The landscape was still very gray and rugged but absolutely impressive, the weather was hot, and at the roadside, we often saw children, often on donkeys, asking for water; we usually stopped briefly and gave them one or two bottles from our supply. After another night on a hard mattress in Langar and an oily breakfast of two fried eggs, two sausage links drenching in fat, and the obligatory tea, we left the Afghan border heading towards the Tajik Highlands, with plans to go up to 4800 meters in the coming days. So we left the 'highway,' which for the last few hundred kilometers had consisted only of gravel and big potholes, and followed a small dirt road through wide valleys, crossing rivers until we reached our accommodation at 4100 meters in the middle of nowhere. The dinner was finally meatless, and the fresh yak butter tasted great on the fresh bread. However, the toilet was once again just a hole in the ground, with remnants from those who missed it hanging on the edges, and it smelled accordingly; I doubt I'll ever get used to that, although I haven't infrequently used such a toilet in the last 10 months.

We continued through the seemingly endless expanses; what looks like 5km away here is actually 20km away and a half-hour off-road drive. On the way to Murgab, we stopped at 7000-year-old drawings and an abandoned observatory, and the views were still fantastic. In Murgab, the family of our driver invited us for dinner, sadly highlighting how simply the people here still live, but what other options do they have when it is sometimes 300km to the nearest bigger city? While we buy a new bed or sofa every few years for several thousand euros, one could renovate an entire apartment here for that price. Eating and sleeping are done on the floor. There is still a Lenin statue in Murgab; otherwise, there is a lot of poverty and very aggressive mosquitoes, which unexpectedly attacked me on my way to our homestay.

From Murgab, we went over Sary Tash to Tulpar Kul, a yurt village overlooking the 7134 meter high Lenin Peak. The border crossing was probably the most remote I have ever crossed; the soldiers on the Tajik side spend their days in simple tin huts.

After that, we had to drive 20 km over an unpaved road through no man's land before getting the entry stamp from Kyrgyzstan.

The stopover in Andijan was nice, but everything repeated itself. An oversized flagpole, old, aging Soviet monuments, the park with the mentioned rides, madrasas, mosques, and minarets that all look the same to me (though very, very beautiful).

I made a stop in Balykchy because I was really exhausted. A short walk by the beach, where Kyrgyz people were still relaxing in their small tents, then to the ATM, in a restaurant, and then KO into bed. In Karakol, I spent most of my time recovering, writing my texts for this blog and Polarsteps, and as usual, planning my next days. In between, I received an email from Wizzair that my flight from Abu Dhabi to Chisinau was canceled without replacement for “unforeseen” reasons. The unforeseen reasons were actually cost-cutting; all flights to and from the United Arab Emirates from September 1st were canceled, including my flight on September 2nd. Luckily, I found a flight from Dubai to Chisinau for a similar price, so I could still visit Dubai, but it could have been worse. However, it was not over yet; the next day, I received a message from “IndiGo” indicating that my flight to Mumbai was also canceled without replacement, due to Indian airlines not being allowed to use Pakistani airspace since April of this year, and due to rerouting, the aircraft's range is insufficient; but didn't they know this two weeks before departure? Cheap tickets tend to become costly. But of course, I was lucky again and found a flight that departed a day earlier and was only 30€ more expensive, so I managed to escape with just a minor inconvenience. In Karakol, we took a day hike from Jeti-Ögüz to a waterfall before the next day starting a three-day hike to Ala-Kul Lake.

As Justine and Sam were also in Karakol, we rented a taxi together and took the path to the first camp together. On the first day, we hiked about 14 km and 950 meters of elevation to our first yurt. Everything was again very simple; a hole in the ground had to serve as a toilet, and we had to fetch drinking water from the river after a 15-minute walk.

The next day, we continued up to Ala-Kul Lake and the 3920-meter high pass of the same name. The view was breathtaking, and the ascent was definitely worth it. The way down was quite easy; I decided to stay in the village of Altyn Arashan because the taxi driver wanted 80$ per car for the way back to Karakol, which I didn't want to pay. So I decided to visit the hot springs before crawling into the warm yurt, before going down 15 km into the next valley the next day.

