Pamir Highway and Silk Road The Rough Side of

Text: Simon Thomas SilkPhotography: Simon and Lisa Thomas pegs for better control over the mixture of ly stay upright before pulling up outside a tumbling large rocks and loose soil, we small homestay. We painfully peel our stiff round a wide bend, our progress brought to bodies from the frozen bikes. Exhausted a sudden halt as a half-hearted flag bearer and wet, we settle down in a whitewashed waives us to a stop. The scene down in the room lit by a single candle. We can barely lower valley through which we are about move inside our sleeping bags under the to cross looks decidedly post-apocalyptic. weight of half a dozen old rugs for warmth Dozens of eight-wheeled, rolling metal gi- and soon fall into an exhausted sleep. ants belch black diesel fumes into the sky as they claw and tear at the mountainsides. We Wearing as many layers as we can find and choke on the thick clouds of dust these mon- heavy with 20 gallons of fuel, we head for sters produce as we are stuck behind two of the border. We ride the short 3 he Pamir Highway: since time im- modation in their locked compound by blank looks make me feel uneasy. Hidden them as they barrel through the long, nar- km track to the base of the , the memorial, the Silk Route (M41) in handing over two pirated DVDs we’d ac- from view inside a small café, we devour row gorge. With a deep breath and fingers route ahead indistinguishable among the TCentral Asia has existed as an artery quired, giving thanks that money isn’t the a bowl of rice flavored with the ubiquitous crossed, we plunge into the airborne debris vast slabs of rock and thick, snow-covered of trade connecting west to east and north only currency when you travel. mutton fat. As we eat, locals stop, stare, and emerge safely on the other side. We are ground. Inside the small border compound, to south. Contrary to its name, the Silk and finally crack huge smiles as they walk instantly transported back to northern Ar- we complete the exit paperwork and steel Route is not a singular road but a web of The Siberian town of Novosibirsk, where past the parked bikes. gentina, the landscape painted in shades of ourselves against the plummeting tempera- ancient tracks and rock-strewn trails trod- we collected our Kazakhstan visas three yellow and tangerine red, the tall peaks of ture outside. den for a millennia by travelers, merchants, weeks before, seems all but a fuzzy memo- The Teeth of the Pamirs the Alay Mountains in the distance brought explorers, soldiers, and kings. Over 3,000 ry. We now only remember Kazakhstan as We head down the road after lunch, and out in sharp relief by the royal blue sky. Soon the patchy tarmac turns to red clay years of meandering history is carved into a blur, with fragile recollections of paper- Lisa’s 650 thumps a steady rhythm as we as we climb in altitude in second and third one of the most striking landscapes in the work, more visa applications, and depress- pick up speed on serpentine that now Perched atop the Taldyk Pass at 12,000 feet, gear. We’d read countless stories of the se- world. Our dream of riding the Silk Road ing overnighters in old mental asylums now stretches out below us. The M41 disappears we gulp down the thinner air and watch the vere weather in this region even in sum- was now a reality, and we must ride it suc- posing as motels. from view and reappears as it snakes its panorama bathed in a translucent mauve. mer, and here we are with winter closing in cessfully if we are to reach Iran and con- way between layers of orange and caramel Night is coming fast. Looking out across the around us, literally. We are giving this range caption 1 caption 1 caption 1 caption 1 tinue our westward journey. It’s midday as we ride southeast around the mountainsides; in the distance, the teeth of , we watch the lights of a distant the full respect it’s due. Two tired Brits with- caption 1 caption 1 caption 1 caption low-lying Fergana Mountains before turn- the rake the sky. My GPS village twinkle to life as small generators out cell or satellite phones could easily get kick into nightly action. The temperature has in trouble up here. caption 2 caption 2 caption 2 caption We wake in Kochkor-Ata, a small village ing southwest and entering the ancient lists our destination as Sary-Tash, a small 2 caption 2 caption 2 caption 2 caption northwest of Jalal-Abad in . We Kyrgyz city of . Market stalls spill their village on the Kazak-Tajik border, and we plummeted to 15 F, and the snow-fringed sit cross-legged around a tattered Persian wares into the streets, selling all manner need to press hard if we are to cross the track and slippery switchbacks tug on our Kalashnikovs and Toenails caption 3 caption 3 caption 3 caption 3 rug joined by ten or so construction men, of items from flashlights to goat heads. A Taldyk Pass before nightfall. already frayed concentration as we work We crest a rise and the Tajikistan compound caption 3 caption 3 cap- each covered in paint, mud, and sawdust, few domed mosques dot the city skyline, our way down the backside of the pass to- comes into sight. Two large, rusting fuel tion 3 caption 3 caption 3 caption 3 watching us intently as we munch down making the scene feel familiar, almost Mo- With investment from China, the length ward the sanctuary of the village below. tankers rest in the red mire and are now in mouthfuls of stale bread and pieces of fruit roccan. Riding into the center of Osh, our of the lower M41 is being torn up and re- active duty as the passport offices. A half- as the strong smell of concrete hangs in the cheerful waves of greeting are received placed. It’ll be a delight in a year, but right On an unlit path in Sary-Tash, I suddenly dozen young (and presumably bored) sol- air. We pay our bill for last night’s accom- without a response by the locals whose now it’s a nightmare. Standing up on the barrel into a deep-water crossing and bare- diers, Kalashnikovs slung over their shoul-

