The newly arrived Mongol Rally teams were in dire need of some repair work, so they planned to spend several days in Khorog. The Jimny has been holding up incredibly well (we spent quite a bit more then the average Mongol Rally team and it has proven to be a wise investment) so the decision was made to leave them and the M41 for the Wakhan Valley. The Wakhan Valley loop leaves Khorog and heads south. It continues to follow the Afghan border for quite sometime and is absolutely stunning.
The morning began with a bit of chaos as we rushed around the Khorog bazaar in an attempt to find some water without gas (carbonated water is the drink of choice in Europe and Asia). We did manage to get some fuel and I snagged a pair of sunglasses (my old pair went missing with my camera).
Not long after hitting the road, we emerged from a forested area into a wide open, arid valley. The Hindu Kush mountains were on to our right for the entire trip. They were some of the most spectacular peaks I have ever seen - almost totally covered in snow and it was the middle of August!
We had lunch in the village of Ishkashim, where we were finally able to obtain plov. For those who don't know, plov is rice pilaf, vegetables, and a bit of meat cooked in lamb fat and oil for several hours. It's supposedly the national dish of Uzbekistan, but I was unable to find any. Our plov was worth the wait - that meal still ranks as the best on the trip. A fellow traveler informed me that the long cooking time prevents most restaurants from serving it - it's a dish most people cook at home.
We hit the road again after lunch - our goal was the village of Langar. We gained some elevation and stopped to visit Yamchun Fortress. Yamchun Fortress sits on a bluff over looking the Wakhan Valley and the Hindu Kush mountains. Scott took some amazing photos and the view was one of the best we have seen.
We continued onward toward Langar and made the decision to try our first homestead. We found one tucked back away from the main village and it was a perfect choice. If anyone reading this visits the Pamirs, homestays are a fantastic lodging choice. They are usually clean, comfortable, and a great way to help the community. We stayed in an extra room and they set up rather comfortable mattresses and blankets on the floor for us. The price also included dinner and breakfast. It was a great way to actually enjoy some relaxation time.
We dined with some other homestay guests - a young couple from Taiwan. They had been teaching English in Dushanbe and were excellent conversationalists. We ended up spending several hours after dinner drinking tea and chatting with them.
The next morning it was off to the dusty village of Murgab. We continued along the river and mountains for an hour or two, but soon began to climb up and away from the river. We encountered an impressive water crossing - runoff was spilling down the side of a hill and washing out the road. It was a significant amount of water and increasing as the temperature rose. Naturally, the Jimny handled it with no problems. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case for some of the Tajik vehicles headed the opposite direction. A marshrutska attempted to tow a vehicle up the crossing, but in the end sheer manpower was the key. Almost everyone milling around the crossing got out to push.
We climbed up a spectacular mountain pass and saw some amazing saltwater lakes. It has been rumored that travelers frequently swim across the river to Afghanistan, touch the opposite bank, and swim back to Tajikistan. We spent a lot of time looking for the perfect stretch of river to attempt this, but the water was just too high.
Not long after, we rejoined the M41 and motored to Murgab. The road was strangely empty - we could count the number of other vehicles we saw on one hand. The highlight of the afternoon was eating a late lunch in with a Kyrgyz family in their yurt. We feasted on yak yogurt, bread with yak butter, and a dumpling-like dish containing potatoes and onion (obviously served with more yogurt). The yogurt was interesting - it initially had a sweet flavor, which turned into a sour flavor. Quite pleasant with a bit of sugar actually. The butter was really delicious!
We checked into a homestay in Murgab and headed to the town's dusty bazaar, where we purchased traditional Kyrgyz felt hats. It's always fun to chat with fellow travelers - we had a group of older Italians and a young Italian/Finn couple as company. The younger folks had just come from Kyrgyzstan so it was good to get some up to date information.
We hit the sack early, as we needed to motor from Murgab to Jalal-abad the next day.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
The Pamir Highway, Part 1.
I apologize for another prolonged period of blog silence. Our time in Tajikistan was quite busy and an internet connection could not be found.
It's been at least a week since I posted an update - we've covered a lot of mileage since then. We spent our last night in Samarkand on the hotel terrace. Instead of paying for an entire room, we paid 20 dollars for access to the rooftop terrace instead. It was quite comfortable - we slept on the elevated, pillow-covered table-platforms we saw all across Uzbekistan (obviously the correct name escapes me). Not only was it cheap and comfortable, but we also got breakfast and wi-fi access included.
Our next destination: Dushanbe, Tajikistan. We hit the road quite early (our usual policy when crossing a border) and drove the 60 or so kilometers to the crossing. Again, our expectations were defied: the Uzbek/Tajik crossing near Penjikent was incredibly easy. After hearing about all the bureaucracy and red tape present in other travelers accounts, it's extremely refreshing to find that some things have changed.
Exiting Uzbekistan was simple, all we had to do was fill out another customs form. Entering Tajikistan had a few more steps (we find entering a country tends to be more complicated then leaving, especially with a vehicle) but a very courteous border guard made things quite easy for us. We did have to pay a 40 dollar importation fee however.
After officially entering Tajikistan, we picked up our first hitchhiker! A young Russian backpacker needed a lift to Dushanbe, so we strapped some bags to the roof of the Jimny and made room for her. She proved to be quite interesting: she was a Spanish teacher back home in Irkutsk and was hitchhiking around Central Asia. Later that night we would find out hitchhiking seemed to be the preferred method of travel for many Russians.
As we left Penjikent, the scenery gradually increased in elevation and beauty. The Fan mountains surrounded us and we immediately understood the allure of Tajikistan. The first part of the drive was mostly uneventful. We got to know our new passenger, admired the scenery, and stopped for lunch. It was very nice to have a Russian-speaking traveller with us, as the majority of the populace is fluent in Russian.
