About 6 am in the morning we were awoken to pass through border control which means we had spend about three hours in no man's land which is typical of this train journey 32 hours to cover 600 miles is snails pace but there is a lot of waiting around.
I originally got on a passenger train but at one of the stops when I got off saw that mine and the last carriage where now attached to a load of cargo wagons. Later on when I was stretching my legs at the end of the carriage I saw a face at the window and though how did she get there? I opened the door and we were attached to a passenger train again! No doubt the delay was due to being coupled to an Uzbek train heading East and getting clearance to go thought the border.
Dogs were roaming around and more stringent checks were made, three of my bags were inspected and they wanted to see my bike in addition bits of the train were also taken off and mirrors poked into the voids.
On clearing the border an army of vendors boarded the trains and it was like the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul had descended moving back and forth selling all manner of stuff. Thankfully (for them) I resisted the gold plated karaoke microphone so I could sing Elvis songs to the carriage for the next 12 hours!
I also resisted the food on offer and ate my biscuits having picked up some mild food poisoning from Kazakh track side kitchen but at least I got some time to sit down! Some of the kids were issued with water pistols so it was reassuring to have some security around.
As we rolled though Uzbekistan the carriage started to thin out as we decanted passengers and their goods off the train. I saw a couple of second hand fridge freezers (buyer must collect on eBay no doubt) so didn't feel my bike was now such an imposition.
Finally at 6.30 pm we arrived in Nukus at the end of the line and I headed to my hotel.
I booked in for another night which was a good call as it took me most of the next day to organise what I needed for a new country. I eventually got my hands on 3 million Som after no joy at the cash machines and trying 2 banks. The bank I was then directed to was crazy as I learnt that all the ATM's were down and the guy before me literally withdrew about a wheelbarrow full of notes!
I got a local sim card and found a place upstairs in the market where they repaired my yellow dry bag. She wouldn't accept payment so I made a grand gesture of giving her what I thought was the Som equivalent of £5. I'd not got a handle on the crazy currency yet, as I walk away I realised I had got my conversion wrong it was only about 50p oops! I also got my Indian visa printed again for no charge and stocked up on supplies for the next two day leg south to Khiva.
Taking the train to Nukus had not only cut out the worst of the desert but had also now given me more time to explore the country. I am limited to 28 days so without the rain I would have been taking route one straight to Samarkand ( Samarqand on the map below) an had no time to dwell and tke in the sights.
Jobs list completed and feeling much better now I grabbed a kebab and celebrated with a beer to help the revolution then took refuge from the heat in my hotel to update this blog and do some route planning.
The next morning I was off and with what looked like 35 miles of open road to the cover to a couple of cafes on the map I was not going to get caught out again like my last ride in Kazakstan so loaded up with extra water.
Leaving Nukus was a challenge having to do battle with a swarm of minivans which act as shared taxis cross the city and drive erratically collecting and dropping off passenger as they go.
I was also facing a number of cyclist samoning towards me (Samoning cycling upstream see see Turkey Asia) on the three lane highway. I took the view that I had the right of way which was brave position to adopt as there was a foot deep open gully to my inside but I held my line and forced them to pull out and face the oncoming traffic. I wouldn't hurt them for long I thought.
Nukus was a new city built on the American lines with a grid iron system with large roadways running through it and not on a human scale. The pavements were very poorly constructed or just bare earth or sand.
I was glad to leave and was on a dual carriageway but the madness didn't end there as this was instead being just treated as two separate parallel roads! I stayed on the left which was the older one and was wider with a big run off.
Next thing the new road came to a stop and all the traffic was on my side which deteriorated rapidly into a single track with passing places so I ended up in the dirt.
Next we were was back to a proper dual carriageway with no corridor of cones marking the change just a single sign which some missed. I watched and old Russian truck like the one below with about six gas tanks strung behind the cab chug along what was now the overtaking lane towards the oncoming traffic.
I looked out for the crash and mushroom cloud in the distance from the inevitable head on collision but it never came.
Then all of a sudden all the traffic was directed onto the new road and I took the opportunity to have the old one to myself it was a bit rough in sections but great fun.