74 www.roadrunner.travel March/april ‘12 75 ders, saunter outside. Inside the cramped cramped yard. Inside the simple room, a do without. Even with sunglasses and dark room the scene is bizarre. By some miracle, low fire sits in a grate waiting to be stoked. visors, the glare from the snow is painful. a set of bunk beds is squeezed in, occupied We sit around a low table sipping on sweet, This is truly a giant’s playground, and we by a guard who sets about our paperwork. warm tea and swap information about each are just specks passing through. He’s only wearing his stained thermals; the other’s upcoming journey. longest set of yellow toenails I’ve ever seen Our progress is halted 3 km from the sum- stick out of the holes in his woolen socks. A In the morning, a thick layer of frost cov- mit, the thinning dark trail we have been TV hisses in the corner, and a small, smoky ers both bikes, making them glisten in the following now lost under deep snow. Lisa is iron furnace belts out a bit of welcome pristine morning air. Straining our eyes, we feeling worse, and I haven’t told her that her heat. watch Ben become a speck on the north- lips are now dark blue and her eyes have ern horizon as we head south. We begin the sunken look of the oxygen-deprived. Two hours later we pull alongside Lake our own steady push to the Ak-Baital Pass. Karakul, the highest lake in Central Asia. We rise from the plains too quickly, with- From over my shoulder the coughs of an At 12,800 feet, the vista is nothing short of out the chance to acclimatize. At 13,000 ancient Russian 4×4 grabs my attention, spectacular, the lofty silence only broken by feet, waves of nausea hit Lisa thick and fast; and I wave it down explaining, “My wife the dark, icy waters lapping the shore. The along with a pounding head, she’s showing is unwell!” Without question, they agree to sight of a lone bicyclist coming toward us signs of altitude sickness, which is a deadly carry Lisa to the top of the pass, leaving me is reason enough to pause. The cyclist pulls concern in this remote location. We have with the two bikes. I ride mine to the top up alongside and introduces himself. Ben, to push on. Our fastest way down is up and (15,309 feet) and walk back for Lisa’s, truly from the U.K. He looks as exhausted as we over; returning won’t get us low enough, tough going. We stop only for the briefest surely feel. He describes the conditions fast enough. It’s -7 F, and 50 feet to our left of moments at the top of the pass to take in ahead of us as “tough,” and we quickly re- a seemingly endless fence of wooden posts the view, but have no way to document it alize we aren’t going to cross the 15,000- and barbed wire marks the Chinese border. because freezing temperatures have killed foot pass before nightfall. A quick scan of the camera batteries. We ride dusty gray roads as late afternoon the small dusty village to our west reveals Acute Mountain Sickness rolls by. The reduction of 3,000 feet has a hand-painted sign that reads “home stay,” At 15,000 feet, the switchbacks require our improved Lisa’s altitude sickness enough and as we look at the towering mountains concentration. We’re up on the pegs and that we know we are out of the woods. behind us casting long shadows across the riding rough over ice-encrusted muddy Murghab is our chance to feel some much landscape, we quickly make up our minds. streams and loose rock. The snow drifts needed warmth. This is the highest town We cross the hard ice and at last park in the across the track, an addition we could well in Tajikistan at 12,000 feet, just below the altitude Lisa needs for any kind of over- night stay.