Lunch consisted of sashlyk and bread. This was also one of our last kebabs. Fresh mutton became harder to track down as we entered poorer regions of Tajikistan. The food has been quite good in Central Asia, but this lunch introduced us to the one item we both refused to finish. The food in question was a small round ball of hard, compressed cheese with an extremely salty and sour flavor. Our Russian friend informed is that the old men eat them with vodka and beer, which they compliment nicely. That may be the case, but we found that they went extremely poorly with lunch. She also informed us that they are traditionally made by compressing them in your armpit but that this is not common anymore. Wonderful.
I'm not sure I can communicate how unpleasant that dish was. The flavor was bad enough, but it proved nigh-impossible to rid my mouth of the aftertaste.
We motored along for several more hours, our jaws agape at the scenery. The mountains were jagged with little foliage, resembling the Alps more then the Rockies.
Our passenger knew Dushanbe was close when we entered an eight kilometer tunnel. Unfortunately, it would be quite some time before we exited the tunnel. For an unknown reason, traffic came to a halt about midway through the tunnel. We spent the next hour and a half chatting with truckers, attempting to entertain ourselves, and listening to drivers honk their horns. The tunnel appeared to be in bad shape. It was humid and some parts of the tunnel had water streaming down the walls. Imagine my surprise when I found out the tunnel was opened in 2008!
We finally escaped the tunnel after 90 or so minutes. The descent into Dushanbe was quite thrilling - road construction was occurring everywhere and cars were dodging and weaving through traffic.
The delay in the tunnel set back our timetable. It was almost 9 PM by the time we arrived in Dushanbe. Trying to find a hotel at night can be a real pain, but luck was on our side. Our Russian traveler invited us to stay with her at a local house. The house was a sort of hostel/commune/house. It was free to stay, but people were expected to donate time, money, and food. All of the fellow lodgers were quite interesting. The majority were Russian and practically all were hitchhiking their way through Central Asia. The only other foreigners were a French couple cycling their way to China. Everyone was extremely hospital.
The next leg of our journey was Dushanbe to Khorog took two days to complete. I cannot overstate how beautiful Tajikistan is. We spent most of the time avoiding potholes and admiring the mountains.
I don't know if I have mentioned this before, but anyone curious about why I haven't posted any photos should know that my camera was stolen several weeks ago. I hate to be a tease regarding the scenery.
The highlight of the day was driving up an 10000 foot pass and finding a beautiful campsite not far from the road. We used our stove and cooking utensils to make some pasta and we were both sacked out before ten. It had been a long day on the road and we were camped about 30 kilometers out of Khalikum.
The next morning we broke camp and headed for Khorog. Khorog is considered the jumping off point for the Pamir Highway and is the last town of any significance until Murgab.
Most of this day was spent driving along the Afghan border. I don't know what I was expecting, but the border was very quiet. Only a few dwellings dotted the landscape across the river. Scott and I attempted to throw rocks onto the Afghan side of the border, but we failed miserably.
In addition to the usual amazing scenery, we saw two noteworthy events. The first was a tanker that had barely missed plunging off the road and into the river below and the second was a car accident outside of Khorog. A shared taxi driver locked up his breaks and hit the back end of a truck. His van was empty and no one appeared to be hurt.
We found a rather nice, inexpensive hotel in Khorog. We arrived fairly early (5:30 PM) so it was nice to spend some time lounging rather then hustling to grab some dinner. We ended up lounging a bit too long - everything was closing down by the time we made our move for some food. What we thought was a restaurant was an ice cream parlor, which ended up hitting the spot.
Around 9:30 PM, as we were relaxing, a Russian man entered our hotel and asked if anyone here was on the Mongol Rally. We gave him confirmation and he led us outside to meet some teams that had recently arrived in town. We were pleasantly surprised to meet the Beer Bongolians, whom we hadn't seen since Turkmenistan! They were also accompanied by the Swedes we met in Samarkand and a third team of two English girls. We hadn't expected to see the Swedes or the Bongolians again - they had left Dushanbe a full day or two before us!
It turned out that the southern route they took (we took the northern direct route) had taken quite a toll on their vehicles. Several wide water crossings had damaged the Bongolians ambulance suspension. What was supposed to be an early night turned into something much more fun as everyone raced to secure hotel rooms, and copious amounts of lager. We spent much of the night playing cards, sharing stories, and trying to figure out where to go from here.
That's all I have for now. The next update will contain: the Wakhan Valley, Murgab, and Kyrgyzstan.
It's been at least a week since I posted an update - we've covered a lot of mileage since then. We spent our last night in Samarkand on the hotel terrace. Instead of paying for an entire room, we paid 20 dollars for access to the rooftop terrace instead. It was quite comfortable - we slept on the elevated, pillow-covered table-platforms we saw all across Uzbekistan (obviously the correct name escapes me). Not only was it cheap and comfortable, but we also got breakfast and wi-fi access included.
Our next destination: Dushanbe, Tajikistan. We hit the road quite early (our usual policy when crossing a border) and drove the 60 or so kilometers to the crossing. Again, our expectations were defied: the Uzbek/Tajik crossing near Penjikent was incredibly easy. After hearing about all the bureaucracy and red tape present in other travelers accounts, it's extremely refreshing to find that some things have changed.
Exiting Uzbekistan was simple, all we had to do was fill out another customs form. Entering Tajikistan had a few more steps (we find entering a country tends to be more complicated then leaving, especially with a vehicle) but a very courteous border guard made things quite easy for us. We did have to pay a 40 dollar importation fee however.
