We are approaching the Roof of the World, the Pamir plateau. It makes us nervous and exciting and we are a little bit worried. At the same time other people have cycled here as well so it will be okay... Won't it? We only know that our preparation ride from Dushanbe to Khorog was tough, very tough. [...]
It is hard leaving a place where you feel comfortable en where you are understood by others. So leaving Samarqand was difficult and this was not made easier by a stomach bug that was traveling around. We were cycling south with mixed emotions because it was hard to say goodbye but we were also looking very much [...]
Traveling through Uzbekistan you can definitely feel the centuries old heritage of the trade along the silk road. The cities Bukhara and Samarqand are majestic and like from a storybook. The countryside is very different though and the people are a new dimension all together, please enjoy our story of the road to Samarqand. You can find [...]
Is it possible to cross Turkmenistan in 5 days? Yes and we as many others had no choice. So this is how our cycling from sunrise to sunset, 5 days Turkmenistan went. In short cycling in strong head wind and extreme heat, eating and sleeping only to repeat this for 5 days from Sarakhs to Farap :) [...]
In Iran we are really heading east. The route out of Tehran goes straight in the direction we are heading. We decided to take the longer North-east Iran route to Mashhad so we could avoid cycling only in the desert and heading to the apparently more humid and green Caspian Sea area. See latest photos: Tehran to Golestan and Golestan [...]
The days sorting out our visa in Tehran were stressful and hot. Somehow it all worked out very well for us and in two days of searching for embassies we had the visa we needed. If you wonder how and what, please read our post “Iranian and Central Asian visa Information”. Latest photos : Tehran, Desert day, Isfahan, Yazd, Shiraz and [...]
Below you will find information regarding the processes of applying for the Iranian and Central Asian visa on the road in Ankara and Tehran. We found the process of applying for visa fairly simple and we didn't encounter any problems during the applications. The only thing is to be well prepared regarding documents and they will always cost [...]
The intensity of Iran has kept a high level regarding people, temperature, headwind and experiences. The last few days we have been cycling over small roads. One Iranian said: “that way only desert and small village”, and wanted us to take the main highway. We thought: “perfect”, and continued on the small road towards the desert and, [...]
While we cycled over the last Turkish mountain pass (2250m) before reaching the Turkish/Iranian border we were imagining how welcoming Iran would be and how much would change. See all photos West Azerbaijan Iran The border crossing was a bit hectic. As they are building a new border the traffic is redirected around the building site, [...]
The thing that is keeping me back most on this trip is my mind... It is hard to say but my mind is really screwed up sometimes. The last three days have been the hardest days for me on this trip. I was almost ready to call it quits. My mental battle of bicycle touring, how did [...]