Heading down to the sad little bazaar, we are in search of water and somewhere to exchange dollars for Tajik somoni, the local currency. Dozens of small stalls line a sin- gle street, some wooden but most just rust- ravaged shipping containers or the rear car- casses of 4×4s. As we walk the bazaar, we see that the few vendors braving the cold stocked little more than a ramshackle mix caption 4 caption 4 of old clothes and out of date Snickers bars. caption 4 cap- A lonely bottle of toxic-colored shampoo tion 4 caption 4 sitting on a wooden plank is the highlight of our shopping experience. tion 5 caption 5 cap- tion 5 caption 5 cap- tion 5 caption 5 Dusty Sanctuary on the Silk Road caption 6 caption 6 caption Murghab’s dusty streets are now two days 6 caption 6 caption 6 cap- behind us. We are in the Pamir Mountains tion 6 caption 6 caption 6 proper, riding Tibet-like high plateaus and wide, remote valleys. Bolivia (now almost ccaption 7 caption 7 cap- four years behind us) was the last time tion 7 caption 7 caption 7 caption 7 caption 7 caption we’d ridden this high and felt so utterly separated from the rest of the world. The Chinese call this range the Congling Shan, or “Onion Mountains,” and we can see

March/april ‘12 77 Pamir Highway and Silk Road

Total Mileage Facts & Information Approximately 1,576 miles.