After officially entering Tajikistan, we picked up our first hitchhiker! A young Russian backpacker needed a lift to Dushanbe, so we strapped some bags to the roof of the Jimny and made room for her. She proved to be quite interesting: she was a Spanish teacher back home in Irkutsk and was hitchhiking around Central Asia. Later that night we would find out hitchhiking seemed to be the preferred method of travel for many Russians.
As we left Penjikent, the scenery gradually increased in elevation and beauty. The Fan mountains surrounded us and we immediately understood the allure of Tajikistan. The first part of the drive was mostly uneventful. We got to know our new passenger, admired the scenery, and stopped for lunch. It was very nice to have a Russian-speaking traveller with us, as the majority of the populace is fluent in Russian.
Lunch consisted of sashlyk and bread. This was also one of our last kebabs. Fresh mutton became harder to track down as we entered poorer regions of Tajikistan. The food has been quite good in Central Asia, but this lunch introduced us to the one item we both refused to finish. The food in question was a small round ball of hard, compressed cheese with an extremely salty and sour flavor. Our Russian friend informed is that the old men eat them with vodka and beer, which they compliment nicely. That may be the case, but we found that they went extremely poorly with lunch. She also informed us that they are traditionally made by compressing them in your armpit but that this is not common anymore. Wonderful.
I'm not sure I can communicate how unpleasant that dish was. The flavor was bad enough, but it proved nigh-impossible to rid my mouth of the aftertaste.
We motored along for several more hours, our jaws agape at the scenery. The mountains were jagged with little foliage, resembling the Alps more then the Rockies.
Our passenger knew Dushanbe was close when we entered an eight kilometer tunnel. Unfortunately, it would be quite some time before we exited the tunnel. For an unknown reason, traffic came to a halt about midway through the tunnel. We spent the next hour and a half chatting with truckers, attempting to entertain ourselves, and listening to drivers honk their horns. The tunnel appeared to be in bad shape. It was humid and some parts of the tunnel had water streaming down the walls. Imagine my surprise when I found out the tunnel was opened in 2008!
We finally escaped the tunnel after 90 or so minutes. The descent into Dushanbe was quite thrilling - road construction was occurring everywhere and cars were dodging and weaving through traffic.
The delay in the tunnel set back our timetable. It was almost 9 PM by the time we arrived in Dushanbe. Trying to find a hotel at night can be a real pain, but luck was on our side. Our Russian traveler invited us to stay with her at a local house. The house was a sort of hostel/commune/house. It was free to stay, but people were expected to donate time, money, and food. All of the fellow lodgers were quite interesting. The majority were Russian and practically all were hitchhiking their way through Central Asia. The only other foreigners were a French couple cycling their way to China. Everyone was extremely hospital.
The next leg of our journey was Dushanbe to Khorog took two days to complete. I cannot overstate how beautiful Tajikistan is. We spent most of the time avoiding potholes and admiring the mountains.
I don't know if I have mentioned this before, but anyone curious about why I haven't posted any photos should know that my camera was stolen several weeks ago. I hate to be a tease regarding the scenery.
The highlight of the day was driving up an 10000 foot pass and finding a beautiful campsite not far from the road. We used our stove and cooking utensils to make some pasta and we were both sacked out before ten. It had been a long day on the road and we were camped about 30 kilometers out of Khalikum.
The next morning we broke camp and headed for Khorog. Khorog is considered the jumping off point for the Pamir Highway and is the last town of any significance until Murgab.
Most of this day was spent driving along the Afghan border. I don't know what I was expecting, but the border was very quiet. Only a few dwellings dotted the landscape across the river. Scott and I attempted to throw rocks onto the Afghan side of the border, but we failed miserably.
In addition to the usual amazing scenery, we saw two noteworthy events. The first was a tanker that had barely missed plunging off the road and into the river below and the second was a car accident outside of Khorog. A shared taxi driver locked up his breaks and hit the back end of a truck. His van was empty and no one appeared to be hurt.
We found a rather nice, inexpensive hotel in Khorog. We arrived fairly early (5:30 PM) so it was nice to spend some time lounging rather then hustling to grab some dinner. We ended up lounging a bit too long - everything was closing down by the time we made our move for some food. What we thought was a restaurant was an ice cream parlor, which ended up hitting the spot.
Around 9:30 PM, as we were relaxing, a Russian man entered our hotel and asked if anyone here was on the Mongol Rally. We gave him confirmation and he led us outside to meet some teams that had recently arrived in town. We were pleasantly surprised to meet the Beer Bongolians, whom we hadn't seen since Turkmenistan! They were also accompanied by the Swedes we met in Samarkand and a third team of two English girls. We hadn't expected to see the Swedes or the Bongolians again - they had left Dushanbe a full day or two before us!
It turned out that the southern route they took (we took the northern direct route) had taken quite a toll on their vehicles. Several wide water crossings had damaged the Bongolians ambulance suspension. What was supposed to be an early night turned into something much more fun as everyone raced to secure hotel rooms, and copious amounts of lager. We spent much of the night playing cards, sharing stories, and trying to figure out where to go from here.
That's all I have for now. The next update will contain: the Wakhan Valley, Murgab, and Kyrgyzstan.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Alive and well in the Pamirs
Tajikistan has been fantastic. The scenery has been incredible. It's been the best country of the trip so far. Off to Kyrgyzstan tomorrow. More to come once we have a good internet connection.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Central Asia Recap
Where to start? Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have both been fantastic. It cost some extra money, but using a guide for Turkmenistan was the right choice. It was great having a local guide and it was super convenient (all the hotels were booked and she got us through the Turkmen border like it was nothing).
Turkmenistan was much different then I thought it would be. The main highlight was the people - we had our first taste of Central Asian hospitality. Everywhere we went, people wanted to shake our hands and chat with us (barring Ashgabat, which had a weird undercurrent that I can't quite put my finger on). Sadly, I didn't have much of a chance to ask about the Turkmen police state.
