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Glad it could help you out assuming nothing’s changed over the years!

I’ve been asked that question a lot!

I've taken some time away from touring ever since Covid happened. Hoping to get back to it sometime in the future.

Hope things are well with you bro!

Thanks Richard! Keep lifting bro!

@@plantpoweredcyclist7978 22kgx9 reps in total kettlebell supination 😁✌️🇵🇱

Honestly bro the short answer is no. If I could do it again, I'd go overland China and keep extending my visa every 30 days depending on what visa you get (I didn't know that was possible at the time). I put up with a lot of bull shit that I could go on and on about, yet met so many caring individuals and received many random acts of kindness and generous hospitality. I also got hit 4 times by reckless drivers (only one road coming from China) and I even got slapped in the back of the head by the bus assistant when I took up a tiny lane on purpose so I wouldn't get pushed off the non-existent shoulder to a terrible fall. The scenery is stunning, but only in the north and maybe worth a visit without the bicycle. One day the police is feeding you lunch and the next they're holding you hostage in a hotel room with 4 dudes with machine guns. Don't worry it's standard procedure they say. Would be better with a partner in crime to handle all the weirdness otherwise, I'd skip it.

I registered three times in a month in my hostels in Nukus, Bukhara and Samarkand. When I crossed the border to Tajikistan I just handed him the papers. I had lost several of them also. I don’t think it matters.

I don’t know when I’ll be back but I sure loved every minute of the rugged landscape and all the high 5s from the lovely people!

Thanks mate!

Thanks for the kind words! There are several options and I chose the most scenic based off other travelers I met in Dushanbe. It was also the most difficult with that mountain pass but wasn’t too bad. The hardest part for me was battling bacterial infections/parasites. My stomach was roughed up, which is why I took 10 days off in Khorog!

@@plantpoweredcyclist7978 Thanks for the reply. Yes, it appear many travellers in that region end up having stomach issues of some kind :( I'm heading to Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in 10 days with my bike and I plan to be in the region for 3 months - the stomach thing has me worried!! Any advice or tips on how to avoid apart from the obvious?? I'll filter / treat all my water and be careful with basic hygiene, but I'm assuming the food you're served and it's preparation is the major culprit?

@@stephenhammond3656 Yeah you’re 100% spot on. Do your best to take proper precautions but a trip to Central Asia without a stomach bug or two isn’t a real one ;) it’s all part of the journey so I’d recommend seeing it as part of the process and for what it is! You’ll get lost in the vastness and beauty of the area and not focus on the what could happen! Enjoy it bro and please share your experience when all said and done!

@@plantpoweredcyclist7978 Great stuff :) - Thank you, yeah, I'm super excited about the trip.

Thanks bro!

I'm not sure - I'm no where near that part of the world anymore...

@@plantpoweredcyclist7978 can I ask if you stayed at hindu or buddhist temples in india? I dont have a warm showers membership but heard tenting wasnt so safe, still want to tent mostly though. will be alone. okay to just ask at random temples?

Wild camping is almost impossible due to the dense population. I asked temples and churches, gurudwaras and was fine - just be prepared to wake up super early when the bells/loudspeaker go off. I also stuck to the small rural roads and was taken in by many families. Oyo hotels are disgusting-avoid them if possible. Also, booking.com is unreliable with prices. Every time I made a booking, I was never honored the price and was always told to pay double to triple the price fyi.

@@plantpoweredcyclist7978 wow ok thanks, what about just showing up with no reservation? possible to find a place that way or too risky? I usually bike about 5 hrs a day at 20kph so 100 kms. So I arrive where I'm going about 4pmish.

@@sirpaddlesworthiii5933 You'll just have to give it a go and see what happens. Good luck man! Enjoy the ride!

Thanks bro!

I was in touch via WhatsApp for the cycling east group with a couple who recommended it. She wasn’t alone so I’m not sure how it would be received. The society is obviously male dominated but maybe they would offer to host you and you’d be hanging with the women in the family. Hard to say. I felt like an alien in Pakistan-people just staring at you and not even saying hello. It’s awkward at best. So I guess I don’t have a solid answer for you.

@@plantpoweredcyclist7978 Ok, thanks. What do you mean by 'cycling east group'? Yes, I guess hard to say. In Tajikistan I felt very well received as a solo female cyclist, was often invited by families. But obviously on the Pamir Highway they are very much used to cyclists passing by. And on this road they are not.

There is a group chats for cycle tourers for every continent on WhatsApp. So people were asking and posting about visa questions/border crossings/etc. I honestly think you’ll be fine but you’ll just have to go with your best instincts. You’ll need to mentally prepare more than anything. You’ll have celebrity status being a foreigner and even more so being a woman on a bicycle!

Its safe but Wear pakistani dress 👍🏻

Hey Sonja! Thanks for the nice words :) Looking back on my map the road from Chitral to a little past Thingai is nicely paved and for the next 150 kms it’s bad. Plus I was sick for most of it - draining my energy. It was like once a week in Pakistan where I’d get sick from the food or water. The road was absolutely stunning and quiet so I loved that aspect but you know it’s only like that because very few will venture on such rough conditions even with a car!

@@plantpoweredcyclist7978 Thanks so much! Ok, 150km is not too bad. And it wasn't worse than Tajikistan, just comparable, right? I had bronchitis throughout the Pamir Highway's higher parts, so that hugely drained my energy, too...

It was bad - people who drove by in 4 wheel drive jeeps really complained lol so yeah it’s just as bad as Tajikistan. You’ll be fine!

Thanks bro! Glad you enjoyed it!

You're going to have to be more specific than that! I met dozens upon dozens of Muhammads during my bike travels!

@@plantpoweredcyclist7978 in baku with srilankan Ravi

That was the beginning of October, baby!

You're welcome!

It’s funny to look back on it now, but I was just destroyed mentally! Mind blowing how some of these people can even sleep. Never seen such pride in the the aspiring young gurus eyes when he said we start praying at 2:30am and go until 630am…excuse me did you say 230 lol? Such a bizarre country in general!