Above and Below in Kyrgyzstan

Like the historical silk roads of antiquity, the Silk Route expedition has taken many different paths through each edition of the tour. This year’s route has taken us through Mongolia, Russia, and Kazakhstan for a different perspective from the conventional route through China on previous tours. We are now in Kyrgyzstan, where we rejoin the course of previous editions of the Silk Route. However, before we make the transition on to the well trodden (or ridden) path of former tours, we have explored a new route that showcases more of the stunning Kyrgyz Republic. From the flat steppes of Kazakhstan, we are now amongst huge mountains and valleys with spectacular views. Gravel climbs and descents, flanked by lakes and rivers, with small villages and communities dotted along the route. Kyrgyzstan has really been a kaleidoscope of geology and geography. On many occasions arid dry foothills are foregrounded against green tree lined and snow peaked mountains. The contrast of warm and cold colours creates dramatic imagery which is really unique to this region.

With this amazing landscape in mind, myself and tour leader Andreas managed to persuade TDA owner, Henry, to purchase a drone to capture some aerial footage. I for one have had no experience with such devices, and Andreas not much himself either. Nevertheless we departed a large shopping centre in Almaty with an expensive and fragile flying camera in hand. Now that we had the drone, we had to A) not crash it immediately and B) get some amazing footage to justify buying it. Fortunately we can so far report no crashes or mishaps, and that we have also captured some amazing footage from Kyrgyzstan which will hopefully be shared soon. Whilst many riders refer to the drone as our ‘new toy’, in reality it isn’t much fun to fly. Whenever the drone is airborne, the stress of crashing it or not being in position for the perfect footage makes flying a very stressful experience. I’m sure in time we will become more accustomed to the technical skills of this awesome piece of technology. We look forward to some more footage through the Pamir Highway section and onwards throughout this journey, to give a new perspective on the Silk Route tour.

As we skirt the border of Uzbekistan (we still have Tajikistan to conquer first!) in the rest day town of Osh, the culture has slowly become more Islamic. Most notably in the number of Mosques, people’s dress, and of course the unmistakable call to prayer. More of which we are sure to hear in the second half of this epic journey. Riders have been challenged by tough days of climbing on gravel in Kyrgyzstan, which only serves as a preamble to the mighty Pamir Highway section that awaits them on the road to Dushanbe. Kyrgyzstan has really been a spectacular country to travel and cycle through with countless jaw-dropping views and fantastic campsites. With some luck we will have more unique footage from this remote and untouched landscape, as the 2016 Silk Route approaches the ‘roof of the world’.