Turkmenistan was much different then I thought it would be. After a fitful night of sleep in the port parking lot, Angela (the guide) met us and took us to our hotel in Turkmenbashii, a port city which is rapidly becoming a tourist destination. It was great to have a day to fully relax. Baku and the ferry had given us plenty of free time, but waiting for some nebulous event to occur is not the same as relaxing. I went for a swim in the Caspian Sea, visited the local bazaar, and took a nap. Dinner was the highlight - mutton kebabs (which called sashlyk), mincemeat kebabs, and liver kebabs. Lots of toasting as well (with plenty of vodka).
The next day was spent driving to Ashgabat. The first 160 kilometers and last 100 kilometers were fantastic new roads, but the stretch in the middle was quite bad. The potholes weren't terrible, but some were quite large. The real annoyance was the whoops in the road. I've never seen anything like it. There would be seven or eight in a row and each one would send me through the roof (we had moved some bags to the roof so Angela could ride in front). We stopped at several beautiful mosques, both built by former President Turkmenbashii (who was quite the egomaniac).
Ashgabat is quite a beautiful city - just about every original structure has been torn down and replaced with brand-new buildings with white marble exteriors. I've never seen anything like it. It's impressive, but also a little unsettling at the same time. Angela gave us a quick tour and we headed to the hotel. As luck would have it, several other Mongol Rally teams were parked outside. It's always a pleasure to meet up with other teams - instant drinking buddies. All the teams had arrived from Iran, so they were looking to do a bit of partying. I was glad to help. Vodka, beer, and cigarettes were consumed until wee in the night - the next morning was a bit unpleasant. Luckily, we had the day off. Scott and I headed to the only bank in Turkmenistan foreigners can withdraw money from (!!) and headed back to the hotel for an extended nap time. We ate dinner at a local establishment called the British Pub - a criminally overpriced restaurant praying on expats with too much money. The food was quite good, but the beer was terribly expensive. I was in bed by 11 PM.
We had another half day off as well and we completed another trip to the bank. We ran into a few more teams who had arrived fresh from Iran (now that I think about it, I haven't met any other teams who took the Caspian ferry) and killed time at an internet cafe. At 3:30, we headed back to the hotel and prepared for our trip to the Darvaza gas crater. The gas crater is the result of Soviet gas exploration gone wrong - a natural gas deposit was accidentally ignited and has been burning since the 1950's. We picked up some fresh mutton, vegetables, and vodka at the Russian Bazaar and began the trip north.
It took us a few hours to arrive at the crater. By my recollection, we arrived after 9. A 4x4 vehicle is required to access the crater and the Jimny was up to the task. The glow from the crater was visible several kilometers away. It was incredible to see in person and I am not sure I can do it justice. Imagine a deep crater with flames burning inside. Some call it "the gates of Hell". Sadly, the President of Turkmenistan has decided it needs to be extinguished (wether it is possible to do remains to be seen). We had another enjoyable meal of mutton, bread, and vodka. Angela invited several of her friends to join us and we had quite a time. Scott and I slept under the stars.
We got an early start the next morning. Our general rule is this: any day involving a border crossing requires an early start. There is nothing worse then a lengthy border crossing that puts you in an uncomfortable position (see: our 1 AM arrival in Baku). The road was fairly good most of the way to the Uzbek border, although we did have one scare: we arrived at a checkpoint only to find it was closed. The guards told Angela it may be closed until 5 PM. No one had any idea why. A near-riot almost broke out when they allowed some southbound students to pass in order to make it to their exams. Here's where having a guide pays off: Angela informed the guards our Turkmen visas were about to expire and we had to leave the country today. It took a bit of convincing, but they eventually opened the crossing for us and saved us a great deal of time.
The road was mostly good to the border but the last 70 or so kilometers was abysmal. Angela proved her worth again by getting us through the Turkmen side of the border crossing in minutes. The Uzbek side was relatively uncomplicated, although every traveller is forced to fill out a lengthy customs form. They thoroughly searched our bags (a first on this trip) and let us pass. This was our quickest border crossing since leaving the EU.
Our goal was to make it to the Uzbek town of Urgench. My guidebook indicated that there was a rather nice hotel, but we counted our chickens before they hatched. There was no easy way to cross the river to the town - we would later find out that the correct exit was 50 kilometers down the road. The cigarettes I offered the Uzbek border guard must have paid off in the form of karma because we ended up spending the night at an extremely pleasant Uzbek tea house. We were driving along the road attempting to look for a hotel when hunger struck. The owner seated us at a traditional Uzbek table (low to the ground and surrounded by rugs and pads). Scott and I pulled out the phrasebook and attempted to communicate that we were looking for a hotel. The proprietor insisted there was no need to search any farther - we would be staying here! His wife brought us blankets and pillows - were able to nod off right where we ate!
The next morning required another early start: our goal was Samarkand, nearly 700 kilometers down the road. Initially, the road was quite good but it quickly devolved into one of the worst roads of our trip. Massive potholes and signs of shoddy construction were everywhere. The most unusual and strangely beautiful thing we saw: roads reduced to one lane by blowing sand dunes.
We reached Bukhara in relatively good time, but decided to leave after witnessing the lines at the gas stations. For those who don't know, Uzbekistan is facing a severe petrol shortage - it's only reliably found in Tashkent. This was obviously a huge concern to us - we had to travel 700 kilometers! Our ace in the hole: a jerry can full of Turkmen fuel that we were able to take out of the country (this is technically illegal, but no one asked about it). We stopped to grab a quick bite to eat and I changed 100 dollars into Uzbek som. The current exchange rate: 1 dollar to 1600 som. I received two fat stacks of Uzbek currency (strangely enough, the only Uzbek note I have seen is the 1000). I planned to get a photo of myself surrounded by money, but we got lucky and found a petrol station with a short line.