KAZAKHSTAN RUSSIA

Alma Ata UZBEKISTAN Bishkek Almaty Tashkent Kochkor-Ata KYRGYZSTAN

AZERBAIJAN Bukhara Samarkand Sary-Taşh TURKMENISTAN Kashi

Ashgabat TAJIKISTAN

Murghab

Khorog

Tehran Mashhad Kabul

Bakhtaran AFGHANISTAN IRAN INDIA Esfahan Islamabad

caption 9 caption 9 caption 9 caption 9 cap- Always consult more-detailed maps for touring purposes. tion 9 caption 9 caption 9 caption 9 KUWAIT NEPAL BAHRAIN In General eas. Especially if staying in private homes www.travel.state.gov/travel The Pamir Highway, or M41, runs through in villages, be prepared for no hot or run- • Information about travel to and in Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and ning water and primitive (squat) toilets. The Tajikistan: www.tajiktourism.com caption 8 caption 8 caption 8 caption 8 caption 8 caption 8 caption 8 caption 8 Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia. It is the only staple diet in the mountains is Pamiri tea • For general information on continuous route through the mountains, (sheer-chai), coffee, vodka, and yak milk Central Asia: www.asia- why. We are not riding a single mountain for Kulyab. Where the Gunt River meets the ing the gun when I’d passed him. Catching ascending to 15,270 feet as it summits with meals usually consisting of rice, eggs, travel-discoveries.com range but rather a labyrinth of layers of dif- Panj River, we detour north for 40 miles be- him off guard, I shake his hand proudly, Ak-Baital Pass, the second-highest inter- mutton, and, if you’re lucky, freshly made fering ranges, each larger than the next. fore again heading west at Rushan. The tar stating, “I am a policeman in the U.K., we national highway in the world. Russian warm bread called non with yak butter. Books & Maps By midafternoon we’re racing across the comes and goes whimsically, and for the are brothers.” I continue, “I have GPS,” and is still widely used and understood, but Most villages on the Pamir Highway have • Central Asia Nelles map, Nelles Ver- Alichur plain ahead of a snowstorm that most part we are up on the pegs. tap the screen firmly, flicking through the the Tajik people speak Tajik, a dialect of homestays. Built in the traditional Pamiri lag, ISBN 978-3865742117, $11.95 has pushed in from the south. A wall of functions and quickly finding the calculator Persian. The majority of this area is over style—constructed of wood, with five pil- • Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, freezing air and heavy snow threatens to To our left the Panj River flows fast and feature and punch in the numbers 6 and 3. 13,000 feet, so take time to acclimatize to lars, a sky light, and richly decorated with Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan map, catch us before our route takes a westerly full, swollen from the first of winter’s heavy With a half-smile I show my antagonist that the high altitude. The currency of Tajikistan carpets—they provide great hospitality GiziMap, ISBN 978-9630083157, course. snow. On the westerly bank lies Afghani- my GPS told me I was only doing 63 when I is the somoni (som). U.S. dollars are easily and simple but delicious meals. Prices available used and new online stan and dozens of tiny settlements that passed him. Suitably impressed, the officer exchanged in banks and exchange offices. range from $5 (no food) to $12 per person • Lonely Planet Central Asia, 5th edi- As the afternoon disappears, we summit the cling impossibly to mountainsides. Local agrees and the fine disappears. I still can’t Most transactions in the Pamirs will be in per night including dinner and breakfast. tion, ISBN 978-1741791488, $32.99 Koi-Tezek Pass at 14,097 feet and are pain- Afghans wave to us as we pass. Dozens believe it worked! cash. • The Silk Roads: A Route & Plan- fully aware at just how cold we’ve become. of dark painted signs come and go, each Roads & Biking ning Guide, 3rd edition by Paul Our concentration wanders and wanes as marked with a skull and bones to denote We sit quietly in the chill of early morning Visas Distance is deceiving: Allow a minimum of Wilson, Trailblazer Publications, our blood centralizes in our cores to pro- a heavily mined area. In Dushanbe we set on the steps of the magnificent Registan in U.S. citizens require a valid passport and five days to drive from Osh to Dushanbe. ISBN 978-1905864324, $24.95 tect important organs. about collecting our Iranian and Turkmeni- the heart of the ancient city of Samarkand. visa, which must be obtained in advance. The road is partially paved but is mostly stan visas, a process that takes us two full It is slowly sinking in that we are living this A GBAO permit is required for travel to the unpaved and heavily damaged in places Motorcycles & Gear On the western side of Khorog, we fill our weeks. adventure halfway along the Silk Route Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast by erosion, earthquakes, and landslides. BMW R 1150 GS Adven- bikes to the brim with fuel. Reaching Du- between China and the west, following in area of the Pamirs. This must be specifi- In spring and early summer, there are risks ture and BMW F 650 GS shanbe from our current location in a day is Police and GPS Games the footsteps of Marco Polo. Slurping down cally requested in your application. These of roads being blocked by mudslides. In Luggage Systems: Touratech Zega a tall order. By midmorning our definition Into Uzbekistan and on the outskirts of Sa- mouthfuls of fresh pomegranate juice, we areas are: Khorog, Murghab, Darwaz, Ish- winter, the high passes are closed by snow. Jacket and Pants: BMW Trailguard of what we thought of as mountains is be- markand, I’m waved to the side of the road can only imagine what the road ahead has kashim, Vanj, Rushan. This permit will be The best time to travel is July to October. Helmets: BMW System 5 ing rewritten. We slow our pace, as much by a traffic cop who is fumbling with the in store. RR checked at checkpoints on the road and in Boots: MX boots, because of the onslaught of twisting blind buttons of a speed gun. He is doing his best Khorog and Murghab. Contact Information Alpinestars Tech 6 Printable maps, along with the digital version • Up to date information on visa and Gaerne SG10 bends as for the sheer majesty of the coun- to convince me I was traveling 93 km per of each issue are included free during all paid try around us. We have been skirting the hour in a 70 zone, demanding I pay $50 for subscription periods. To access these benefits, Food & Lodging requirements and travel advice Afghanistan border for two days en route an instant fine. He’d not even been hold- visit us at www.roadrunner.travel. Sanitary conditions are basic in rural ar- at the U.S. State Department:

78 www.roadrunner.travel January/February ‘12 79