Current Location : Kashgar, Xinjiang Province, China
Last entry date : 06 June 2008

21/May/08 to 22/May/08

The Lituanian adventure group (Martyn & Vee + Jonas 1&2) actually came out that morning with their video camera to film my departure from Gulnara guesthouse Tashkent, where they were also staying. Great stuff for their adventure documentary film, they said, which goes on  Lituanian TV later in the year (… eh, suddenly I might be famous in Lituania). Almaty, capital of Kazakhstan was 2 days ride away, and the Krygyzstan border was just before that. I was still undecided if I should visit Krygyzstan.

No stress as I drove up to the customs control at the border, direction Shimkent. The control was lengthy as usual, but some things within the system do not surprise travellers to this region. At the Uzbek last stage border exit, 3 guards openly asked for US$ 10.00 for each of them, while holding onto my passport. I ignored what they were saying and after a while some cars began to queue up behind me. Seeing that I had the time, the guards simply said goodbye and let me through to the Kazakh side. No problem at the Kazakh side except one officer who liked my helmet and asked if I could just leave it there. I said I will do so on my way back.

As I head off towards Almaty, I began to realize that the scenery is different from the road I took in Uzbekistan - that was hot and almost desert enviroment. Here, the steppe countryside rolled in and horses were roaming free, with sheeps and cattle in these wide open spaces. Sheppards could be seen on horsebacks. A feast for the eyes and it continued for most of the day. And no police checkpoint hassles.

That evening I turned into the city centre of Taraz looking for a hotel. A taximan pointed to 2 grand hotels nearby, but these appeared to be a luxury. The next person I stopped to ask for directions to a more decent priced hotel and an internet café happened to be Mr. Suyunduk. He walked me a nearby internet café, then said in the few English words he spoke, that he would be pleased if I would be his guest at his home for the night. This man has not even asked his wife if its OK. Can’t do that in Europe. So spontaneous was his gesture, just like that of Nasir, Ozhan, Ridwan, etc whom I have met earlier. Mr. Suyunduk lives on the 4^th floor apartment and had my bike parked in the closed courtyard of his neighbour. In no time, his wife prepared a big Kazakh meal and his daughter was acting as translator. Mr. Suyunduk was a proud Kazakh and he kept saying “Me Kazakh, you Sheen is my guest. Me Kazakh, you France we’re good friends”. Later they even presented me with a traditional Kazakh hat which Mr. Suyunduk then said I am now one of them. I gathered from his gestures friendship and guest take a deep meaning here in Kazakhstan. I felt really welcome. I liked this man. I have to add that he even insisted and brought me out to the internet café as well that evening … What can I say ??

After breakfast the next morning, Mr Suyunduk showed me to the edge of town where I should take the road towards Almaty. A few km later I got radar trapped and was called over by the police for speeding. Not knowing what to do with a foreign bike, they let me off. Again the road took me across the steppe. I was enjoying the scenery. Before lunch I found myself taking a right swing into an offroad towards a Kazakh village just beneath the mountain range separating Kazakhstan and Krygzystan. The photos taken of this lovely part of the countryside speak for themselves. The land is peaceful here. It even crossed my mind to camp right here that evening. That’s when I decided that Krygyzstan was worth a visit and there was no need to hurry to the Chinese border.

[Show as slideshow]

Current Location : Kashgar, Xinjiang Province, China (Google map)
Last entry date : 05 June 2008
Women selling their produce at the Spice market, Samarkand
16/May/08 to 21/May/08
When the customs gate opened at the Turkmenistan exit border in Uzbekistan, I was already geared up and waiting - 1st in line to get out. The Turkish trucker Mr. Ridwan, […]

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Current Location : Bishkek, Krygyzstan (Google map)
Last entry date : 23 May 2008
Behind these beautiful layers of mountains lie Turkmenistan, some 30 kms away

After Marc and me called it quit at Quchan Iran on 11May08 evening there was another 80km of mountain road north to the frontier. Look at above photo. The road to the […]

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Current location : Ashgabat, Turkmenistan (Google map)
Last entry date : 13 May 2008
“We welcome you to Iran” says this man
It rained the Saturday morning I was supposed to leave Dogubayazit Turkey after a 2 days stay. It was a good excuse to stay another day - just relaxing and maybe shoot some photos of people […]

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Current Location : Mahmud Abad, on Caspian seaside (Google Map)
Last entry date : 08 May 2008
Hey, just got across into Iran via the northern Bazaran crossing
This is a brief update. Currently riding with another Dutchman travelling across northern Iran following the northern route along Caspian sea. The few photos I am able to upload tell […]

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Current location : Dogubayazit, Turkey (Google map)
Last entry date : 04 May 2008
Ishak Pasa Palace located on the hills overlooking Dogubayazit
I left Urgup on Wed 30/Apr/08 for Erzincan 450km away. A couple more days more at Cappadocia would have been been ideal to see most of the ancient sites in the area. Its easy to […]

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Current Location : Dogubayazit, Turkey (Google map)
Last entry date : 03 May 2008
Ancient cave dwellings at Uchisar, Cappadocia
The bike’s odometer has clocked up 3500km since the start of the journey. We can’t lie, it does look like a holiday trip so far. Lydia and I have managed to make our way to some touristic places […]

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Current location : Urgup, Cappadocia region (Google map)
Last entry date : 30 April 2008
Istanbul man fishing by the pier
We had planned to be in Istanbul before sunset. What we had not expected was the 1-1/2 hour wait of getting through the border into Turkey and the strong westerly wind blowing that day. There were 4 […]

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Current Location : Istanbul, Turkey (Google map)
Last entry date : 26 April 2008
On the hills between Veliko Turnovo and Nova Zagora
Glasses off, helmets off and the Roumanians customs waved us into Bulgaria. They even joked that we’re disguised as Sarkozy and Carla Bruni on a private visit to Bulgaria. No problem at checkpoint. No currency […]

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Current Location : Istanbul, Turkey (Google map)
Last entry date : 23 April 2008
Wet day near Carpathian mountain range

One of the good thing about not having a travel plan is that you can make up a “plan” just by looking at the map the night before or right before the day’s ride. We had not done […]

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