Then it should be back to Kazakhstan and on to Almaty. I decided to cross the nearby border, which supposedly could only be done by hitchhiking. Contrary to all my research, I found a marshrutka that would take me to the border; from there, I took a short taxi to the border fence. Crossing on foot was a mere formality, and the third driver at the border immediately took me to the next village, from where I took a taxi for 6€ for the remaining 250km and 3 hours to the former capital of Kazakhstan, Almaty.

Brian (whom I am meeting for the third time on my trip) and I decided to take a day with the cable car for 13€ up to the peak of “Shymbolak,” where the view of the glaciers was once again noteworthy.

After saying goodbye to Brian, I headed to China to pass the time until my flight to Mumbai.

Today I decided to continue to Lake Karakul and camp there for 1-2 nights. I somehow missed Gerrit. The drive there was quite good, with the usual exceptions. Upon arriving in Karakul, I met Benjamin, whom I had also met before in Murghab. After a shared meal, we decided to camp together and drive across the border to Sarytash, Kyrgyzstan the next day. The overnight stay by the lake was initially very idyllic. However, the night brought us very low temperatures, so I hardly got any sleep. On top of that, I had a bout of diarrhea that forced me out of the tent multiple times.

I arrived today after a challenging ascent from the Wakhan Valley to Murghab. The road was dotted with corrugated tracks, sand, and rock. I am riding slowly and hoping to spare the motorcycle a bit. My accommodation is the dS Guesthouse Erali. Erali is one of the few facilities available, necessary to get on a list required for crossing into Kyrgyzstan. When I ultimately decide to continue my journey will be determined tomorrow. To my great surprise, Ben, the young Brit with whom I had organized the transport of the motorcycles to Azerbaijan, shows up. He should have been in China by now. Apparently, something went wrong, but he didn't want to go into details. Moreover, Gerrit had announced his arrival for the next day. Due to damage to his machine, he couldn't continue and had to arrange transport of his bike to Osh in Kyrgyzstan. I’m already curious about his story.

I was up early and was able to have an extensive shower and start packing before breakfast. Around 7 AM, Gerrit and I had breakfast. He was still dealing with the breakdown of his motorcycle. Later, while I was loading my motorcycle, Gerrit came to the conclusion that everything must be OK. So Gerrit packed as well, and before we headed to Wakhan Valley, we went to fuel up and have a coffee. However, on the way to the center, it became apparent that Gerrit's motorcycle was still broken. We parted ways; Gerrit drove back to the guesthouse and I headed towards Wakhan Valley. The ride went well, I drove very slowly and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. At some point, however, I had the feeling that the rear shock absorber might be defective.

I will take a look at that tomorrow. During breakfast, Jeroen had already informed me that a bridge had been washed away just past Langar, and I was facing a difficult river crossing. This was confirmed to me in the evening at a guesthouse in Zong by a group of Polish cyclists who had come from there. One should not attempt the crossing alone and only try in the morning. During tomorrow morning, I will arrive there and assess the situation. For dinner, they invited me to their table, and we spent a nice evening together. Among other things, they had also cycled through the Bartang Valley, which seemed quite reckless to me. As always, the same applies to Wakhan Valley: stunning landscape, modest roads.

02.08.2024:  Due to the broken bridge, I set off around 8 AM. I wanted to take advantage of the low morning water level to cross the river. The ascent to this point was quite strenuous. But to my surprise, they had built something like a temporary bridge with two large concrete pipes. I was able to cross it relatively safely without accompaniment. When I reached the plateau, the Pamir Highway seemed to be within reach. Unfortunately, the route to get there turned out to be extremely unpleasant. Corrugated iron track, deep sand, potholes - all of the finest quality. I was relieved when I finally reached the M41 and eventually arrived at my guesthouse in Murghab. Tomorrow, Gerrit will stop by on his way to Osh. I am already curious about his story.