A full tank of gas put us in very good spirits! We found a solid hotel, showered, and went out for dinner. The evening was quite relaxed as we were both quite tired. Uzbekistan has treated us so well we decided to spend a full day here.
This should get everyone up to speed! I'm off to see the sights. Tomorrow we have a three hour drive to Tajikistan (not including border crossings. Our current plan is to arrive early in Dushanbe and spend the day preparing for the Pamir Highway. We're both very excited - traveling along the Pamir Highway is the reason I signed up for the rally!
- Charlie
Turkmenistan was much different then I thought it would be. The main highlight was the people - we had our first taste of Central Asian hospitality. Everywhere we went, people wanted to shake our hands and chat with us (barring Ashgabat, which had a weird undercurrent that I can't quite put my finger on). Sadly, I didn't have much of a chance to ask about the Turkmen police state.
Turkmenistan was much different then I thought it would be. After a fitful night of sleep in the port parking lot, Angela (the guide) met us and took us to our hotel in Turkmenbashii, a port city which is rapidly becoming a tourist destination. It was great to have a day to fully relax. Baku and the ferry had given us plenty of free time, but waiting for some nebulous event to occur is not the same as relaxing. I went for a swim in the Caspian Sea, visited the local bazaar, and took a nap. Dinner was the highlight - mutton kebabs (which called sashlyk), mincemeat kebabs, and liver kebabs. Lots of toasting as well (with plenty of vodka).
The next day was spent driving to Ashgabat. The first 160 kilometers and last 100 kilometers were fantastic new roads, but the stretch in the middle was quite bad. The potholes weren't terrible, but some were quite large. The real annoyance was the whoops in the road. I've never seen anything like it. There would be seven or eight in a row and each one would send me through the roof (we had moved some bags to the roof so Angela could ride in front). We stopped at several beautiful mosques, both built by former President Turkmenbashii (who was quite the egomaniac).
Ashgabat is quite a beautiful city - just about every original structure has been torn down and replaced with brand-new buildings with white marble exteriors. I've never seen anything like it. It's impressive, but also a little unsettling at the same time. Angela gave us a quick tour and we headed to the hotel. As luck would have it, several other Mongol Rally teams were parked outside. It's always a pleasure to meet up with other teams - instant drinking buddies. All the teams had arrived from Iran, so they were looking to do a bit of partying. I was glad to help. Vodka, beer, and cigarettes were consumed until wee in the night - the next morning was a bit unpleasant. Luckily, we had the day off. Scott and I headed to the only bank in Turkmenistan foreigners can withdraw money from (!!) and headed back to the hotel for an extended nap time. We ate dinner at a local establishment called the British Pub - a criminally overpriced restaurant praying on expats with too much money. The food was quite good, but the beer was terribly expensive. I was in bed by 11 PM.
We had another half day off as well and we completed another trip to the bank. We ran into a few more teams who had arrived fresh from Iran (now that I think about it, I haven't met any other teams who took the Caspian ferry) and killed time at an internet cafe. At 3:30, we headed back to the hotel and prepared for our trip to the Darvaza gas crater. The gas crater is the result of Soviet gas exploration gone wrong - a natural gas deposit was accidentally ignited and has been burning since the 1950's. We picked up some fresh mutton, vegetables, and vodka at the Russian Bazaar and began the trip north.
It took us a few hours to arrive at the crater. By my recollection, we arrived after 9. A 4x4 vehicle is required to access the crater and the Jimny was up to the task. The glow from the crater was visible several kilometers away. It was incredible to see in person and I am not sure I can do it justice. Imagine a deep crater with flames burning inside. Some call it "the gates of Hell". Sadly, the President of Turkmenistan has decided it needs to be extinguished (wether it is possible to do remains to be seen). We had another enjoyable meal of mutton, bread, and vodka. Angela invited several of her friends to join us and we had quite a time. Scott and I slept under the stars.
We got an early start the next morning. Our general rule is this: any day involving a border crossing requires an early start. There is nothing worse then a lengthy border crossing that puts you in an uncomfortable position (see: our 1 AM arrival in Baku). The road was fairly good most of the way to the Uzbek border, although we did have one scare: we arrived at a checkpoint only to find it was closed. The guards told Angela it may be closed until 5 PM. No one had any idea why. A near-riot almost broke out when they allowed some southbound students to pass in order to make it to their exams. Here's where having a guide pays off: Angela informed the guards our Turkmen visas were about to expire and we had to leave the country today. It took a bit of convincing, but they eventually opened the crossing for us and saved us a great deal of time.
The road was mostly good to the border but the last 70 or so kilometers was abysmal. Angela proved her worth again by getting us through the Turkmen side of the border crossing in minutes. The Uzbek side was relatively uncomplicated, although every traveller is forced to fill out a lengthy customs form. They thoroughly searched our bags (a first on this trip) and let us pass. This was our quickest border crossing since leaving the EU.
Our goal was to make it to the Uzbek town of Urgench. My guidebook indicated that there was a rather nice hotel, but we counted our chickens before they hatched. There was no easy way to cross the river to the town - we would later find out that the correct exit was 50 kilometers down the road. The cigarettes I offered the Uzbek border guard must have paid off in the form of karma because we ended up spending the night at an extremely pleasant Uzbek tea house. We were driving along the road attempting to look for a hotel when hunger struck. The owner seated us at a traditional Uzbek table (low to the ground and surrounded by rugs and pads). Scott and I pulled out the phrasebook and attempted to communicate that we were looking for a hotel. The proprietor insisted there was no need to search any farther - we would be staying here! His wife brought us blankets and pillows - were able to nod off right where we ate!
