It took us over a month to cycle from Lanzhou to Shangri-la on the Tibetan Plateau. We experienced a crazy range of elements and landscapes: from the white snow cold in the high mountains to the autumnal green valleys and steep bare rocky gorges… And a lot of prayer flags, prayer wheels and smiley amazing … Continue reading White snow, grey yaks, green valleys and multicoloured flags
A few days after heading away from Lanzhou it soon become clear that we were gradually entering a different region. Signs started having not only Chinese characters, but also Tibetan script. On the horizon a few golden roofs of a temple or a stupa began to pop up. A few colorful flags dancing in the … Continue reading Tibetan Plateau
Despite our excitement, the first few days of cycling in China were undeniably difficult. Funny and interesting, but also incredibly frustrating! We seemed to face a wall of "mei-yo"s, aka "don't have". Sim card, money exchange, petrol for our stove? Mei-yo, mei-yo, mei-yo. All asked in conventional places: mobile phone shops, banks and petrol stations. … Continue reading Mei yo!
Just a little update for everyone concerning our whereabouts in light of the crazy state of the world right now. The past week has been an emotional rollercoaster for us. With days ticking on our Vietnam visa, chaos unfolding in Europe and borders closing all around us, our plans changed so many times in the … Continue reading Home is where…
It was fair to say that we were both excited about entering China. We had applied for the visa months ago, when we were in Tehran, but now it was actually happening. As we kept excitedly exclaiming to one another as we cycled towards the border: "we're going to China!!". China felt far away from … Continue reading Chhhiiiinnnaaaaa!
After our gravel and washboard excursions in Kyrgyzstan, as amazing as they might have been, we were dreaming and looking forward to the tarmac roads of Kazhakistan. However, contrary to expectations, the tarmac, took some time to come. We thought as soon as we crossed the border the road would automatically improve and change to … Continue reading Steppe-ing through Kazakhstan
It was hard to fit all of the experiences we had in Kyrgyzstan in a short video, but we gave it our best shot. Kyrgyzstan definitely deserves it!We had an amazing time cycling there. From lush green farm fields, to bare and desert mountain landscapes. From snow blizzards in our faces to summer swims in … Continue reading Kyrgyzstan – bumpy but beautiful
Like Tajikistan, there were few route options in Kyrgyzstan - take the main road to Bishkek and around Issykul lake or stay on gravel roads in the mountainous interior of the country. Given that we knew we would already be making a stop in Almaty- Kazakhstan, we decided we didn't need, or want, a second … Continue reading Kyrgyzstan – from lake to lake through beautiful valleys
After almost 3 weeks on the road together, in Osh we said farewell to our slow cycling, gourmet dinner dreaming, salt lake swimming, cow poo fire building, snicker eating buddies: Mari and Eva @12brakeblocks, as we head to similar destinations but through different paths… While we are back in the Pamir they made a day … Continue reading A day in the life in the Pamir
As soon as we crossed the border into Kyrgyzstan, it seemed the landscape changed immediately. Green rolling hills started to appear, and trees!! We hadn't really realised quite how much we had missed seeing trees! It was as if the simple image of a tree in our minds brought a comforting feeling. We zoomed down … Continue reading Kyrgyzstan – a little detour to a big mountain