The temperature was soaring now but not too bad as long as you just cycled at a steady pace. I found a few bus stops along the way where I could shelter and have a rest though.
I took my iPhone out to try and take a panoramic shot of the flat empty landscape but it instantly overheated and shut down so here is my attempt from my GoPro.
At last the turn off to the south was approaching and the promised tea houses. There were 4-5 but these were separated from the road by a deep ditch with planks over. Then I would be wrong in saying a more substantial bridge appeared but it held my weight and the bike.
I made it across and straight ahead to the tea house which had a water spray across the frontof the canopy which I stood under for a few minutes to cool down.
The owner's son took my bike for a spin and was impressed with the weight as were some of the other customers who also tried to lift it!
After a long lunch I was back on the road and the cooling effect for the water spray soon wore off. However making the turn I was now in the river valley which led to a change in the landscape that was now turning green with the irrigation water extracted from the river.
Not far down the road was the river crossing which was a floating bridge the first I've ever seen. I took this photo before being told off my a police man stationed at the end. I suppose it gave him something to do! The road was a patchwork of metal plates with a multitude of cracks and patch repairs. I made my way carefully over them as I have no spare tyre (lost in the pannier) and slashing one here would be curtains.
A final stop to take on fluids in the shape of RC Cola which is probably better for cleaning my chain ( I might try sometime) and some fake lollies, the Kik Kit was particularly poor.
I was heading south to try and get near the Turkmenistan border which was close by but was stopped in my progress by a couple of locals who persuaded me the road was impassable so was back to the main road and another 5-6 miles looking for a camping spot.
I saw a few good ones but they were all cut off by irrigation ditches but eventually came across this canopy which was idea.
As I was under cover, I just put up the inner net, had some tea and got my head down. It was not a good night's sleep as the temperature was sky high until about 3 am with dawn at 5.
Breakfast was jam and condensed milk on bread with a cup of coffee then at 6.30 I was already breaking inot a sweat so time to get on the road.
I was heading for the ancient city of Khiva which was once an important trading and administration centre on the Silk Road which I would then be following to Samarkand before pushing on into Tajikistan and the start of the Pamir Highway.
I thought with such and early start I would reach Khiva by mid morning but had to make many stops on the way to cool down and recover. At one stop I tried my old trick of putting my overheated phone in with the ice creams whilst naturally I had one which did the trick and brought it back to life!
At one point the Turkmenistan border pushed close to the road down a river I was crossing and I saw a dirt track off to the side to when to investigate. I passed a cow herder who gesticulated that the way was closed but I pushed on regardless until I eventually came to a deep ditch and a fence that ran to the river's edge closing off this secretive state.
I continued on but the road conditions were also pretty poor and sometimes it was better to ride alongside the road rather than on it. I had a strange ache in my sides which I think were my kidneys complaining at being banged around so much.
The drivers were very enthusiastic with lots of toots of the horn and waves with some slowing down to ask me where I was from.
One guy got a bit carried away leaning out of a passing car and lost his sunglasses so I was rocking the CHiPs look for a while.
I think I am more Ponch than Jon what do you think?
I've googled it for you kids! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CHiPs
He pulled up about 10 miles later when he must have discovered they were missing and I reluctantly returned them.
Eventually after pushing through the urban sprawl that surround the walled city of Khiva I was there and found my hotel which was one of the few built inside of the walls with the city mainly preserved as it was in the days of the camel train with a bewildering collections of minarets, mausoleums, mosques and medressas
It was a fantastic place to explore some slides are below with more to come as I progress East.
If you want to learn more about Khiva this is a good article to read.
With most of the hotels outside of a the walls I felt privilaged to be a brief resident of the city and enjoying the diversity I remember wakling through an arch past the main mineret to be greated by a shirtless man sitting on his step whilst his underpants dired on the line!
Right time to get moving again. I had checked the route and worked out it should take me about 4 days to get to my next Silk Road City target Bukhara. I only found one hotel shown on route and that involved a 7 mile detour so I would be camping for the rest of the time as there were no towns or villages once I got past day one.