The next morning required another early start: our goal was Samarkand, nearly 700 kilometers down the road. Initially, the road was quite good but it quickly devolved into one of the worst roads of our trip. Massive potholes and signs of shoddy construction were everywhere. The most unusual and strangely beautiful thing we saw: roads reduced to one lane by blowing sand dunes.
We reached Bukhara in relatively good time, but decided to leave after witnessing the lines at the gas stations. For those who don't know, Uzbekistan is facing a severe petrol shortage - it's only reliably found in Tashkent. This was obviously a huge concern to us - we had to travel 700 kilometers! Our ace in the hole: a jerry can full of Turkmen fuel that we were able to take out of the country (this is technically illegal, but no one asked about it). We stopped to grab a quick bite to eat and I changed 100 dollars into Uzbek som. The current exchange rate: 1 dollar to 1600 som. I received two fat stacks of Uzbek currency (strangely enough, the only Uzbek note I have seen is the 1000). I planned to get a photo of myself surrounded by money, but we got lucky and found a petrol station with a short line.
A full tank of gas put us in very good spirits! We found a solid hotel, showered, and went out for dinner. The evening was quite relaxed as we were both quite tired. Uzbekistan has treated us so well we decided to spend a full day here.
This should get everyone up to speed! I'm off to see the sights. Tomorrow we have a three hour drive to Tajikistan (not including border crossings. Our current plan is to arrive early in Dushanbe and spend the day preparing for the Pamir Highway. We're both very excited - traveling along the Pamir Highway is the reason I signed up for the rally!
- Charlie
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Back from the dead!
Hey guys, sorry about the lack of updates. I'm on my first useable internet connection in several days (or maybe weeks?). Much has happened since I prepared this update:
The next morning, I got up around 6 AM to enjoy a swim in the Black Sea. The water was perfect. It was warm enough to be comfortable but just cool enough to refresh. I splashed and floated for the next 45 minutes. It was time to move. Our goal was Batumi, Georgia. Problems with the air conditioner had been getting worse, so we also wanted to squeeze in a stop at the Trabzon Suzuki dealership.
The drive along the Black Sea coast was quite beautiful and traffic was nonexistent. Trabzon was difficult to navigate and we ended up visiting 3 out of the 4 Suzuki dealers in the city to find a mechanic. In an incredible stroke of luck, we encountered the Trabzon chapter of the Turkish Off Road Club. They took extremely good care of us, offering water, tea, coffee, and cigarettes to us. They were ecstatic when Scott left them with some magazines and stickers. The downside: they were able to find out the source of our A/C problems. Apparently there is a leak somewhere and the freon is slowly escaping. They did replace our coolant and it shouldn't be a problem (I hope).
A couple of hours later it was time to cross into Georgia. The Turkish side was packed with truckers and an absolute zoo. I met a fellow Mongol Rallier in line to get the car exported. The Georgian side was calmer. It was a bit of a shock when they made Scott get out of the car - from here on out, passengers would pass through separately from the owner/driver of the vehicle.
After passing through the border, the Scottish team I had met in line was parked on the side of the road. We enjoyed a beer in a small cafe on the Black Sea and decided to meet up in Batumi, just a few kilometers across the road.
Georgia was an incredible surprise. Batumi was vibrant and full of people. It was clear that a lot of money had been invested into attracting tourists. The Scots became separated from us, but somehow we met on a street corner and found a hotel together. It was great to meet another team since we had been more or less traveling alone since the Czechout Party. Everyone dropped their bags off and we headed out for dinner and beer.
The restaurant suggested by the hotel was closed but found a bar/restaurant closer to the town center. The food was amazing. The Georgian national dish is a cheese pie: a small crust on the bottom and filled with melted cheese. It was unbelievably good and they come in many different varieties. Cheese pie, fried pork, and cold beer was exactly what was needed after a long day behind the wheel. Some of the guys headed back, but I stayed out with two of the Scots. We had encountered a young Georgian guy during dinner who spoke excellent English. He volunteered to show those of us who remained around the city. After some Georgian cognac and Georgian wine, it was time to head back to the hotel.
The next morning was extremely relaxed. I was a little worse for wear after our alcohol-fueled tour of Batumi, so this was extremely welcome. Most of the morning was spent enjoying a late breakfast and catching up on e-mail.
The drive to Tiblisi was beautiful. The Georgian country side is absolutely worth seeing and the Georgians were some of the most warm and funny people we have met so far. They are also the worst drivers I have ever encountered. It's a complete free for all on the road. We pulled into Tiblisi around 8 PM and found a hotel. It was now time for another Georgian feast: more cheese pie and fried pork! Sleep came easy - we would need lots of rest for tomorrow's border crossing into Azerbaijan. Georgia has been one of our favorite countries so far. The girls are absolutely amazing.
Tiblisi is quite close to the Azeri border so next morning's drive was smooth. Checking out of Georgia was simple enough and I was quite confident that we would be rolling into Baku quite early. I was tragically mistaken. The Azeri side was a nightmare. Long queues, a totally inadequate border checkpoint, and angry officials all contributed to a four hour border crossing. At one point, I had to hike from the temporary border crossing through a pile of ash and garbage to the brand-new border crossing up top. We actually lost five hours due to a new time zone.
After dealing with Georgian drivers, Azeris seemed completely rational. Our drive to Baku was long and flat. I don't think we encountered any hills or altitude. Lots of construction slowed our progress, but the sheer amount of time spent at the border crossing is what really sunk us. Prior to this, we had been able to avoid driving at night (this is one of our cardinal rules - the chance of an accident significantly increases at night) but we simply could not find a hotel on the highway to Baku. I had reserved a hotel in Baku several months ago, so we decided to power on and see what we could find. Several of the western-style hotels on the edge of town were asking exorbitant rates so we headed into downtown to find the Sea Port Hotel (where I made my reservation). Luckily, it was quite easy to find. The highlight of our drive: after we had managed to get quite lost in an Azeri city, an extremely kind man gave us directions, led us to the correct turn and gave us six bottles of water.
