Blog 15 27th May -1st June Merv to Bukhara Distance: 404km Total Distance: 4344km The Zerafshan-Karakum Corridor – Stage 1 Arising in the mountains of Tajikistan, the Zerafshan River gushes down to the steppe, and passes through the legendary city of Samarkand where much of its water is taken up by the Dargom Canal. Samarkand, […]
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Water is everything: the rise & fall of civilisations past and communities present
Blog 14 23rd – 26th May Turkmenabat to Gonur Depe Distance: 266km Total Distance: 3940km Day 60, Turkmenabat Turkmenistan’s second largest city, Turkmenabat, was adorned with eye-catching contemporary buildings that are intended to show off the power and wealth of the country; for example, the presidential palace is actually a folly, never used by […]
Turkmenistan’s Silk Roads
Blog 13 16th – 21st May Urgench to Turkmenabat Distance: 623km Total Distance: 3674km Day 54: Urgench – Dashoguz 70km In Urgench, we bid Elena farewell and set off for the Turkmenistan border. Anna and I were slightly anxious about what to expect crossing into Turkmenistan – one of the world’s most secretive countries. I […]
A cradle of civilisation and nurturing nature
Blog 12 8th – 15th May Nukus to Urgench Distance: 196km Total Distance: 3051km Nukus was a two day pit stop where we changed filmmakers – Anna Plocinska arrived from Switzerland for a month-long stint and Georgia left for the UK. It was important that they had time to connect and hand over the filmmaking […]
Moynaq to Nukus: Starting from the end (Amu Darya rivermouth)
Blog 11 4th – 7th May Moynaq to Nukus Distance: 256km Total Distance: 2855km In Moynaq I arranged for a guide to be with us for the remainder of the way to Nukus. Khurmet, whom we had met at the Yurt Camp beside the Aral Sea, was the perfect choice because he has local roots […]
Aral Sea South – Spectacularly sad
Blog 10 28th April – 3rd May Nukus, Karakalpakstan, the UZ border to Moynaq Distance: 313km Total Distance: 2599km The old Soviet-built train chugged slowly across the dry, featureless steppe stopping occasionally at villages and for about 90 minutes at the border for immigration and customs. I barely slept because I was paranoid about my bike […]
Around the Aral Sea west coast (Kazakhstan)
Blog 9 23rd – 27th April Akespe to the border Distance: 305km Total Distance: 2286km Day 31: Akespe to Akbasty – 104km Once out of the sand at Akespe, it was a relief to turn onto the Gas Pipeline Road – the first made gravel road I’ve had since Aralsk. It follows a buried gas […]
Bringing water back to Aralsk – rising hope
Blog 8 20th – 22nd April Aralsk to Akespe Distance: 141km Total Distance: 1981km Aralsk is the only major town in the region, developed as the northern port on the Aral Sea. It was connected to the southern port of Moynaq, about 500km across the former sea, in Karakalpakstan (a part of Uzbekistan). In Soviet […]
Far away and over the Seabed
Blog 7 15th – 20th April Barsakelmes Island diversion, Karateren to Aralsk Distance cycled: 121km Total Distance: 1840km From the former fishing village of Karateren I had planned a two day 4WD excursion to Barsakelmes Island and Kaskakulan. The Aral Sea was often referred to as the “Sea of Islands,” virtually all of which are […]
All the way to the Aral Sea
Blog 6 10th – 14th April Kyzylorda to Kokaral Dam Distance: 520km Total Distance: 1719km Day 18 – 124km We left our Kyzylorda apartment – on the fourth floor of a Soviet-style building – apartment blocks have the same design all over the former Soviet Union. I’m not quite sure how some of these buildings […]
