I opened my eyes and it finally hit me: we were done. There were no more routes to plan, no more distances to estimate and no car to worry about. It felt liberating, though I will not deny the sense of melancholy that clung to me for not making it to Mongolia. I was determined…
Tag: Mongol Rally
Day 26: In Almaty, after all
We were optimistic about continuing our trip next year. With Akelai’s help, we spent the day hunting for the central customs office. After three tries, we found the right location. I don’t even know how we would’ve found the place if Ryan hadn’t asked Akelai to come along with us. We met a number of…
Day 24 & 25: Bored in Bishkek
The first order of business was to get back in touch with Ryan from Iron Horse Nomads, who we had contacted when we were still in Osh. After a lavish breakfast of tiny crepes, baguettes and all other things French (thanks to our French host), we called him. Ryan had a busy day ahead and…
Day 23: Bishkek in a breeze
Over breakfast, we contacted the German embassies in the region to investigate how it would be possible to get rid of our car. We’ve run out of time to fix it, and now were exploring options to dispose of it legally. Neither the one in Kyrgyzstan nor the one in Kazakhstan proved to be very…
Day 22: Crossing over to Kyrgyzstan
I was cold all night. My knees & feet felt frozen. I went to bed feeling quite itchy – I wasn’t sure if something had invaded my sleeping bag. The cold and itch were compounded by worrying about needing to pee in the middle of the night. In the end, I didn’t need to, but…
Day 21: A new lease on life
The first order of business this morning was to go in search of a mechanic, after spending the night in a home stay sharing a large room with a Dutch couple. We had a simple breakfast of milk rice, even though delicious smelling fried fish was on the menu too. I wasn’t sure how my…
Day 20: Approaching Alichur
Today has been a sobering day. I’ve never felt so much despair: being in the middle of nowhere, utterly dependent on a car that won’t run properly, and miles from anywhere. Sleep last night was impossible, though our host was kind enough to provide us with blankets so we wouldn’t be cold. After a breakfast…
Day 19: Languishing in Langar
2:41pm We’re currently stranded in the small village of Langar along the Wakhan Valley. Our rear suspension is broken.
Day 18: Ishkashim, the edge of the world
We woke up this morning in Kalaikhum, having slept reasonably well. However, we both struggled with stomach issues. Perhaps it was the water the salad from last night was washed in. After a simple breakfast of eggs, bread and coffee on the terrace right above a mountain stream, we packed up and headed out. The…
Day 17: Crawling towards Kalaikhum
We are currently at a very basic homestay in a small village called Kalaikhum, on the way to Khorog, Tajikistan. Our aspiration had been to get to Khorog for the night, but according to the Lonely Planet, it takes between 14 – 20 hours to reach from Dushanbe. What a rude awakening it is to…
Day 16: The dodgy drive to Dushanbe
It had been quite a day! We finally managed to withdraw USD 500 from a National Bank of Uzbekistan branch near the Registan that does cash advance against Visa cards. If you’re ever planning to travel through Central Asia but not carry thousands of dollars/euros in cash, take note of this location. While we were in the vicinity,…
Day 15: Scrambling through Samarkand
Our biggest worry in Uzbekistan had been fuel. After fuel, it was our cash-flow. Both were in short supply and we spent much of the day chasing these with minimal success. We had a lazy breakfast at our B&B in Bukhara and started for Samarkand at about 11am that morning. We found a fueling station based…
shehrinakamal 