Baku was much different then expected. I was aware of the oil money flowing into the city, but I wasn't prepared for the sheer amount of new hotels, construction, and wealth that Baku possessed. It was extremely impressive.
Our first task after awakening: attempt to get some concrete information about the elusive Baku-Turkmenbashi ferry. Most guidebooks and authorities paint this as a crapshoot. There are no regular schedules or tickets available in advance. The ships are described as roach infested and it's common to wait 2-3 days off the cost of Turkmenistan waiting for a place to dock at the port.
Fortunately, our experience was the opposite. We headed to the port around 9:30 to find the ticket office. After a few false starts, we found the correct building. They then informed us to come back in an hour or two and they would have more concrete info. Productivity was key - it could be several days before the next ferry. We checked out of the hotel, changed money, obtained cash, and purchased enough provisions to last for several days. After returning to the port, they informed us we could purchase tickets at 7 PM. Our Scottish buddies happened to be at the port as well, which was a good thing. None of us wanted to be the only team on the boat. The Customs Office let us drop the car off and complete some of the paperwork necessary to export the car, but this was as far as we could proceed.
We killed the next few hours at the pub, which provided the cold beer and shade necessary to beat the heat. Arriving somewhere early didn't seem to help in Azerbaijan, so we waited until 7:30. A man from the ticket office came and found us. George and I (George is a member of the Beer-Bongolians, the semi-Scottish team we have been traveling/hanging out with) purchased the tickets in a relatively painless process. We paid 100 USD per person and 50 USD per meter. The Jimny was 3.5, so that came out to 375 USD. The ticket price even included a cabin!
Exporting the vehicle was a pain, but the ferry was quite painless. We left the port around 2 AM and docked in Turkmenbashi around 8 PM. The boat was relatively clean, but very hot. There was even a small café. The crew was quite friendly as well.
Right now we’re in Ashgabat – we head for the Darvaza gas crater tonight and attempt to cross into Uzbekistan tomorrow. Wish us luck!
The next morning, I got up around 6 AM to enjoy a swim in the Black Sea. The water was perfect. It was warm enough to be comfortable but just cool enough to refresh. I splashed and floated for the next 45 minutes. It was time to move. Our goal was Batumi, Georgia. Problems with the air conditioner had been getting worse, so we also wanted to squeeze in a stop at the Trabzon Suzuki dealership.
The drive along the Black Sea coast was quite beautiful and traffic was nonexistent. Trabzon was difficult to navigate and we ended up visiting 3 out of the 4 Suzuki dealers in the city to find a mechanic. In an incredible stroke of luck, we encountered the Trabzon chapter of the Turkish Off Road Club. They took extremely good care of us, offering water, tea, coffee, and cigarettes to us. They were ecstatic when Scott left them with some magazines and stickers. The downside: they were able to find out the source of our A/C problems. Apparently there is a leak somewhere and the freon is slowly escaping. They did replace our coolant and it shouldn't be a problem (I hope).
A couple of hours later it was time to cross into Georgia. The Turkish side was packed with truckers and an absolute zoo. I met a fellow Mongol Rallier in line to get the car exported. The Georgian side was calmer. It was a bit of a shock when they made Scott get out of the car - from here on out, passengers would pass through separately from the owner/driver of the vehicle.
After passing through the border, the Scottish team I had met in line was parked on the side of the road. We enjoyed a beer in a small cafe on the Black Sea and decided to meet up in Batumi, just a few kilometers across the road.
Georgia was an incredible surprise. Batumi was vibrant and full of people. It was clear that a lot of money had been invested into attracting tourists. The Scots became separated from us, but somehow we met on a street corner and found a hotel together. It was great to meet another team since we had been more or less traveling alone since the Czechout Party. Everyone dropped their bags off and we headed out for dinner and beer.
The restaurant suggested by the hotel was closed but found a bar/restaurant closer to the town center. The food was amazing. The Georgian national dish is a cheese pie: a small crust on the bottom and filled with melted cheese. It was unbelievably good and they come in many different varieties. Cheese pie, fried pork, and cold beer was exactly what was needed after a long day behind the wheel. Some of the guys headed back, but I stayed out with two of the Scots. We had encountered a young Georgian guy during dinner who spoke excellent English. He volunteered to show those of us who remained around the city. After some Georgian cognac and Georgian wine, it was time to head back to the hotel.
The next morning was extremely relaxed. I was a little worse for wear after our alcohol-fueled tour of Batumi, so this was extremely welcome. Most of the morning was spent enjoying a late breakfast and catching up on e-mail.
The drive to Tiblisi was beautiful. The Georgian country side is absolutely worth seeing and the Georgians were some of the most warm and funny people we have met so far. They are also the worst drivers I have ever encountered. It's a complete free for all on the road. We pulled into Tiblisi around 8 PM and found a hotel. It was now time for another Georgian feast: more cheese pie and fried pork! Sleep came easy - we would need lots of rest for tomorrow's border crossing into Azerbaijan. Georgia has been one of our favorite countries so far. The girls are absolutely amazing.
Tiblisi is quite close to the Azeri border so next morning's drive was smooth. Checking out of Georgia was simple enough and I was quite confident that we would be rolling into Baku quite early. I was tragically mistaken. The Azeri side was a nightmare. Long queues, a totally inadequate border checkpoint, and angry officials all contributed to a four hour border crossing. At one point, I had to hike from the temporary border crossing through a pile of ash and garbage to the brand-new border crossing up top. We actually lost five hours due to a new time zone.
