell, give me more money NOW.

Great reading... great piccies

+ 1

 

[Dansin]

yes but you may noticed the Panj river and my mention of armed soldiers watching for just such an attempt

A fair point! It just looks as though you're the only ones there most of the time from your pics. But I presume every possible crossing place has guards on both sides. Are the locals allowed to travel across the border unhindered?

 

[Timolgra]

Are the locals allowed to travel across the border unhindered?

No, the only interaction as far as I'm aware is during the set transborder markets where everyone's required to leave their passports/papers with guards until they return and nobody wants to be in a country without papers

 

[sijohnston]

brilliant Tim. thanks for the time and effort invested in this thread.

 

[Timolgra]

So now for the next big leg of our trip which will take us into the heat across Uzbekistan and (hopefully) into Turkmenistan, across the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan, then across Georgia followed by the much anticipated first glimpse of the Black Sea, then the length of Turkey to stay with beer drinking ex pats in Istanbul

What could possibly go wrong..................

 

[the venturer]

Finally Timolgra...
More and more.

 

[Timolgra]

We ride toward the town of Ayni on a Chinese built brand new road through spectacular gorges, so new in fact that the road is shut for 8 hours to allow the tarmac to dry!

They allow the bikes through but Pete, forever the gentleman waits with Rick in the Landrover so Baz and I press on aiming for Pendzhikent near the Uzbekistan border.

But the road detereorates badly.

Turning west after Ayni the road becomes even worse as it follows the powerful Zeravshan river along the side of the Fan mountains.

The bikes are taking a real pounding with rocks and potholes jarring through them constantly.
That night we heard how there are many fatalities along this way as vehicles go over the cliffs and into the raging grey waters below.

It's probably the only time in my life I've ever longed for a piece of smooth tarmac to just sit back, wind the throttle on and enjoy.

Baz was now hating it, having a broken front spring didn't help

Like all bad things, it did eventually get better and we passed through friendly villages where the women and children lay wheat on the road to be threshed by passing vehicles.

Baz's mood improves with the better surface and he blows balloons for shy children
As we leave we both ride through the crops to 'do our bit'...luckily without mishap

Baz and I find a place to stay in Pendzhikent and chat with the owner whilst drinking beer following a great meal......Rick and Pete are trying to negotiate the rough track in the dark but decide it's too dangerous and camp the night, a good decision!

For all sorts of reasons the Tajiks hate the Uzbeks we learn.

The electricity supply for this western part of Tajikistan is generated high up in the mountains from the river (which flows into Uzbekistan).
This freezes and there's no power for 3 months.

So they planned to dam the river lower down and have reliable power.
Energy rich Uzbekistan will be affected by the damming and say no, don't do that we'll give you power.
The plans are shelved....and of course the Uzbeks change their mind

Throughout Central Asia I asked the older generation if 'things' were better since their countries gained independance from the Soviet Union, they all said no, we were much stronger, had more power provisions etc.etc. in the old days.

Returning to Europe I'm reminded how politically correct most of us are, throughout this trip most people spoke their mind.
Our host that night wouldn't trust the Chinese, "they have eyes like a raven" he warned.

A few beers later the conversation takes a turn to the beautiful women of Asia, I said the Mongolian women were very attractive, he says "ah but they have very narrow eyes which in a woman means they have a very narrow erm..pussy"

Baz and I looked at each other in confusion "and the problem is?" we both replied.

 

[Timolgra]

We passed through 22 different countries on this trip and at many of the border crossings crude attempts at checking for swine flu were made.

The crossing into Uzbekistan was probably the best though.
A fat official wearing a big hat was sat behind his desk, sweating.
He pointed to a picture of a pig on his office wall and enquired ...."problem?"

A short ride to the ancient (7th century BC) city of Samarqand, central to the old Silk Road where we stayed a couple of days, I fitted my spare front shock to Baz's bike and we chilled in lovely surroundings.

Not so many photos from now on though...

 

[JALFREZI]

Good to have you back Tim, keep it coming.

 

[Timolgra]

We see a group of 16 !!!!! British bikes by the side of the road, they're on a commercial ride around the world.
We stop and have tea with them, it's not for me, they're going to miss some of the best bits.

We press on in the heat to Bukhara, another interesting city but it's too hot for sightseeing for me.
We need to wait for a pre arranged date before attempting to enter Turkmenistan so do the tourist thing for a couple of days.

 

[Timolgra]

Getting into and out of Turkmenistan was always going to be a problem and this country was to close our loop back towards Europe, although we did have plan B or even C!

There's two ways of doing it.
Either chance your luck with a 'transit' visa at the border, which they'd stopped issuing when we were there or pay for a 'guide' to accompany you and get a 'tourist' visa.....once you have a letter of invitation, this all has to be prearranged.

Neither was an option when we left home since Turkmenistan had stopped all visas due to fears of swine flu reaching them but somewhere a few 'Stans' back I'd got the ball rolling again although there's nver any guarantee they'll give you the visa.

Eternal queing led to us having 16 forms for this and that in our hands, some of which we'd had to pay for then someone would take them from us leaving us with a few.....it's confusing to say the least!

Eventually we meet our guide in his 4x4 and we in Turkmenistan!!

We set off in convoy.

The bridge crossing the wide river Amurdarya is floating pontoons covered with rutted and very slippy polished steel, it looks trecherous, it is for poor Baz.

His front wheel skids and down he goes, rips a rocker cover off the bike and we fear he has a broken leg.
There's a four inch gash on his shin exposing the bone.
He can't ride and the bike is finished.........

 

[the venturer]

Getting into and out of Turkmenistan was always going to be a problem and this country was to close our loop back towards Europe, although we did have plan B or even C!

There's two ways of doing it.
Either chance your luck with a 'transit' visa at the border, which they'd stopped issuing when we were there or pay for a 'guide' to accompany you and get a 'tourist' visa.....once you have a letter of invitation, this all has to be prearranged.

Neither was an option when we left home since Turkmenistan had stopped all visas due to fears of swine flu reaching them but somewhere a few 'Stans' back I'd got the ball rolling again although there's nver any guarantee they'll give you the visa.

Eternal queing led to us having 16 forms for this and that in our hands, some of which we'd had to pay for then someone would take them from us leaving us with a few.....it's confusing to say the least!

Eventually we meet our guide in his 4x4 and we in Turkmenistan!!

We set off in convoy.

The bridge crossing the wide river Amurdarya is floating pontoons covered with rutted and very slippy polished steel, it looks trecherous, it is for poor Baz.

His front wheel skids and down he goes, rips a rocker cover off the bike and we fear he has a broken leg.
There's a four inch gash on his shin exposing the bone.
He can't ride and the bike is finished.........

Ohh! Poor Baz. Waiting for more.