Posts

Talking Politics

By -
 Some people, on finding out that I am from the US, will ask for my opinion on Biden vs. Trump. I cannot have any meaningful political conversation in Russian, and even Google translate is woefully deficient when trying to explain things like threats to democracy, checks and balances and the erosion of separate but equal branches of government. My interactions are purely anecdotal, I don’t know what kind of news these people consume or if their views are at all representative of any segment of the population. They are just people who would talk to a random westerner riding his bike through their country. But some themes have emerged through these conversations: When they ask how Biden is as president, they ask if he’s not too old and feeble to be president. I can only point out that he is better than the alternative and even if he did nothing in a second term, it would be preferable to backsliding. They said they like Trump because he tells it like it is and is straightforward, cit...
Post a Comment
Read more

Cycling Day 14: Ayni to Iskanderkul

By -
Image
  Although the ride from Ayni to Iskanderkul was only 30 miles, it was also in the mountains. That means that I had a lot of climbing to do, a total of 5100ft, in a relatively short distance.   Where the Iskander meets the Zarafshon I rode along the main rode towards Dushanbe for about 10 miles before turning off at a village. This spot was where the Iskander river met the Zarafshon river, along which I had been riding since Panjakent. The Zarafshon is very brown and cloudy, while the Iskander is a bright emerald green. The joining of the two rivers was remarkable because of the clash of colors as they rushed to blend together, ultimately resulting in the Zarafshon’s minerals taking over, leaving the water dark and obscure, rushing down the valley.   I began the climb to Iskanderkul. I was surprised at how developed the area was. It felt remote, yet there were many houses and small villages, and even a couple of small convenience stores. After about 8 miles, th...
Post a Comment
Location: Iskanderkul, Tajikistan
Read more

Cycling Day 13: Panjakent to Ayni

By -
Image
Sunrise over the lake, where I woke up in Panjakent After Panjakent, it started to get steep. I climbed 60 miles, as the road began to offer me extra steep grades as I rode into the mountains. So far, this was the most stunning ride of the tour, visually. The cliffs rose up over the river valley as I got deeper into the mountains, the temperature was also not so incredibly hot in the middle of the day.   A man in traditional clothes who was painting a fence I stopped at a village to eat some somsa and found a place on the side of the road in the shade to take a nap. It probably wasn’t the most appropriate place, as I woke 20 minutes later to a bunch of little kids admiring my bike and staring at me. All testing out their “Hello” like broken records all vying for a reaction. I was a bit groggy, and also a bit annoyed. They couldn’t say anything else and none of them spoke Russian. I put on some sunscreen and kept riding. Climbing higher into the mountains along the Zarafshon riv...
Post a Comment
Location: Ayni, Tajikistan
Read more

Cycling Day 12 - Samarqand to Panjakent

By -
Image
  I took off from Samarqand, a little sad to leave such a magical city, but my final leg of the trip was waiting for me. I had a relatively short ride today, only 40 miles. On the way, I passed the first bike tourer I had seen this entire trip, he had ridden from his hometown in China and was also headed to Dushanbe - we rode a few minutes together, but he was much slower than me and also spoke almost no English, so we said goodbye.   First bike tourer I ran into the entire trip I rode on to the Tajikistan border. Although I would rate this border quite low on the sketchiness scale - it also scored rather low on thoroughness.     Man riding close to the border wearing a traditional Uzbek/Tajik hat The Uzbek side of the border was typical - my passport and visa were scrutinized, checked several times and I got my stamp.   I walked over to the Tajik side and passed several windows, some had people in them but waved me through, others were closed. I couldn’t...
Post a Comment
Location: Panjakent, Tajikistan
Read more

Second, Lazier Day in Samarqand

By -
Image
 I slept in, determined to get some rest. I ate some baklava and cherries that I had purchased the day before and adjusted some things on my bike - pumped up the tires, lubed the chain, sorted some things in my bags. When I tried to use the washing machine in the apartment, it appeared to be broken. I thought that there might be some kind of trick to using it and I wrote the Airbnb owner. But no, it was broken. As I started to begrudgingly handwash my clothes (admittedly, it's only two outfits), he texted me that he would arrive soon with a brand new washer. So I waited around for that, he came with some handymen, removed the old washer and installed a new one on the spot, this was a bit of a step up from camping.   Looking through the bazar to Bibi Khanoum in the back I put up my clothes to wash and went to the Siob bazar. This is a large open-air market in the center of Samarqand. It's a huge open market, with some traditional elements, delicious tried fruits and nuts and so...
Post a Comment
Location: Samarkand, Samarqand Region, Uzbekistan
Read more

Seeing the Monuments in Samarqand and Local Adventures

By -
Image
  Samarqand is by far the most tourist-oriented place I've been on this trip. It seems pretty wild to me that I just rode through the desert of Uzbekistan and somehow happened upon this ancient capital city. Amir Temur, a central figure in ancient Uzbekistan is represented all over the city, and his mark, and the mark of the Temurid period that he started, is indelible. Amur Temur's burial site and mausoleum He believed that he was the heir apparent to the Mongolian Empire, and in the late 1300's he ran a brutal military/genocidal campaign to try and regain some of the previously-held Mongolian territory. This resulted in a large land area, covering the lucrative silk road trade routes from China, and west through modern-day Turkmenistan. Samarqand was the capital. The region itself is marked by incredibly intricate mosaic structures, whose construction were overseen by his wife. I put together a program, that I only managed to partially complete in the two days, but enough...
Post a Comment
Location: Samarkand, Samarqand Region, Uzbekistan
Read more

Cycling Day 11: Jizzax to Samarqand

By -
Image
 I was exhausted getting up in the morning after the long ride the day before. But I wanted to get to Samarqand, where I was planning to rest for a couple of days - so that alone was motivation enough to get over the hills which started early in the ride. Morning sunrise in the middle of the hills It was already in the upper 90’s by 7:00 and my legs were feeling tired. I had only gone 20 miles but I left Jizzax before the town had woken up, so I needed to put some calories in me. I already knew I would struggle to start again, the last couple of days of riding had been fairly intense - I was between fatigue and needing to avoid the increasing heat. I drank an energy drink and had some eggs and sausage. Once I got to the top of the climb - another 20 miles, it was a merciful 20 mile descent into Samarqand (with one last kicker before the town).  A typical breakfast “zavtrak” of eggs and various types of sausages. But finally, I was there. I rented an Airbnb directly in the cent...
Post a Comment
Read more