After dealing with Georgian drivers, Azeris seemed completely rational. Our drive to Baku was long and flat. I don't think we encountered any hills or altitude. Lots of construction slowed our progress, but the sheer amount of time spent at the border crossing is what really sunk us. Prior to this, we had been able to avoid driving at night (this is one of our cardinal rules - the chance of an accident significantly increases at night) but we simply could not find a hotel on the highway to Baku. I had reserved a hotel in Baku several months ago, so we decided to power on and see what we could find. Several of the western-style hotels on the edge of town were asking exorbitant rates so we headed into downtown to find the Sea Port Hotel (where I made my reservation). Luckily, it was quite easy to find. The highlight of our drive: after we had managed to get quite lost in an Azeri city, an extremely kind man gave us directions, led us to the correct turn and gave us six bottles of water.
Baku was much different then expected. I was aware of the oil money flowing into the city, but I wasn't prepared for the sheer amount of new hotels, construction, and wealth that Baku possessed. It was extremely impressive.
Our first task after awakening: attempt to get some concrete information about the elusive Baku-Turkmenbashi ferry. Most guidebooks and authorities paint this as a crapshoot. There are no regular schedules or tickets available in advance. The ships are described as roach infested and it's common to wait 2-3 days off the cost of Turkmenistan waiting for a place to dock at the port.
Fortunately, our experience was the opposite. We headed to the port around 9:30 to find the ticket office. After a few false starts, we found the correct building. They then informed us to come back in an hour or two and they would have more concrete info. Productivity was key - it could be several days before the next ferry. We checked out of the hotel, changed money, obtained cash, and purchased enough provisions to last for several days. After returning to the port, they informed us we could purchase tickets at 7 PM. Our Scottish buddies happened to be at the port as well, which was a good thing. None of us wanted to be the only team on the boat. The Customs Office let us drop the car off and complete some of the paperwork necessary to export the car, but this was as far as we could proceed.
We killed the next few hours at the pub, which provided the cold beer and shade necessary to beat the heat. Arriving somewhere early didn't seem to help in Azerbaijan, so we waited until 7:30. A man from the ticket office came and found us. George and I (George is a member of the Beer-Bongolians, the semi-Scottish team we have been traveling/hanging out with) purchased the tickets in a relatively painless process. We paid 100 USD per person and 50 USD per meter. The Jimny was 3.5, so that came out to 375 USD. The ticket price even included a cabin!
Exporting the vehicle was a pain, but the ferry was quite painless. We left the port around 2 AM and docked in Turkmenbashi around 8 PM. The boat was relatively clean, but very hot. There was even a small café. The crew was quite friendly as well.
Right now we’re in Ashgabat – we head for the Darvaza gas crater tonight and attempt to cross into Uzbekistan tomorrow. Wish us luck!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Istanbul (not Constantinople)
As I type this, I'm cruising through the Turkish hinterland. It's different then I expected. Some areas are dry and the vegetation is sparse and others are thickly forested. Both areas are quite hot, Istanbul was a (beautiful) swamp.
Over the last couple of days we've laid down some serious mileage and had our first day off. The last thing I mentioned was staying near the Romanian/Bulgarian border. We crossed into Bulgaria early the next morning and it couldn't have been easier. They checked our documents, stamped our passports, and that was it. Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria all required the purchase of vignettes. This is basically a highway tax. It's nice, short term vignettes usually tend to be overpriced. The upside: no tolls.
Bulgaria was much more beautiful then I had expected. Much of the country we passed through was forested and mountainous. Plenty of horse carts were spotted, some roads even had horse cart signs posted. Sadly, we didn't even get to spend one night there - Istanbul was our goal.
As the Jimny rocketed south, the temperature increased as our elevation decreased. The cool Romanian weather would have been welcome at the Turkish border.
After being stamped out of the country by a Bulgarian border official, we had left the EU. Entering Turkey was more complicated, but orderly. The complication was mostly due to the fact that we had forgotten to purchase Turkish visas. Surprisingly, we were waved through, told to purchase them, and come directly back to the booth. I had expected to be sent to the back of the line. We picked up our 15 euro visas, officially entered the country, and imported the car.
We had a chance to chat with other rally teams during and after the border crossing and insurance had caused some of them problems. The majority had insurance policies that only covered Europe, forcing them to buy insurance at the border. This can cost a pretty penny - I heard several stories about being forced to buy 100 euro policies at the Serbian border.
The road to Istanbul is a modern six lane highway (although not all Turkish highways are like this). Our main concern was parking in Istanbul - my guidebook made it sound like a nightmare. The city is difficult to navigate, but with a little luck, decent parking is attainable.
Scott and I enjoyed some Turkish raki on a rooftop terrace (these are huge in Istanbul, I was not aware of this) and went to bed. Quick note: rake is a brandy made from grapes and raisins. It's flavored with anise. The spirit is clear but when water is added it turns a chalky white. It has a black licorice flavor and is quite strong.
Istanbul is an incredibly beautiful city. The Ottoman architecture is amazing. The Blue Mosque, Aya Sophia, and Topkapi Palace are must-sees. The food is fantastic as well - I ate my fill of kebabs. Scott and I spent our first day off in Istanbul and it was a perfect stop. Lots to see, lots to do and it came at a perfect time.
The highways in Turkey are very good and those that are sub-par all show signs of improvement. We drove from Istanbul to the Black Sea town of Unye and covered between 8-900 kilometers. We had kebabs and beer on the Black Sea and stayed at a nice campground, although the humidity was unbearable.
End Part 1.
Monday, August 2, 2010
The wild, wild, west.
After a 3 hour border crossing, we made it to Batumi, Georgia. This place is wild - lots of Russians, gambling, and neon.
I haven't been neglecting all you readers - we've been covering lots of miles. I'm currently in the middle of writing a mega update which should fill in some the blanks.
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