OverlandSphere
Overland Travel, Expedition & Adventure Information for 4x4, motorcycle and truck overlanders
Hi everybody, I just wanted to say a quick hello. Technology challenges in ‘The Stans’ are making it difficult to update you on my progress. Since I left Tbilisi the days have been a blur. Boats (3 days on a leaky cargo boat), Borders (Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) and Boris have been keeping me occupied. Don’t fret some blog updates…
Location : 50° 43′ 35″N, 86° 18′ 28″E (Altai Republic, Russia) Distance from Sydney: 11,401km They say that if you put a frog in a pot of water and slowly boil it, the change of temperature is slow enough that the frog won’t realise it’s being cooked, and will die before he jumps out. I always wondered whether the frog…
An insight into a day on the road where things don’t go as planned. Benn: 4am: I realise I am awake. Early hours of the morning, still dark outside our hotel room in Almaty, Kazakhstan. There is a car alarm squealing in the distance. I suddenly get that momentary sick feeling in my stomach as I register that it sounds…
KYRGYZSTAN Within two minutes of being in the country we are flagged down by a policeman. He asks Martin to follow him to his car where he pulls out a piece of paper with Russian-English translations on it. The most important one according to him is ‘You must pay a fine’. He points down a long list of violations including…
KAZAKHSTAN 27TH October We are forced to transit Kazakhstan to reach Kyrgyzstan, due to the border between Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan being closed due to ethnic tensions. This adds several days to our journey and also hundreds of miles. We know the weather is fast closing in on us and we have to dash as fast as possible through Kazakhstan, despite…
UZBEKISTAN 18TH October The Border We pass from Turkmenistan very quickly to the Uzbekistan border. As we arrive we notice the border gate is closed. We stop behind another car in anticipation of them opening the gate. 30mins later there is no sign of any movement, so I jump out to have a look around. I find the customs office…
TURKMENISTAN We arrive in Turkmenistan, a country described by many as the “North Korea of Central Asia”. As a traveller it is one of the most difficult countries to travel freely in; you either need a transit visa, or a tourist visa which requires you to have a compulsory guide. Whichever visa you choose on arrival, the officials will agree…