31.07.2024: Today was another day for motorcycle maintenance. I couldn't repair the defective tire the day before, so I had to work on it again today. After some initial difficulties and with Jeroen's help, I managed to fix it. Then I had to deal with the broken side stand. While riding through the Bartang Valley, I had torn off a holding bracket for the springs and could only hold the side stand with an expander. Gerrit had obtained two springs for me, which helped me solve the problem. The issue with the expander was quite annoying. Now everything seems to be okay again. Unfortunately, I lost part of my tools during a repair action. I need to replenish that in Osch. Jeroen had already set off for the Wakhan Valley in the late morning. Gerrit and I plan to follow him tomorrow. On the last kilometers to Khorug, the oil light on Gerrit's motorcycle had repeatedly turned on. After he topped up the oil, the problem seemed resolved at first. However, later it turned out that the cause was still not eliminated. Ultimately, it seems that oil sludge has formed in the engine, blocking the oil pump. The likely cause is coolant that has entered the engine. This makes further travel impossible. Gerrit will have his motorcycle transported to the Kyrgyzstan border and from there to Osch tomorrow. I will continue my journey alone through the Wakhan Valley and follow Gerrit to Osch

Today, Gerrit and I wanted to cover the 318km to Khorug. While refueling in Murghab, we discovered that Gerrit had a flat tire. This happened two more times. Just as we were looking forward to a cold beer, a hot shower, and a nice room, I faced another flat tire 11km before our destination. Since it was already dark, repairing it was out of the question. So we unpacked the tent and went camping. Some passing truck drivers tried to help us, but it was already too late for that. In this way, my tent is finally being used. How good it is that I have it with me. The route was generally good to drive, even though there were also very bad sections here. The scenery was, as always, magnificent. Gerrit took pictures and video recordings throughout the whole trip.

In total, there were mentions of three river crossings. Number one was supposedly the most dangerous. Here we had to cross the riverbed of the Batang twice in strong currents. Everyone succeeded in this without falling. We couldn’t cross number two at the intended location due to the high water level. We then followed the river flow for about 150m to its confluence with the Batang River and then navigated upstream along the edge of the Batang. There we found a previously scouted spot with a steep bank where we could exit the riverbed again. This was only possible with the help of each other. We managed this crossing without falling as well. We at least wanted to take a look at the third crossing. However, the water level was so high at this point.

We learned from locals that these rivers are hardly passable due to the melting water after noon. The best time for crossing is in the morning before the snowmelt resumes. Indeed, the water level the next morning was significantly lower. Two locals, who visited us one evening at our campsite, got stuck in the river with their car. They wanted to spend the night in their car and continue the next day. When we arrived there, they were already gone. We also achieved this crossing without falling. The road became increasingly difficult, hardly imaginable that cars could pass through here. We later met a couple from Baden-Württemberg who were traveling in the opposite direction with their camper.

28.07.2024: Before we finally reached the M41, we had to cross another river. Gerrit and I got stuck at the deepest point, but we managed to free ourselves and reach the other bank. The highest point of today’s trip was over 4600m. Upon arriving at the M41, we found ourselves almost directly in front of the border fence to China. And since the fence had so many holes, we couldn’t resist briefly crossing to the other side. The drive to Murbghab mostly took place on a paved road, which naturally had its challenges. Along the way, we drank tea and had a bit to eat in a lonely house. Now I am exhausted and looking forward to a hot shower and a comfortable bed.

The journey today took us from Dushanbe to Kalaikhump. The roads were modest as always, and the scenery was magnificent. With us were Gerrit, Jeroen, and myself. Along the way, we encountered some cyclists again, including a father and son from Bavaria.
Just before our destination at about 3000m altitude, Gerrit had a flat tire. This delayed our journey, and we had to make the descent from the pass to our destination in the dark. Fortunately, the descent went rather smoothly.

The trip to Dushanbe today was certainly one of the most interesting. After the satnav sent me a little way through Khujand in search of a petrol station, the route south became increasingly interesting. A well-developed pass, a great landscape and pleasant temperatures - everything you need for a good motorcycle tour. On the way I met a young couple from Serbia with their R1150 GSA. We immediately exchanged our WP data, as they are also on their way to the Pamir. My accommodation confirmed its reputation as a meeting point for travelers through the Pamir Mountains. The courtyard was full of bicycles and motorcycles. The owners are spread across Europe.

Tomorrow I will take care of the registration and the GBAO. At the moment I am still considering whether I should spend a few more days in Dushanbe or not.

July 22, 2024: After breakfast, I walked to the OVIR office, about 2 km away. It wasn't very busy, so I was able to complete the first part of the registration and application for the GBAO after 15 minutes. Cost: 320 Somoni. Gerrit and Anne joined us a little later and after they had done their part, we walked a little further through the city. I was supposed to come back at 4 p.m. to pick up the documents. That was also a quick affair.

