Toughest ride of the trip: Bartang and back in Gorno Badakshan.

A little color in an otherwise rocky valley

 

 

Interior of home in Savnob

Graduation party filmmaking


















 The road and some peaks off Fedchenko Glacier












 Muddy river draining off some of the longest glaciers in the world














 The road to Khorog. 60km.









Toughest ride of the trip: Bartang and back in Gorno Badakshan.

After the quick trip over the Pamir highway and conference on the Pamirs, I decided it would be a good idea to try the Bartang Valley ride. A Polish couple did the 340 km in 11 days, and said the water was getting high. So I knew I was in for some water on the way. But in no way was I prepared for the river rocks, sand, and streams that made up the road from Rushan. I headed out with Daniel, a Hungarian cyclist, and camped near the road between Khorog and Dushanbe with plenty of trucks getting destroyed on the potholed gravel mix the Tajiks call a highway. Next day we road on to before Basid, and stayed at an old shepherds hut. The watermelon dinner I had at an English teachers house was splendid in the heat after a ride of 75 kms of sand and rock broken by a few trees and then a village every 15km.

The next day was a tougher ride on river rock and sand, up hills and down with brakes whining. A river crossing contemplated then a long detour over terrible track. 500 meters gained and lost to Savnob, an oasis that might survive a flood of lake Sarez. Only communication in the village is a radio beacon in case the earthen dam holding lake Sarez water in breaks and threatens 5 million lives. But everything is in order, plants growing green, self sufficient, except the village lost its local melon seeds a few years ago.
Next day. Near Pasor, after a tiring ride, decided to turn back. Too much water and more local knowledge meant unknown waist high river crossings and sand and 100km of no people save a few shepherds. Stayed with the same family in Savnob with a nice evening view of Peak Revolution and the surrounding Fedchenko glacier, the longest non polar glacier in the world. Had a 4 hr discussion with the village intellectual and his uncle.
Made it back to Dasht village where I had watermelon dinner earlier. For grades 10 and 11 (Russian education system goes to form 11) the children go to Siponj, so for graduation parties and longest day of the year combined it took a 4km walk. Under a full moon. Lots of dancing- no contact- and signing ensued, followed by an awesome sleep outside on the balcony.