The stretch after Murghab can only be described as like cycling on the moon. Or mars, but colder. Nothing but rocks and mountains and a few supremely isolated yurts. No trees, no villages, not even any yaks. We were pedaling towards the highest pass that any of us were likely to ever cycle over : … Continue reading Cycling on the moon
By the time we reached Khorug, our bodies, brains and bikes were well in need of a rest. The new wheels had held up through the bumpy gravel roads and our digestive systems were mostly back to normal, but we were exhausted and one of my pannier bags had a rather sizeable 8 inch tear … Continue reading The M41: Khorug – Murghab
We had been anticipating the Pamir Highway for such a long time. When we were getting tired of the lack of camping and craving some personal space in Iran, I was wishing ourselves forward a few thousand kms to Tajikistan. But then suddenly we were here. Less than ten days after leaving Iran, we had … Continue reading Back into the mountains
Some years ago, I met my parent's new neighbours in Ireland : Liam and Ayna. From accent alone you could tell Liam was a local, but Ayna said she was from Turkmenistan. My teenaged self nodded her head, wondering, literally, where on Earth that was. Some years later, we were planning to cycle across the … Continue reading Through the White City to the Gates of Hell
It has to be said that we were all a little nervous before crossing the border into Iran. There were so many unknowns: Was my outfit acceptable according to the imposed Islamic Law? Would we be able to eat while on the road? (It was still Ramadan, and during this time it is technically illegal … Continue reading Cycling inside Iran, outside of the western media
Warning : this not a sugarcoated sweet little tale of cycling through the beautiful Armenian landscapes. Language is perhaps a little abrasive at times, but I am from North London. Apologies for not sharing with closer friends and family sooner, but I only wanted to write this once. Our planned route through Armenia was going … Continue reading Armenia – the good, the bad, and the ugly
We hadn't cycled more than 1km from the Georgian border and we were already being offered a cup not of tea but of homemade wine. An immediate change from the multiple daily çay invitations we had become used to. Besides this, the large numbers of (white) Renaults we had become accustomed to in Turkey, ranging … Continue reading Return of the Lada
https://youtu.be/cUMuUnPscdE So long and thanks for all the çay! Our favourite country so far, we decided Turkey deserved a video all of its own. Don't forget to turn on the sound! ?
'pologies for the delay. This post has been written for weeks, nay months, but we've had technical difficulties getting the photos from our camera... And we both know you people only look at the pictures anyway... In space this post covers about 1500km of pedalling, in time about 3 weeks, and in seasons all 4. … Continue reading From catamarans to hot air balloons
Bikes finally back under our bums after their extended stay at the bicycle spa, we took a deep breath and headed through the crazy Istanbul traffic - making our way to one of the ferry ports with my new rear hub whirring happily behind us. The plan was to escape the madness of the city … Continue reading Turkish Hospitality