fear smothered in cake
I wasn’t going to fly to Tashkent if I could avoid it. You might remember how I suddenly came to the realization that flying was bad for the environment a while ago.
But I hated buses. So I decided to go to Almaty and take a train to Tashkent from there. Only first I went and mailed my SD-cards and my notebook home:
Then I got in a car to the border at Kordai. It was the same as usual. Actually, it felt pretty much just like the time I had crossed it on foot with the Caboose almost one year ago. Kordai was a charming mess:
It takes four hours to go from Bishkek to Almaty. If there is a traffic jam in either city (and they are increasingly frequent), then it takes longer. That’s a long time to get carsick and think about what’s ahead.
I was starting to get worried about Turkmenistan. 550km in 15 days, was that even possible for me? Or maybe it was less than 550km? I had heard conflicting reports. Anyway, I was worried, so once I got to Almaty I treated myself to a good dinner and a piece of cheesecake:
To take away the fear.
Ling
You are traveling on Silk Road, I wish I could do that as well. It would be the exhausting long journey. I am from northwest of China, I have relatives lived in Xin jiang. So the images you shot in Silk Road. I feel a kind of familiar. Wish all the best for your trip. I recommend you the Chinese book, 大唐西域记 ：）
Bruno
For turkmenistan, i have 453km, from farab to serakhs, it’s going through Mary also, which is important. So 40k per day leaves you 3 days of rest! May you stay healthy during those weeks!
Ben
Sure is possible 🙂 Think of what Mark is doing here and you’ll be fine. http://www.artemisworldcycle.com/