unplanned flight to germany

I am back in Germany. A very unplanned and rather unfortunate ending, or interruption, of my travels. I had pitched my tent behind a rest station in Tagawa, Japan on the 1st of March. I fell into a gutter while walking from the tent to the toilets in the darkness. I hit head, knee and …

next year: vietnam, china and japan

Thought it might be more interesting to read about what's to come instead of stories from the past. For this reason, I'm skipping a cycling in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan post to outline the plan for early next year. I escaped the onset of winter in Central Asia by taking a flight from Almaty, Kazakhstan to …

through tajikistan, towards kyrgyzstan

The last post was written - uhm - a long time ago. Below a few notes about how I got from Khorugh, Tajikistan to Osh, Kyrgyzstan. shakhdara valley (roshtqala road) Continuing from Khorugh, there are three possible routes towards Kyrgyzstan. By far the most popular ones are either along the M41, or riding further along …

tajikistan: dushanbe to khorugh on the south route

To cycle from Dushanbe to Khorugh there are two main routes: North and South. Many touring cyclists headed East in Tajikistan take the North route on the M41 for its scenery and its pass over 3000 meters. However, the North route almost exclusively consists of gravel road and supplies are scarce. While longer, my choice …

bukhara, samarkand and to dushanbe

After crossing Turkmenistan, I stayed for three nights in Bukhara at Hostel Rumi - I felt tired. Bukhara is a nice and quiet city with a number of attractions to visit. I only saw a few, the hostel provided such a relaxing and peaceful atmosphere - a great place to recover. Many cyclists stay here and …

crossing turkmenistan

About a year ago I stumbled upon a blog post from a German cyclist who had crossed Turkmenistan on a five day transit visa a long while ago. I envied him, I was in awe and inspired. Just about one week ago I did the same. As travelers of central asia know, getting a Turkmenistan visa is …

iran: sari, golestan, mashhad and sarakhs

The road towards Sari along the Caspian Sea was rather uneventful. Pretty plain and boring with tons of shops lined up on the sides around Babolsar. Not used to the humidity, I had sweat dripping on my top tube every few seconds. Besides, I found myself on a Friday with only a few Rials left. This …

iran: tabriz, tehran, chaulus

I entered Iran from Armenia through the Nordooz border. I decided to go south and over another mountain pass to Tabriz instead of following the main road 12 to Jolfa. This meant yet another long ascent, but I was hoping for cooler temperatures and great views. Initially, Iran greeted me with a very dry and …

armenia to iran

I started writing this in Tehran after handing in my application for a Turkmenistan transit visa. Now in Gorgan already and on my way out of Iran, finishing off some notes about Armenia. I wrapped up my Tbilisi stay by having my bike checked at Bike House and visiting a few outdoor stores. Also, I withdrew as many Euros and …

turkey to georgia

Taking two rest days in Tbilisi, Georgia - time for a haircut, bike shop visit and writing a few lines about the past two weeks. It is not Iran yet - I'm doing a detour through Georgia and Armenia. Mainly as I'm ahead of schedule, but also as both countries were highly recommended to me …