In Tajikistan!

(from 10 August 2009)

Hello from Tajikistan.

Yes. We have made it. Not all according to plan, but where would the fun be in that?

First of all, apologies for the lack of communication; internet access has not been very easy to find in recent weeks.
Next, Bernard news: he is still going strong. Whatever the Germans did, they did well. Indeed, since Germany, the only serious problem has been the collapse of the roofrack, something that we had seen coming for some time and smartly decided not to address until it was too late. However, they possess in Tajikistan the skills required to keep things functioning, so a welder was found irrespective of the time of day (just after 7am last Sunday morning), the roofrack was repaired and it is now stronger than ever. There have been other niggles - a slight stutter cleared up with some fuel additive, the hazard lights developed a short circuit, there is dust everywhere - but nothing that has come close to being serious.

The adventures have continued and the experiences have been memorable - mostly for the right reasons. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Russia; it was made more fun by their persistent refusal to endure the hassle and paperwork of giving us the penalties our traffic offences warranted. And of course the vodka.
Kazakhstan was brief, but in vast contrast to my previous visit, the roads were shiny and smooth. The difficulties of registering with the visa police were contrasted with the assistance and kindness of random strangers. The wild camping was dusty yet incredible. This also gave Bernard his first taste of off-roading, and he seemed to love it.

Leaving Kazakhstan and entering Uzbekistan at the wildest, dustiest, most remote border crossing ever was an experience too: pure comedy when one of the guards opened Emma's passport allowing her immigration card to blow away, leading to a Laurel and Hardy-style chase across the sandy wasteland. This came after we had had a brief wait while the customs guys finished their game of football on their PlayStation! The road subsequently leading away from the Uzbek border was straight: 125km until the first corner. Then through the craziest sandstorm I've ever encountered, a range of different road surfaces, hundreds of miles of barren nothingness rounded off with a night drinking vodka with the mafia. All in all a pretty fun first day in Uzbekistan.

The rest of Uzbekistan was generally great too, unfortunately marred only by health problems: Emma deciding to go home and Ed being struck down with dysentry which necessitated the calling of a doctor at midnight. Fortunately, we had chosen the best hotel in town and the health care Ed received was first class. I got to make the most of the sights while Ed was being ill, and I have to say the two towns of Bukhara and Samarkand have plenty to offer those with an interest in history and culture; fascinating places.

Visa miscalculations meant we did not have time to do the Krygyzstan/Pamir Highway route into Tajikistan; instead we went from Samarkand, crossing into Tajikistan at another relatively little used border. Our first day here was also pretty memorable. It seemed as if the whole landscape changed immediately after entering the country: gone was the flat steppe that seemed to be most of Uzbekistan, instead the high mountains and dramatic valleys that Tajikistan is known for. Our plan to camp wild was interrupted by a local farmer, a man with little to his name but vast, humbling even, amounts of hospitality and goodwill. He insisted that we went to his humble dwelling, a mud-built house with no water, electricity or gas but with spectacular views over the valley, and proceeded to offer us dinner and vegetables from his garden. In the morning, he refused to take money from us and so he has become the first recipient of a souvenir tea-spoon we brought from home. While it was bought with tongue in cheek, it was given in all seriousness: here was something he could use or keep, even if just to show his neighbours; how else could we thank him?

Yesterday, we came through the mountains and over the Anzob pass to Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. This was an emotional journey: at times terrifying as the roads disappeared and huge trucks dominated the way; at times joyous when brand new tarmac cut through the spectacular gorges and the traffic disappeared; at times heart-stoppingly beautiful, particularly when after miles and miles of climbing we reached the top of the pass and the endless ranges of enourmous snow-peaked mountains came into view. This is something I will never forget.

And so the trip is drawing to a close. We are about to head back into the mountains for a couple of days trekking, then Ed returns to the UK and I will drive the last 100km to deliver Bernard to SWORDE-Teppa. I will update you again once Bernard has been handed over, but in the meantime, thanks to all of our sponsors and those who have donated to keep Bernard working now he is here. If you haven't donated yet, please do: www.justgiving.com/bernardsbigtrip. Internet connectivity is not quite good enough to allow the website to be updated, but I will get more pictures up in due course.

Thanks again.


G.