First I had to fight my way out of Khiva through the narrow unmade backstreets but eventually found the main road and was on my way.
I remained in the fertile valley and the temperature was not too bad with a moderate breeze helping to cool me down as I made good progress east.
Eventually, I came to the town of Hazorasp which had a shopping mall shown on the map. Here I hoped to stock up for the next few days on the desert highway, there were some roadside cafes and restaurants on the map but you can't always rely on them. When I arrived I found a huge retail warehouse development but I would say 70% of the units were vacant with the others selling either car parts or furniture none of which I was really in need of!
I headed into the town centre and called at 3-4 mini markets which was all I could find but there was no sign of bread available so bought some biscuits and small sweet croissants to take with me. As I passed a bank the digital board outside was showing 56 degrees ouch!
At the next town which looked pretty small on the map I found a market so was able to get bread there and headed to my hotel for the night. As I progressed I saw what I thought was a prison in the distance with watch towers and high fences but as I got closer turned out to be a General Motors factory.
I had not made a hotel booking and was playing spot the possible camping site just in case I didn't get a room for the night then my front wheel strayed off the road. There was about a 3 inch drop and the bike slid from under me and I hit the road hard with a crash suffering grazing to my left knee elbow and shin.
The bike was OK so I got to the outskirts of the town and washed my wounds at a shop with some bottled water before arriving at the hotel where thankfully there was a bed so I could property wash again and put some ointment on.
The next morning there was no sign of breakfast so I had some of my croissants. These having been stored in the shop on a shelf full of cheese and sausages is what they tasted of! I put some jam on to disguise the taste and add some moisture which made them more edible. I put more ointment on my leg, the advice was to cover the wounds but I didn't have a dressing big enough for my shin. I also didn't think in any event they would stay in place as a cycled along for 200 sweaty miles so instead I put E45 cream over them to form a barrier against the sun and the dust and I headed off.
I had to backtrack as I was not able to cross in Turkmenistan whose border pushed north here as shown on the map below so I had to join the main road to the east of Turkul and then follow that to Bukhara.
I passed over an impressive combined rail and road bridge with the obligatory police presence who, as soon as I got my camera hour shook their heads. I read up today on things not to do in Uzbekistan and one of them is take pictures of military and transport infrastructure or they might think you are a spy oops!
Then I followed an unmade road to the north and was right in the wilderness although I did find a shipping container shop where I splashed out on some cold sparkling water!
The road surface was a challenge with sand blown over and some sections cut up into a washboard surface with corrugations which gave you a real shaking.
Thankfully this back-road came to and end and I was on the highway proper. I checked and it looked like there was a cafe a couple of miles ahead so I set off on this lovely smooth road which was made of concrete to better cope with the extreme heat.
I then had an unfortunate incident, I could see what looked like a couple of cafes or shops in the distance and as I approached the first this kid I would say 10-11 years old came running out towards the road. I assumed he was going to high five me which had happen many times before so I slowed down to make sure I didn't overshoot.
Then he stopped and said something I didn't understand but he followed this with a gesture, he wanted money. I waved no and he then stood in front of the bike blocking my way and repeating the gesture. I rode around him but he grabbed the back of the bike and pulled away one of my water bottles which when rolling down the road. I stopped and he caught me up so I told him go forth and I would not give him money! He got the message and retreated to the roadside but started shouting at me and throwing stones. None were on target and thankfully as I was about to set off I presume his father appeared to reign in the young Dick Turpin. It will come as no surprise that I gave the cafe a miss and carried on to the next shop to have a break there!
As I made progress to the east I again came close to the Turkmenistan border which here was on my side of the river. There were signs on the tracks off the road that said Stop State Boundary but I was in no mood to use up energy on another cross country ride.
The river became a distant memory as the barren desert took over but thankfully the cafes and shops were all as shown on the map so I was well stocked for food and water so I was still smiling!
As I made progress I noticed how many transports had passed me loaded with the dreaded mini vans which I had to do battle with in the cities I had obviously found they birth place in the General Motors factory I passed yesterday.
