Khodjand to Osh
Counting down the borders!! Since the last blog we have crossed from Tajikistan back into Uzbekistan, and yesterday after a 175km ride we crossed the last of the three days, three borders epic!! We are now in the city of Osh in Kyrgyzstan, this city boasts that it is over 3000 years old and older then that of Roam!! No one knows for sure the exact age, but it has a recorded history for a few thousand at least. Our border crossing back into Uzbekistan didn’t go as smoothly or as quickly as we had hoped for, what started off as a quick start ended in almost a four hour crossing. The riders had a 90km ride under their belts by the time they arrived at the border, then after the long fun process of getting across they still had a 50km ride, blindly following only that of bright orange flagging tape with no directions to their unknown evening resting place! At the end of the day every thing all worked out and by 6:30pm everyone was filling their faces with home made Uzbek Pilaf!!
Yesterday had the riders finishing their second century ride (100 miles) of the expedition so far. With no head winds and relatively good roads, everyone made it into Osh “Kyrgystan†before dark. Bill although has been on a “pedal†nightmare, but his resourcefulness never ceases to amaze me. Bill's right pedal kicked the bucket about seven days ago when we were riding into Samarqand, no problem for Bill; he managed to convince some local man to sell him the pedals right off his bike after taking the guy's bike for a test ride. But a day or two later the left pedal started to crap out on him, no big deal for Bill a clunky pedal wouldn’t bother him, until yesterday that is when the pedal stripped his crank arm and then broke apart and fell off!! Bill has this amazing aura about him that always seems to attract many strangers to his side, and if they are not giving Bill food or tea, they are welding his broken pedal to his crank arm right on the side of the road for no charge and then having him come in for some tea!!! Bill made it through all the hassles of the day and arrived into Osh by headlamp. Bill you’re a machine!!
The next six days will be the most stunning as we are now heading into the mountains of Kyrgyzstan (just to the north of the Pamirs) and gaining tones of elevation. This is where the roads deteriorate into rocky crumbly dirt and old pavement. We will literally be riding into the middle of nowhere. The daily and evening temperatures will drop significantly as we get up to elevations of 3600m and climb over three major passes. We can expect snow and rain, wind and no luxuries of buying drinks and snacks along the way! Now we are talking expedition!! If all goes well we will be crossing the border into China in four days and we will take a rest in Kashgar after 6 days of riding. There is no cell reception for the next few days and there will be no chance of getting on any internet, so for all the friends and family at home, don’t worry if you don’t hear from us for a few days!!
“Pain is weakness leaving the bodyâ€!!
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Posted September 18, 2008 by Ben Shillington
Kyrgyzstan |
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