Day 4: Langar to Panorama Ridge Hike to Alichur

Socialising at breakfast Finally, the altitude has started to have an effect on me, with a bad night sleep.  I probably had only 2h of dozing.  Apart from that, I didn’t have any other issues. It was a very social atmosphere at breakfast, like at dinner last night.  Two Spanish guys whom we had run […]

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Day 3: Khorog to Langar in Wakhan Valley

Nasty surprise With such luxurious ensuite, of course, I slept through the night without needing it.  [Edit: in later parts of the trip, I go multiple through the nights when it is an outhouse!] We had been given a leisurely departure of 0900 today.  Upon settling the bill, the Germans were presented with a nasty […]

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Day 2:  Kalaikhum to Khorog

Roadworks and landslide We had been given a choice of starting at 0400 today or 0700.  The earlier time was to avoid road works and Altynbek, the driver, didn’t seem to offer an in-between option.  So, we chose the later departure, as 0400 is obscene! With delays settling up the bill at the homestay, we […]

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Day 1: Dushanbe to Kalaikhum

Yesterday Dushanbe isn’t exactly loaded with sights apart from museums.  In this heat, I didn’t feel like wandering around repeating exterior visits to various governmental buildings or white elephants. I did walk around the Rudaki Ave area and beyond, quite early around 0800 to explore and try get rid of about USD5 of UZS.  If […]

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Crossing at Panjakent border

Above:  You could say these four men are having a good time in bed. Samarkand to border Today, I start my 2400 km overland adventure from Samarkand in Uzbekistan to Hotan in Xinjiang, China.   Today’s portion is a relatively solo border crossing from Samarkand to Dushanbe, Tajikistan. After a good breakfast at 0900, I took […]

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Mosques & necropolis

Bibi Khanym The Jahogir put on an amazing breakfast this morning of hot items, lots of fruit and cakes/sweets.  I don’t understand how the fruit here tastes so good compared to New Zealand.  The nectarines and cantaloupe were dripping and super sweet. I walked to the Bibi Khanym mosque taking shade whenever it was possible […]

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Registan Ensemble

Flying to Samarkand I was seated immediately after the exit rows on the A321 (version with only two window exits and four doors, no extra doors).  I had received an email notifying that my original assigned seat was no longer available due to operational reasons (perhaps an aircraft configuration change). It turned out to be […]

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Rest before night flight

Despite the 1h time difference from Paris, I woke up earlyish around 0730 but lay in bed for an extra hour.  Today is a big online catch-up day after about a week of not turning my laptop on. I caught up on lots of tasks online and paid for a hotel breakfast at reception only […]

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Global IT meltdown

Train to Paris Today, it’s a long day travelling from Cherbourg to Istanbul.  It started with an alarm at 0450 for the 0549 train from Cherbourg station which got me to Paris St Lazare around 0900. I thought the best way to Charles de Gaulle airport would be on the Roissybus and E had concurred, […]

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More DIY

Above: A pretty spot in the residential area of Valognes. As sightseeing in the region had been gotten out of the way, yesterday was spent mostly on DIY at Valognes apart from a fancy lunch at Brasserie Marcel along the way, including foie gras including foie gras served in three ways: The first was perhaps […]

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