Eventually at 7 pm the sun started to set and I found a hollow off the road where I could camp which was away from the road with the dunes offering some protection from the sun. There was a strong side wind blowing now that help keep the temperature down and I found a load of dead wood strewed around so made my first camp fire.
Then used some water and wet wipes to clean my wounds which had all seeped during the day applied some more lotion and laid down. There were host of burrows in the ground and I wondered what was in them so had a fitful night as I imagined all sorts of animals coming for my biscuits!
The next morning I had set the target of 75 maybe 80 miles which would mean one more day to Bukhara. I was up at 5 am and on the road by 7 it taking some time to move all my stuff back to the road as I couldn't load my bike and then push it though the sand. I finished off the interesting croissants and 10 miles in found a cafe which was not on my map so with time in hand I stopped for another cup of coffee.
15 miles down the road and it was time for a second breakfast which was noodle soup and a sort of meat and onion pasty washed down with a pot of tea.
There were cafes shown 20 and 25 miles away so I though on the basis of a 75 mile target the second would be the best bet so struck out for that. The heat was rising now and the wind was getting up which was blowing about 45 degrees from my left so slowing my progress. I felt OK but though let's stop at the first cafe and maybe have a drink at the second as well!
I got to the first cafe and followed a guy inside who had drawn up in a car he came out and went on and with no activity or lights inside I guessed there was no food. I did see a fridge and headed to it but a grunt from the grumpy girl inside indicated I had missed the one with drinks by the door. I got a large bottle of Sprite and sat outside in the shade to drink it. I pulled out my new solar charger and placed it in the sunlight plugging a power pack and my iPhone into the outlets and placing them underneath in the shade.
I went back inside and asked from some water and the grumpy girl pointed to the tap outside which dispensed a brown fluid. What sort of roads side business can you be running in the desert if you don't sell (insert expletive) water! I went to retrieve my phone but it was so hot I nearly dropped it had not surprisingly overheated and taken no charge from the panel and was on 20%. That's going to be a struggle I though how to get the panel in the sun but stop the device connected to it from overheating?
You can usually spot the cafes and shops as they as clustered around a water source so look out for trees and the next was much better. I had another bowl of soup some salad which was just tomatoes and onions with bread (everything comes with bread).
I was finishing my tea when I started to nod off and the cafe owner gestured to me I should get my head down. The wind was very strong now and clattering the tin roof over me I was sat on one of those bed/table affairs so I thought it would be best to delay my start so did just that. My phone was now on 10% so I plugged it into a power pack and laid down.
I awoke later to see that a couple of truck drivers transporting those mini vans were doing the same so must be the way people here manage the heat with an afternoon nap.
At 4.30 I set off again but if anything the wind had got worse I was grinding away into it but being pushed off the road a couple of times luckily there was no big drop so no repeat of my big off yesterday but my right arm was aching from constantly turning into the wind. My phone had not taken any charge whilst I slept so I came to the conclusion I had probably fried the battery at the last place and turned it off.
After another 5 miles I was hit by what I would call a sand squall and cried out as it felt like a layer of skin was removed. There was a shop not far after so I put my head inside and bought a snickers and pointed at some fizzy water which is really refreshing. The boy when outside to the freezers they use as fridges out here but came back with still which I had 6 litres of. I pointed again at the fizzy but he shook his head at which point I lost it as I interpreted this to mean there were no cold ones despite there being 6-8 bottles on the shelf! I wolfed down the snickers as it started to change into liquid form watched by half a dozen amused Uzbek's and ploughed on.
I made regular stops for water and went through a big water bottle in no time getting off my bike to get it out of my front pannier and then noticed I could still see the shop I had left.
I did a sense check. I had covered 50 miles the next cafe was another 10 if I made that I would be me done for the day and 75 miles short of Bukhara which at this rate not a days ride away. I checked my leg which looked like a lava field with the E45 cream dry and cracking but wet and red underneath and liquid oozing out. I came to the conclusion this was no environment to spend two more nights. I needed help and flagged down the first commercial vehicle I saw.
"Shalom Aleichem" says the driver with a smile and shook my hand. I asked if he could take me towards Bukhara thinking 30-40 miles would at least mean just one more night's camping. "Yes I can take you to Bukhara" was his response ....Game Over
It's so good to know that help is at hand if you need it and at about 9.30 pm I was dropped off on the outskirts of the city found a hotel.
Once there I quickly washed my wounds first with water then a saline solution that I knocked up with some of the salt I was carrying. I put on some ointment and went to bed.
The next morning they had scabbed over well and thankfully there seemed to be no signs of infection.
However, I was grabbed by the hotel owner who saw my wounds and she who put some green stuff over them which set hard like a second skin for good measure!
Fortunately my iPhone recovered overnight and started to take charge again so after a day's rest at the hotel I felt better I set out to do some sightseeing in Bukhara. The pictures I took are in the slideshow below:
Right the leg seemed to be on the mend so it was time to make a move toward Samarkand. I had originally planned on this taking three days but the first was 60 miles so I thought I'd better play safe and cut that in two which turned out to be a good decision. As I prepared to leave the hotel owner was saying that the hot spell had now broken and temperatures should now be in the the mid thirties, I'd better put my coat on!
Once I had broken free of the city I saw something I had been missing for the last week greenery as far as the eye can see I had escaped the desert! I was very pleasant with a breeze but this again was from ahead so was holding back my progress.
Not long after this the road was awash with melon stalls which might be an option for lunch but not a snack to take with me than suddenly I saw a girl selling peaches. I can't remember when I last saw a peach so I stopped and bought some.
As I rode away it struck me the four peaches only cost 20p I should have got more which was reinforced by this message from the World Health Organisation hopefully there will be another stall further on.
I never saw another peach seller so couldn't restock and resorted to my standard diet of rubbish. After that the road started to deteriorate with the nearside lane of the dual carriageway showing signs of wear so I had to take to the gravel alongside.
All the traffic seemed to be using the outside lane which was in better condition so undertaking became the standard procedure so cars were speeding past me in the dirt.
As the day ground on the wind increased and started to seriously slow things down so whilst it was only a 30 mile day it was still 4pm by the time I pulled up outside the hotel and start the process of cleaning and applying antiseptic onto my leg. I'd also burnt my lower lip which had now blistered.
The hotel owner recommend some fermented milk to rehydrate with some taking the WHO advice I gave it a go.
Next day it was 68 km on the main road or 72km on back roads so I thought I'd give them a try. There were no shops shown on the route but i was sure I would find some on they way so set off with 5 litres of water which would get me most of the way there.
As I had breakfast I could see the trees outside bending in the wind and thought I bet that is against me again, I hate being right! The road condition was OK at first but deteriorated fast.
I was wearing a second buff to protect my lips from any further damage which helped with the dust. Maybe I should have done this earlier but it did feel impersonal though as I rode past people and they couldn't see my face.
The headwind was building and with the poor road conditions I was down to 4-5 mph which was a real concern with 30 miles still to go but fortunately in the next village I found a shop and got some Coke a Cola on board uploading its location into MapsMe so if anyone follows this route in the future they will know it was there.
The road sheared to the right and the wind was side on now so my speed instantly doubled but this was short lived and I started to climb up and came to a section of exposed landscape what did I say about escaping the desert!
This was a long hard slog with the wind coming from and angle and pushing me back and off the road which this time had a drop off and I ended up in the gravel a few times but kept the bike upright.
I had to eat into my food reserves to sustain me through. I thought some Haribo might be refreshing but when I got them out they had melted so had to stick to boiled sweets and peanuts instead. Finally the road in the distance dropped down and I could see green ahead.
I celebrated at the next shop with a few sticks of celery and some tomatoes, well I would if there were on offer but needs must!
I realised that I was cycling on a long arch toward the city of Navoiy so hopefully I might get some more favourable winds and the day progressed which was the case as I joined the main road with 10 miles to go I was back in double digits and had a breather to celebrate. The shop had some fresh orange, well sort off but no vegetables so again I had to get the next best substitute in more ways than one!
5 miles out I was cruising in at 15 mph with a tail wind and arrive at just after 4 pm but it took another hour to find a suitable hotel at the fourth one I tried.
