Hi all..
well after several months of being unplugged we are now in Kazakhstan where we have better Internet access where we can at long last do some further updates on the website.
Mongolia.......we could use every descriptive in our arsenal about this country and still it wouldn't come close. It has a raw barren beauty which at times was overwhelming, and where everyday our riding skills were put to the test but where we were constantly rewarded.
we rode from the grassy plains north of Mongolian capital and to the soft testing sand of the Gobi desert to having snow and ice on the roads when we headed West over the mountains towards Russia.
we had more falls and spills in our weeks of traveling in Mongolia than we have in years! Simon's total exceeded mine for once.....not that Im happy that he 'kept' falling off as it meant that I had to keep helping him lift his bike. and/or unload..a good workout on its own without trying to do it in sand!
we have just managed to upload some photos and diary of Mongolia check it out at http://www.2ridetheworld.com/diary_mongolia_1st_chapter.htm
We had to have a laugh during our time in Mongolia as the words of a fairly 'novice' traveler kept coming back to us when we were tiptoeing our 320kg bikes over goat tracks and in between large boulders which was the 'main' route...this guy said, when he proudly puffed up his chest and made sure to impress when we met him,......"ah well...we didn't do the main route. we decided to take the off-road route". Now those of you who have been to Mongolia will know that ALL of Mongolia is basically off road and even the off road gets really off road! Note of caution for those contemplating a trip in Mongolia...the red lines on the maps don't mean a thing ....just a wish list of roads they would like to be tarmac! only a few miles have tarmac on them when they leave the city of Ulan Bataar. take a look at the photos and you'll see what we mean. some of the toughest riding we have done since the Sahara and Amazon.
Oh - I have also had it re-confirmed that I DO like sand riding! It has been a long while since we have had the opportunity and WOW what fun it is to have the bike swirling around underneath you as you struggle for control only to think "I'm off!!"....to then surprisingly recover and continue only to fall off when you stationary! I put that down to the bike being tired :-)
so we are now pushing it for time as Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan has many passes well over the 4000m (for those if you in the USA...thats 13,000 + feet) and these will be filling with snow as we speak. Some of the passes close due to the amount of snow as early as mid Oct. Had it been possible we would like to have been traveling through this area around a month earlier.
So the plan is Kyrgyzstan - Tajikistan and then Uzbekistan...after that we are unsure- we are hoping Turkmenistan and Iran. I was so happy to have been given our authorization code from the Iran embassy ($50 each just to get this!) in order to be able to apply for our visa ( another bundle of $$) ....but then I hear on the news the 'West' is none too happy. Fingers crossed we get our visa as we hear that Iran is a most beautiful country to visit.
For you UK bikers....we were lucky enough recently to meet up with Tiffany www.tiffnaytravels.com
Our other friends Rik and Rob whom we met in the USA have just finished their trip after just over 3 years on the road and are now back home in the UK.
we are still posting on these sites too.
in the UK the UKGSER website. http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2035180&posted=1#post2035180
the BMW Explore site in the USA. http://www.bmwxplor.com/forums/topic/show/4352
also in the USA ADVRider! . http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?p=10991291#post10991291
it would be nice to hear from all you bikers out there if you enjoy these posts!
Hope you enjoy the photos with the recent diary...we will get more up soon.
regards
Lisa and Simon
www.2ridetheworld.com
"Adventure: the pursuit of life".Daniel Roy Wiarda

Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment