Entry 006
Through the desert of Turkmenistan to the beauty of Uzbekistan and the high mountains in Tajikistan. I have see a lot of things within a short time. Although I had not enought time for all these beautiful cities I was in.
Sunday 13.08.2006

travelled distance: 6680 km - Position: Dushanbe (Tajikistan)


TURKMENISTAN

From the high temperatures in the desert and digestion problems:

Well as I was leaving Dargaz (Iran) I went as soon as possible to the border to Turkmenistan. there I was changing money by some people next to the border. Cause these people were from Iran I was trusting them, and they gave me a quiet ok exchange course, cause I was informed about the course I was able to evaluate it. Now in Turkmenistan I had to


1.) On a Bus stop in Turkmenistan, where
shadow was given to me.


3.) Also here i found a shadow, and so I
was taking a break here by the Turkmenistan flag.


5.) A Turkmen women, who wanted me to
take a photo of her.


7.) Perfect clima for camels.


9.) In a Hotel in Turkemnabad without any
confort and with a very unfriendly receptionist.

pass the first desert in my life. But because I got a bad water the first day I entered the


2.) Sleeping shepherds in Turkmenistan which
simply didnt know that I was taking a
foto from them as they were working.


4.) This old timer I found on a petrol station in
Turkmenistan who was drivng on a rally from
Amsterdam to Bejing (Peking).


6.) That is me on a monument in Mary.


8.) This was a kind of reatsurant in the middle of the
desert I was spending a night before I was
driving to Turkmenabad.

country on a drink shop next to the roadside which are very wide sprayed here in Turkmenistan I had really heavy diarrhoea again which costs me a lot of energy for the next few days. This was "shit" in the truest sense of the word. Because if you ride through such an extreme hot country with an indigestion it isn't funny at all. Nevertheless the people here have an Asian looking and they are quiet friendly which was very constructive for me. On the way trough the country a old timer rally from Amsterdam was passing me on their way to Beijing (China). I was changing a few words with some of these guys which stopped on a petrol station in the next city I entered. So this was a good alternation for me so I was ready to go into the real desert beyond Mary. In this desert I also saw some dunes but the most time you will find some green bushes which are fighting the hot summer season here. All the time there were some police checkpoints where I was registered. Well Turkmenistan is an communistic country and seems like a police state. On the last day I decided to ride at night because in the night time it was not that hot. But this night ride was so confusing for me so that I thought (as I was taking a Hotel in Turkmenabad) that I have also one more day left till I have to leave the country. And so I was sleeping the hole afternoon, in one of the most shitty hotel in the city which costs me 12 $ for a very poor comfort level. As I was looking on my passport again, I noticed that i have to leave the country today and so I was in a big hurry to get all the stuff on my bike and leave the city immediately to get my as to the border. But I was coming to the border at 20:30, and this was simply too late because the border closes at 19:00 which I also didn't know. Well I I had a problem, because I had to sleep on the Turkmenistan side of the border and on the next day the Visa won't be valid any more. I was really lucky to meet a quiet friendly consul on the border, which told me that he want to let me pass, because if I really want to go to Singapore then he don't want to prevent me from it. So I dint have to buy a Visa again, tanks to the Turmenistan police for their help! The next time I will be more carefully and I also will attend the time the border is opened or closed. God bless these correct and fair working guys, which is not normal in such countries!

UZBEKISTAN

Unfriedly people on the countryside, or was it an hallucination?:

Well after the incident with my own stupidity I finally reached Uzbekistan, the country with the most famous silk road cities like Buchara and Samarkand. The first city I was visiting was Buchara and I was


1.) Next to the border Turkmenistan/Uzbekistan,
just 846 km away from Dushanbe.


3.) Finally, in Buchara I found a lot of fruits again!


5.) Simply fascinating.


7.) And again such an historical building in Buchara.


9.) This is a mosque, the hole roof is made out of wod
and also columns are made out of wood and
were bult in the 17th century, ok some of
them are newer but most of them are original.


11.) A nice building which was an
university in the past.


13.) And these buildings are really facinating,
also because of their height and dimension.


15.)  The last view along the lanes of Samarkand.

really impressed by this city with all its historical buildings. Normally you


2.) A view back to Turkmenistan and
it's boring flat landscape.