As I set off the next morning I had to be careful as the road out of the city had up to a 6 inch drop onto unmade earth so if I strayed off I would be toast.
Fortunately I made it to the main road unscathed and thankfully there was again a wide carriageway with plenty of run off.
This must have been a pretty uneventful day as that's it was far as photos go I just ploughed on for 55 miles to Katta Kurgen the temperature was fine and whilst there was a bit of a breeze it didn't hold me up too much.
The last hotel provided a dental kit so I put that in my bag and thought I could use this do clean my drive-train if I had time. I was making good time so on the outskirts of Katta Kurgen I pulled on into a garage and bought a litre of petrol in a plastic bottle I had drank from earlier. With the the tooth brush and wet wipes I got my chain and gears clean then headed into town.
I was apprehensive after yesterday where one hotel on the map didn't exist and another was closed for refurbishment as there was only one hotel shown in this town. I arrived at the location but there was no sign I asked at the door and they said yes we are a hotel. Then strangely they sent me another 1km down the road to a new hotel where I was made welcome and at $15 for B&B was good value so I added it to the map so again others could find it.
Right today I get to Samarkand the finla Silk Road City where I planned to spend a few days and then head for the Tajikistan border which is a further 25 miles to the east.
I chose to take the back roads today as this was the shorted distance. Again there was nothing on my map with regard to shops or cafes for the majority of the route so I grabbed and extra 3 litres of water just in case which I didn't in the end touch as there were plenty of small shops on the route.
The road was not great quality and I found myself spending most of the time living outside the tyre ruts that had melted into the tarmac but it was only 45 miles to cover today so it was not too much of a problem.
After about 15 miles I took a break for a drink and at a small shop tried the freezer which was empty then the fridge with was strangely full of empty beer bottles and looked at the young lad who was sat on a stool and pointed to a bucket of water with 4-5 bottles in. I felt sorry for him and took a large bottle of bright green apple pop out for £1.
I headed off to find some shade and came across this fiberglas cow with people drinking pints of milk I guessed it was that fermented stuff I had a couple of days back so steered clear!
After the the road started undulation with a relentless sequence of short climbs and drops. I was due to gain a thousand feet today so I guess the uphills were more than the downs and I tried to remember when I had last seen a hill, Azerbaijan I think. I also heard crickets which I had not come across since Georgia another sign that the desert stage was now over.
At 1pm I was approaching the outskirts of Samarkand I didn't feel hungry so lunch was put off. Instead I found a combined bus stop and shop which they have here and was able to get a snack and drink in the shade as was I was in danger of being too early for the check in at my hostel.
Soon I arrived and my Uzbekistan ride was nearing its end. I had however 8-9 days to kill here as I was ahead of schedule for my rendezvous with my friend Chris on the Pamir Highway but my leg was healing up well so hopefully should be 100% by the time I get on a bike again.
Samarkand Highlights.
Ragistan Square
The square is a spectacular sight with three large medressas (islamic colleges)
Slideshow below
I was not able to get into the square the first time I tried as it has been closed off to prepare for a music and dance festival which was being held leter in the month.
When I did whilst walking through one of the three madrasahs there I happened across a group researsing.
Amir Timur's Mausoleum
At its height, the Timurin Empire stretched from Delhi to Istanbul with Samarkand as it's capital.
Slideshow below
Shah-i-Zinda Complex of Mausoleums
Slideshow below
I was ahead of schedule so having exhausted the sight here I left my bike and things at the hostel in Samarkand and with a couple of guys I had met there and took the train to the capital Tashkent for a two days.
The highlights of my mini break are below
Right the leg is mending well and after my mini break to Tashkent I thought it was better to get on the road and maintain my position of being ahead of schedule as I would look pretty stupid if I had a breakdown mechanical, medical of mental and didn’t make my Tajikistan rendezvous with Chris.
It was a short and uneventful 25 mile ride to the border and leaving on a Sunday morning the traffic was pretty light and there was no queue at the crossing. I was however delayed as I headed for the large building in the picture to be waved on and arrived at the gate only to be turned back to the unsigned and inconspicuous passport control office I missed on arrival.
