Vers la soie

Salam from Kyrgyzstan ! After eating and resting for almost 3 days in Osh, Alex and I went to Osh animal market, where hundreds of animals are exchanged, mostly sheeps but also a lot of cows and horses. Since the border we saw a lot of kyrgyz accompanying their herds, now we know where some of them go! We then came back to our hostel where what we thought would be a private taxi was waiting for us. But there was already 2 cyclists (with their gear obviously) and another touri...Continue reading

Welcome to Tajikistan! Although it sounds like a remix of the greetings we got in Iran, it was a bit different in Tajikistan! Indeed, as soon as I passed the border, coming from Samarkand, kids started to scream "Hello! Hello ! HELLOOOO !" and run in front of / behind me in order to give me five. Even though it sounds amusing in the beginning, it gets more and more tiring in the end as they sometimes almost jump in front of our bike or try to hit your hand the hardest the...Continue reading

Salom! Entering Uzbekistan was way easier than expected. Nobody searched my bags or asked me crazy questions, I just got my passeport stamped, my bags scanned and I was in the 15th country of the trip! There was 100km from the border to Bukhara. That's basically one day of cycling and I had to catch Alex who was still ahead of me so I decided to go for taxi. I had to pay 20$ for the whole taxi as they said I was traveling with my bicycle. But of course the taxi driver stopped...Continue reading

Hello dear reader, I know you want to hear about my Turkmen impressions but let me first tell you about my last meters in Iran. They represented well the month I spent there : I got invited for tea by the translation police team at the border, and then got looked upon as if I commited the worst sin by the guy who was going to stamp my passeport : I was wearing shorts! So, Turkmenistan, where should I start with you? You are a hell of a strange country! But let me start with t...Continue reading

Salam! After 10 days in France, I'm back in the middle east. On his side, Alex is already in Uzbekistan, which is quite convenient as he can therefore give me hints and warn me on specific matters. The first thing I had to take care of when landing in Teheran was to get my visa on arrival. You cannot specify the number of days you will be staying, so I got the full month for 75 euros. Having just 4 days before entering Turkmenistan, Iran hence wins the title of most expensi...ve visa of the trip (so far...) beating the transit turkmen visa (55 dollars for 5 days + 10 dollars fee at the border) It felt very strange to be back in the Middle East after a short break in France. Indeed, before I got back home, being in Iran was "almost" normal as I had been on the road for half a year. It means that the transition between France and Iran had been smooth, and even though I noticed and experienced new things, it felt more natural. But this time, it only took me around 13h from Paris to Tehran. And I see with sharp eyes a lot more differences than before my break. I left Tehran with regrets and took a bus to Chalus on the Caspian sea in order to get my bike and luggage back. The weather was hot in Tehran but it was way worse on the coast as there was a lot of humidity. I soon got a ride in one of those blue iranian pick-up that are widespread in the countryside. The guy was driving like a madman but at least he was sober... I need to emphasize this matter as I got then offered a ride by a guy who look alright from the distance. But then, after I had put my bicycle in the rear of the truck, I discovered he and his colleague were smoking A LOT. And I'm not speaking of cigarettes only, they were junkies, getting high on morphine! The trip took 4h, when 2 were needed... Of course, the hour getting high on drugs didn't help, but still, they made a lot of non sense stops, and some of their decisions weren't very rational I eventually arrived in Gorgan at midnight, where I was greeted by Amin, his sister Ida and their parents. They had friends over and we spent the night reading poems, playing the guitar and singing traditional Persian songs. The following day was dedicated to relaxing and visiting a bit around. Settled between two ecosystems, Gorgan has a couple of natural and architectural features, and I'm glad I made a stop to discover this hidden gem From Gorgan, I cycled a couple of kilometers to find a good place to hitchhike, and after a couple of minutes a young guy stopped and gave me a ride to the next town, still 60km away from the border. He couldn't find a truck for me and hence decided to drive me to the border! Eventually it was time to enter one of the craziest country on earth, let me name it : Turkmenistan!

Salam! We left Teheran on the Iranian equivalent of a western sunday, with our friend from Teheran we met in Yerevan, and his girlfriend. They drove us to Kashan, a lovely place 2h30 driving south of the capital city. Known for its roses, Kashan has more to offer, camel meat stews for example! But it is also a good introduction to Iran as you imagine it, amazing gardens and mansions, with the sun being so strong that you'd rather stay inside between 2 and 6pm. ...Continue reading