4.) A nice decoration on the historical
buildigs in Buchara.


6.) Behind such big archways there you can find a
lot of traditional traders which nowadays are aimed
on tourists.


8.) No comment, it's simply a
architecture masterpiece.


10.) A mausoleum in Samarkand


12.) So I stopped breathing as I saw this,
so amacing it was.


14.) Well and there also was a lot
of business on the bazzar.

have to take 3 or 4 days for this city to explore it, but at least I just was taking one day. What was a little bit strange to me, were the people here in Uzbekistan. In bigger cities the people are greeting you, because here they are used to it because of all the tourists. But if you drive on the countryside the people just stare at you without saying a word. As I was greeting them with their national greeting "Salom" they also don't say a word they are still staring at you. Well sometimes I get a response, but in the most cases they don't answer your greeting. That was very annoying for me and I really didn't like that. I don't know why it was that annoying for me but maybe it was because I was spoiled from the Iran people which always were greeting me with an "Hello Mr.". Well I was going ahead to Samarkand which also was an very nice and beautiful city. But also here I don't was taking more then one day, and I also went to Tajikistan the same Day I was entering this city.

TAJIKISTAN 

Jetzt gehts zu den hohen Bergen!:

In Tajikistan the most people are greeting you again, also if you have to go around 60 km away from the border till the influence of Uzbekistan is getting less and less. In some villages I meet some small children's which where starting screaming “tourist!, tourist!!, tourist!!!”. But the problem here is the road, which is just a few times asphalted and normally a crushed stone road or


1.) Finally in Tajikistan, in teh back the
mountains come back again.


3.) But the roads were in a quiet bad condition.

simply a dust road. Also there was hardly any good water from the bottles which you can buy anywhere here, because this water simply tastes like some chemicals. Here


2.) And so I was following the rivers.


4.) And so I was riding the bike until the night was
coming, and the moon was rising up behind the
mountains.

the first time I wished to have an water filter on board, because as I was drinking water from an spring in an village, where also the people here were drinking that water, I was getting diarrhoea again and so I started working with chemicals from now on which was ok then. Before I can reach Dushanbe the capital city of Tajikistan I had to go up to a pass with an height of nearly 3400 m, the so called Anzob pass. The road up to this pass was very dusty and in very poor condition, so I needed one more day to Dushanbe then planned. Well but because I needed one more day I had to sleep at an height of 2400 m above sea level, which was quiet convenient for me because here I had to use my sleeping bag again, and it was an ideal temperature for sleeping here. Also the view to the mountain range here was amazing. On the next day I had to go up to the pass, but I want riding my bike any longer I just was pushing my bike all the way. As I was coming to the top of the pass, I cant believe what my eyes were seeing there so amazing the view to the mountain range on the other side of the valley was. The view down to the valley let me cringe, because it was getting down there as I was coming up there and this means for me I have to push my bike all the way down. Well I just had my back brake left and I don't wanted to risk it to overheat my back rim. I was really glad as I came down to the valley where the downhill grade of the road was not that big so I was available to ride my bike again without pressing the brake all the time. I can say that the really adventure of this trip is beginning with the Pamir, because here you are reliant on yourself. In the Pamir I also have to pass a sea level up to 4000 m, and also in my mountaineering crier I never had passed such a height. Also on the Anzob pass I felt the thin air up in such a height and so I have to acclimate myself before I pass the first 4000 m pass. Well it will be also functional without acclimatisation, but this is much harder then. Here in Dushanbe I am just waiting for the China visa, which I ordered on Friday and on Wednesday I hope I will call a 90 day china visa mine. But I also have to wait for the parcel, which my parents were sending per DHL. No, there is no Manner waffle or any other sweets in it, this is just a parcel with spare parts in it. Also the final winter equipment for the Tibet is included. And a brand new mp3 Player which should give me the right rhythm and beats when cycling across these mountains in a record time.

Well that's it, it wasn't so long ago that I was writing the last Report 005. So, finally I have to wish everybody which is watching this tour all the best and hopefully you are on board the next time when also "hopefully" it is said, "Across the Pamir to the empire in the mid (China)".


Hearty regards

Yours Carl Steiner

Life is not anything, its a wonder god gave to us, so let us live it in dignity and integrity, don't let us waste it useless