In the meantime, a group of motorcyclists has formed who will set off for the Pamirs at more or less the same time. However, the ambitions of the others are much higher than mine, so I will decide along the way to continue the tour alone if necessary.

After all the formalities are completed, I will spend a little time planning the next few days tomorrow.

Today was our departure day. Barbara had to return to Frankfurt and I had to travel on to Khujand in Tajikistan. I hope her flight worked out, because unfortunately she had to rebook the flight from Istanbul to Frankfurt. My journey to the border and afterwards was very relaxed. The roads were good and there was little traffic. Unfortunately, crossing the border was very time-consuming, so I was only able to enter Tajikistan after a total of 4 hours of border formalities.

Tomorrow we'll continue to Dushanbe and then gradually onto the Pamir Highway, a highlight of my trip. Until then, however, there are still a few formalities to complete in Dushanbe. Let's see how that all works out.

After the shortened hike, I was ready to walk 26km to the next larger village and then from there, organized and motorized, return to civilization. Fortunately, two off-road-loving Catalans came along, with whom I spent the day on our shared path through (!) various rivers. Great finale, because the Bartang Valley really had it all!!

Actually, I only went to Ghudara to hike to the glacier viewpoint from the neighboring village. Unfortunately, I realized that I was not motivated anymore: the already known obstacles of sun, wind, insects, and river crossings were enriched by difficult navigation and material damage to my shoes, which is why I went back down on Day 3. Sometimes enough is enough.

After spontaneously deciding in Murghab to walk from Karakul or the turn-off from the M41 into the Bartang Valley, I set off on Monday. As in the Wakhan Corridor, the sun, wind, and rivers had the upper hand. I was as prepared as possible, but quickly learned that besides great landscape views, the only thing that mattered was to arrive in Ghudara safely. Check :) The Pamir, it's tough!

Three hours north of Murghab is the very last settlement on the Tajik side before the Kyrgyz border. The border is currently closed, so there is little to no traffic. Especially on a Sunday, when I found myself wanting to go further again. So I thought I would try to go north. As expected, no traffic. Only three hours, but the highest pass at 4655m was waiting. Due to various circumstances, a car turned out to be a taxi. Anything is possible in the Pamir, and I was happy to pay for it. Who knows if there would have been a car during the week. And so Alijon drove me to Karakul, and he even let me drive myself - what an experience :) And Karakul itself was like being on another planet!!

Once again arrived in Khorog at the home base, spent the break with lots of U24 World Cup watching, and then started into the Pamir with new strength: on a Saturday to Murghab at 3650m. Until then, we had to cross passes over 4000m. Easy :)

Four travelers/tourists, two of whom were not willing to pay 50 Somoni more than demanded by the drivers. Okay, then let's try hitchhiking in teams of two. Akhil, an Indian guy, had bad luck at first, but we still won the race thanks to Said and his mechanical skills when we got stuck on our 12+ hour journey (for less than 200km!!!). Very classic, although EVERYONE has to take this road. It's simply the worst road in the entire Pamir, full of meteoric potholes, even more rubble, and a never-ending construction site that doesn't make it any faster - on the contrary! But the boundless view of Afghanistan and the glimpses of life that you rarely get compensate for it. A constant amazement and wonder!

There is only one road that leads to Pamir. But before you can go there, you have to come to Qualaikum, and there are even two routes to get there. Personally, I would have chosen the northern route if I were traveling privately, but with the shared taxi, it always goes through Kulob in the south. It's also nice because you get to see the Afghan side a bit earlier. In Qualaikum, we had to make a longer stop than planned: Sacrifice Feast and accordingly a holiday hustle instead of "regular" traffic. More than enough time to keep an eye on the Afghan side. Soooooo exciting!!

Last chance to convince me whether and how the train to Kulob is running. It does indeed :) 9h in a partly absurd route and in a crazy heat buildup. Maybe in retrospect not the best idea for my heat-plagued body. By the way, I don't need to see Kulob again, but I would definitely take a train ride to other temperatures again!

Last compact photo dump from Dushanbe. Lots of heat, smog and activities. I'm looking forward to finally getting out. Weeks of over 30 degrees (almost 40) in a non-insulated apartment without air conditioning are starting to feel more than questionable. Once again: Professor Sayfi doesn't get any karma points here!!

