Descending from the 4390-m pass in the Central Highlands today. It has been raining every day and it is just the beginning of the rainy season in Peru! Since leaving Cusco about three weeks ago, I have spent 101 hours on the saddle during 16 days of cycling, covered over 1200 km and climbed 17 … Read more
At the moment I am cycling in the remote and rocky Central Highlands in Peru. The mountains are steep, the valleys, lonely, and the roads, narrow and carved from the side of steep mountains. The elevation of the road is between 2200m to 4000m. For the first time since the beginning of this trip nine … Read more
After a day of cycling on the gravel road, I reach the bank of Rio Baker river. Each screw of my body is loose. I wipe off the dust and sweat on my face with the cold turquoise-blue water of the river. It is very quiet but in my head I can hear the bicycle … Read more
As the sun sets in the town, the howling wind becomes quiet. I can finally read the book of my mind. “What makes us travel to the far lands? Is it curiousity; the need to learn and experience different? What motivates us to expose ourselves to the tough situations? Is travelling a child’s play, or … Read more
I’ve just reached Murghab in Tajikistan and achieved a big mile stone in my journey. I am going to stay here for at least two nights. Over the past three days I have been cycling in the Pamir plateau at about 4000m elevation, and have been rewarded with fantastic views. However it is bitterly cold … Read more
Where I sit if you look up for this location (38°28’35″N, 70°57’56″E) on a map and draw a vertical line through it, in the south the line will cross a city named Layyah in Pakistan. Layyah is my home town, where I was born and spent two-third of my life. This is where my brothers … Read more
Could this be the last bicycle check during the trip? Well I hope so! The wobbly rear wheel gets straightened yet one more time, after getting treatment in Mashhad, Bukhara, Samarkand, and now in Dushanbe. It is still not perfect but I think the mechanic tried his best for the 25-Tajik-Somoni-job. Now I hope the … Read more
7484 km in Dushanbe, Tajikistan! This is the total number of kilometres I have cycled across 13 countries so far during the trip from Germany to Pakistan. In 2011, I cycled 4354 kilometres from Rostock, Germany to Sivas, Turkey. During the last two months, I’ve cycled over 3000 kilometres from Sivas to Dushanbe. I still … Read more
Greetings from Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Yesterday I cycled 105 kilometres from Denau to reach Dushanbe. Going through the Uzbekistan immigration was a pain in the arse. I was the only visitor at the check post and seemed the border authorities had nothing to do so they decided to kill some time by checking all my stuff. … Read more
Greetings from Denau! My last five days were spent cycling in the mountains. The route turned to be surprisingly stunningly beautiful, one of the best in the whole journey so far. The greenish landscape with tall mountains looking down at the road provided refreshing views especially after having cycled desert-like Turkmenistan to Bukhara route. However … Read more
Time to say goodbye to Samarkand and its turquoise domes, and hit the road again. If I don’t get the chance to access internet during the next seven days in Uzbekistan, I shall catch up with you guys from Dushanbe in Tajikistan which is still 480 samar from here. Plenty of time to cycle in … Read more
As the summer has arrived in Uzbekistan, I saw two sheep shearers on my way to Samarkand removing a sheep’s wool. It was interesting to see how they used blade shears to remove this sheep’s coat. Next when I was battling against the headwind, a shepherd asked me to stop and wanted his picture taken. … Read more
These pictures were shot at Imam Bukhari Mausoleum and outside Ulugh Beg Observatory in Samarkand today.
Registan Square with three mardarsahs. Ulugh Beg Madrasah, Tilya-Kori Madrasah and Sher-Dor Madrasah. The Registan was a public square, at the heart of ancient Samarkand, and is now included in the UNESCO world heritage list.
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