Almaty, the second city and previous capital of Kazakhstan, felt like Europe to us. Expensive Burger King, household appliances, large super markets, food courts and even proper dental care. It was nice to be in a place where we could enjoy some luxuries, although we were missing the off the beaten track feel of the places we [...]
Looking at the map we see a red line running from Osh to Bishkek. It is a highway and actually still the M41. We are reluctant to take this road because we prefer to avoid heavy traffic and take smaller roads where possible. At the same time we have heard that many of the smaller roads are [...]
Anticipation... Expectations... Personal opinions and the Ak-Baital Pass. Cycling the The Pamir Highway M41 is not only about having the legs but definitely the stamina, the motivation and the persistence. Altitude sickness, bad roads, good and bad stories of other cyclists and illness are all a part of it. It has been a mind blowing, interesting cultural and physical [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
How interesting is it that we make plans along the way of our journey and still they always change all the time. We had planned to stay in Mardin to relax, investigate our route in Iraq or Mardin to Hakkari, update website and explore the town. For the photos see, Mardin and The road to Hakkari The town Mardin is [...]
Leaving Cappadocia towards the South-East of Turkey was tough after a few great days with friends and eating out a lot. At the same time we were looking forward to be back on the bike and in our bicycle rhythm. We had been looking forward to first Istanbul, then Ankara for our visa and Cappadocia because of [...]
We were ready to take on the rest of Turkey, although saying goodbye was a little bit sad because the stay at Ali, Martin's ex-colleague, had been very nice. Also we had the experience of cycling into Istanbul vividly in our minds. Luckily the way out of Istanbul was a lot more pleasant while following the old [...]
We have shared our sights and happenings along the way. Do you ever wander about: what is happening with their thoughts as they move further and further away from “home”? Ham, my good old biking guru and friend asked me the other day in an e-mail: how do you think about sunsets now? Also Ham asked how [...]