Trixi visiting on her way back home. First we explored Dushanbe and then a bit of the Fann Mountains. As expected, high quality time! And quite a relief to be able to share Absurdistan Tajikistan live and in color!

Just a regular city walk with a new favorite urbex spot

29 days full of randomness for me :)

The Nawruz celebrations continued. First at the university on Saturday, then throughout the city on Tuesday. Spring is officially here, Ramazon starts tomorrow. And I hope for rain and cooler weather than lately.

Our volleyball league started. Finally!! Finally playing!! We only played twice in the end, but we won three times. How does that happen? Neither psychology nor philology showed up. We still had to come to officially win the victory after 15 minutes (in the truest sense of the word!). Unfortunately, we lost the first game against the rectorate. They were unbeatable in terms of fair play and sportsmanship. The Russians we beat were also not in good shape. The way our team dealt with "mistakes" was abysmal. It was like a culture of whipping for mistakes. Really uncomfortable, it was constantly about winning. People were scolded, and there were attempts to cheat, and actual cheating (looking at you, cultural leader!!), and there was always some sort of discussion. Even the referee had a hard time with this attitude. I already know why I didn't bring a frisbee, why I don't talk about Ultimate, it's a concept from another planet. What else happened: Nowruz is almost here. A splendid occasion to force all women to wear traditional clothing (on the 14th, no women at all were allowed on the university campus if they were out and about - of course, the women were double punished because not coming (at least on time) also meant a missing entry. That's how it goes in a patriarchal society. I really like some things and peculiarities here, but the lack of freedom that I (as a woman) am confronted with annoys me more and more every week.

Two exploratory tours through Dushanbe and lots of International Women's Day celebrations. Spring continues to show its best side - it's already up to 25 degrees Celsius in the sun!

Spring is coming - with pretty big steps!! It rained one day, otherwise pure sunshine and temperatures that invite you to catch a cold. Besides that, I'm still coughing a bit from the waterfall hike in Warsob. In three weeks is the Spring Festival, one of the reasons why I'm here. I'm already very excited!

Small drop in temperature, hiking trip north near Warsob always along the Ojik on seven bridges to small waterfalls. Met new wholesale market and made the apartment one drill hole bigger and internet richer.

Ach du Schande!! Gar nicht mal so der coolste Start. Alles n bisschen weniger sauber und hygienisch als es mir lieb ist. Die Stadt präsentiert sich überprunkvoll und viel zu protzig for meinen Geschmack. Tief stapeln have ich noch nicht als tadschikische Eigenheit wahrgenommen. Acer hey, genau for diesen Mix aus Sowjeterbe und persischer Lebensart bin ich hergekommen. Tbc :)

So I've been visiting the famous 'seven lakes' in the north of the capital. It's already kinda on our way to Uzbekistan. Let's cut right to the chase: Here they come. Seven incredible beautiful lakes 🤩🤩🤩

These lakes were originally a river of some sort (a river is still going through them) and were formed by a landslide.

On our way out of Dushanbe we stopped at some restaurant and they had fish. This was legit the best I've had in over a week! Im happy to be out of Pamir food-wise.

We had dinner with the Russians and Aziz, as a good-bye. There was some good food in the capital! Aziz knows nice places.

Mara and I were craving some fruits and vitamins and had this great porridge

Oh and later that day I've had some hotdog 'Tajik style'

Yes that's fried potatoes in this hotdog. And cucumber and tomato. I think any sausage in a bread qualifies as hotdog here but it was surprisingly delicious! Soo happy to have some different food again!

Anyway, enough talking about food. There are these super comfortable tables where you sit on and put another mini table on top, or just a blanket. They are called 'Tapchan' and this is how they are transported 😂 Saw them twice on a car in one day.

We hitchhiked into the mountains to the seven lakes. There are children trying to sell bracelets for 10 somoni (0,80€). I couldn't say no to these cute girls 🙈

There are only VERY few places with reception but this is one of them and I would love to stay here longer. This place is really calm and quiet (except of the monstrous river feeding all lakes) but I need to leave the country tomorrow because I only have 14 days allowance. I didn't figure out yet what to do for my last days in Kyrgyzstan but I doubt I'll be bored 😂