Update from the Pamir Mountains – Tajikistan

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Website Automatic Post: 18/09/2019
NOTE – this post is anything up to 2 weeks behind!
(Includes: 8 short film clips – 5 photos)

Hello from somewhere in Tajikistan, well its been almost 2 weeks since we left Uzbekistan and entered our 21st country “Tajikistan”

Since leaving the Capital ‘Dushanbe’ we are heading southeast towards the second highest road in the world ‘The Pamir Highway’ AKA ‘The Roof of The World’ we are following the border of Afghanistan and its snake like river.

(Clip 1) I’m not sure if we are lucky or insane, but once again we are seeing parts of the world we never knew existed, from houses carved into the mountains to understanding how people can live in such a remote part of the world, with no resources other than what they produce themselves, there is also a very strong presence of Military here, we are surrounded by both Tajikistan and Afghanistan soldiers, with many check points along the way, taking photographs and filming in some of these areas is forbidden !!

We don’t take any of these experiences for granted, but we are always happy to move on, at the end of the day, we don’t belong here, and being realistic, us westerners could not survive in this harsh environment for very long.

(Clip 2) One of the most common sights is the shepherds with their sheep and goats, they use horses and donkeys to get around here, but mainly donkeys in these parts, so we decided we must test ride one of these amazing creatures incase we decide to trade the bikes in.
(Clip 3) The sounds of the shepherds driving their cattle has become a welcoming sound in the Pamirs, they are the only people we meet regular, and to see how they work and survive in the mountains is truly amazing.

(Clip 4) Camping in the Pamir Mountains is easy, you can put your tent anywhere, but be prepared to share some space with the sheep and goats, here the cattle are being drove down the mountain ready for the harsh winter period, unlike us crazy cyclists that are heading to the heights of the Pamir! We spent the night with the shepherds and their cattle.

(Clip 5) Although the water in the Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan might be clean, we always filter all drinking water to be extra safe, you never really know whats in the water, especially when there are local villages near by, there might even be a dead sheep a few miles up river..so never take any chances with water unless you have no chance, here I’m using the MSR water filter, its not the lightest but its the most durable and reliable which is important for our type of expedition.

(Clip 6) Another common sight in the small villages of Tajikistan is the local women washing their carpets on the road, and making sure you don’t cycle over them!

(Clip 7) After a hard day in the saddle its great to take a plunge into the freezing cold waters in the Pamir Mountains!….mmm

(Clip 8) The start of the roads to the Pamir Highway, many days we have strong wind, and with the roads being mainly a mixture of loose rock and sand, when the wind picks up its not very pleasant.

For our most recent photographs visit the photo’s page on this website