It is late on a Saturday night. I am sitting in an Internet cafe in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The place is packed with teenagers playing computer games and there is very loud Uzbeki music blaring. We cycled 128km today into a potent headwind- so my creative juices are just not up to much.
However- I know it is many days since I updated this blog so briefly wanted to explain.
Turkmenistan is unbelievable - and although there are no internet cafes we were warned that the hotel internet was "Bugged"- as were our rooms - and my cell phone was blocked. We were forced to have a police escort for the entire time we were cycling - and as I was sweep rider - I often had them creeping up my tail, playing discordant music through their loudspeakers - or gesticulating at us to hurry up. Taking a pit stop was a stressful business as often they trailed after one - and in the desert there is very little in the way of decent cover.
I did enjoy the desert riding although 6 days of totally flat cycling gets to the brain a bit.
The city of Mary was a highlight due to an excursion we took to Merv- which is an ancient site where no less that 5 different cities were built over the ages, starting in 300BC. It is a World Heritage site and has contributed greatly to knowlege of early Islam architecture and learning. In its heyday it had a population of 100,000 people and rivalled Baghdad and Constantinople. It was ravaged time and again by warring factions - the Mongols in 1220 slaying every last inhabitant.
It was a moving experience standing on a windswept ridge and knowing that the ruins that lay before me were an important crossroads of the Silk Route that I was now exporing so many centuries later.
We managed to get out of Turkmenistan in a few less hours that it took to get in, but it was still a tedious, irritating experience. We fared better than a poor Belgian motorcyclist who, when we came through had been camping in "no mans land" for the past 3 days. There was something wrong with his Turkmenistan visa - and Uxbekistan would not let him back. A horror story.
Tomorrow I will write about the delights of Bukhara - and try to get some photos posted.
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Hi joan - what an amazing trip you are having - thanks for your expressive and interesting comments on history and experiences. We are following your progress - amazing stamina as always! Bitty & Shake sending love and encouragement to keep on pedalling!
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