Singing people (Kyrgigizstan)

Last 31st of December I was leaving Damasco, in Syria, when a little girl came to me. Angelina was not on her bike then. She was travelling with her partner, Stefano, from Lugano (Switzerland). Angelina is French. I met Stefano one year later on in Bishkek.

Toto is a singular guy from Quebec. He travels 6 months a year, by bike, foot or canoe. Toto is now travelling with his friend Patrick. I met them in Bishek. Toto would wake up every morning with a cry of happiness and a smile for the new day.
I met Stephano in Bishkek. We were waiting for our visas for India. Stephano also has clean and deep eyes, those looks that get directly to your heart. He keeps on telling me to convince Angelina to cycle Africa. They have been travelling for many months and need a rest to refresh their eyes for their trip. Fortunately I have not felt that need yet, I am still longing for new experiences, like on my first day. They are so positive people that my days in Bishkek, as slow as a goods train, have passed by really fast.
I have to extend my visa in Naryn and try to get to Kashgar by the end of September. Too much red paper, they keep you waiting and waiting at counters and office desks.
On Thursday I will be getting the parcel with the spare parts sent by Bike Tech. On Friday I will get the visa for India. I have a problem with the visa for Pakistan. The only crossing point between China and Pakistan is Kunjerab pass, at more than 4000m high. They try to keep it open as long as possible but in winter it snows too much and they have to close it already in November, or maybe October. So, I have to reach Kashgar asap, before the end of September. Then, I will have to cycle along Karakorum High way (KKH), at very high altitude.
Finally, as for my shows, after trying and trying, a representative of UNICEF has contacted me. At 14.00 I have an interview with the local representative.
My mood improves when I listen to my friends on the other side of the phone. After the failures of Thuraya dealer in Spain, my phone got blocked for a long while. Watch out for small letters at the end of the contracts, so small that they are not included in the mails. My friend, Imprevistos, has helped me out. His call and his promise to visit me in India (with Sole by his side) have provoked The Greatest (of my smiles).
On the way, with the highest percentage of miniskirts surrounding me per square metre in the whole Central Asia, day 1376, Peace and Well Being, the Biciclown.

Some reasons for apathy (Kyrgigizstan)

It is more difficult to find internet connection in Kyrgigistan than in many African countries. It is very difficult to find certain goods: milk, olive oil and fresh bread or smiles. Nobody knows when it was the last time the Kyrgyz smiled. Some say it was during the Soviet Union age: a single and united country. What do humble men feel when they see the city of Tiblisi being rooted? War in Georgia is another reason to pack your suitcase and travel the World.

Vodka is easily found in Kyrgigistan. One litre bottle less than one euro.
There are huge shops offering a small variety of products, most of them sell just the same products. Vodka being the king on the shelves. You can find up to 15 vodka brands, five of beers and one of biscuits. No matter if you can speak some Russian, locals here do not like talking much. They look at me with a certain degree of apathy, as if they did not like me going into the shops and asking for the price of a kilo of tomatoes.
They have dry eyes and an empty look.
I never thought the accident I had in Turkey was going to have such bad consequences in Kogadonga. I have made some changes and still it seems to go wrong. I am waiting for the spare parts to be sent by Bike Tech. 85 kilos of weight seem to be too much for a bent frame. Mi mood is longing for the African time when smiling and nice people used to be present in my visits to the local markets.

But I am making headway, little by little, towards Bishkek, the capital, where I hope to get Kogadonga into a good shape to climb Issik Kul, the second highest lake worldwide after Titicaca in Bolivia. It has thermal waters, never icy. I will try Kumys again (cow fermented milk) and share the place under the stars with the local shepherds. They go up there in summer to enjoy the so called Paradise.
As Rosales would say, I make headway like a stubborn ant carrying the load upwards, with the caution of a paper horse in the bathroom. Three steps forward and two backwards.
From Bishekek, day 1372, Peace and Well Being, the Biciclown.


P.S Congratulations to Samuel Sánchez for the gold medal, I wish him the best and that he continues joining the group of friends, the same as he joined me when I left my town in November 2004. But he still has to fulfil the promise he made me then: to put on a clown nose when he wins a race. China would have been great.

Fifty thousand (Uzbekistan)

Uzbekistans capital seems to be asleep in July. Too high temperatures, always above 40 degrees. Taschkent has many high roads and few cars. Some streets are well paved. The day I got here my intention was to rest. But Tanya, the angel hostingg us, did not think the same. She took the day off to cycle the city. More than 40 km altogether. Andie and Salva enjoyed it.

The three of us got here together bearing the heat. Because of the problems resulting from Russian domination, the road from Samarkanda to Taschkent was partly awarded to Uzbekistan and partly to Kazahastan. As we had not a visa we had to take an alternative route to reach Taschkent.
A great city with a free of charge swimming pool: a lake, to refresh. People go there for a swim, to play chess or just to drink beers. Not many women though. Make up has done away with their smiles, though they are really pretty.
Embassies opened on Friday again, we went for it. We had to wake up at 5.30 to reach the one of Kyrgyzstan by 7. We had to make the Chinese believe that we were flying there, so we had our flight tickets with us and hotel bookings. We paid 80 USD and got the visas to enter the great Chinese giant..
As for Kirguizistan, it takes longer, but for 55USD you can ensure a whole month of mountains, lakes and yoghurt. If you pay more you can get the visa on the same day, but we were not in a hurry. We went with Tania and her friend to the mountains for the weekend, it was great, at 1500m of height
The spare parts for Kogadonga have arrived although they opened the bok at the airport, in Moscow, and something was missing. I hope to go back to cycling on Thursday, with Andie (the Austrian guy) as Salva wants to fly ?alone? again, we will probably meet in India next year. We hope to reach Tibet by the end of September, then, Nepal in December and towards India, depending on the snow conditions. Thanks to a contact I made in Nairobi I hope to do one of my shows there, I cannot wait.
And... I have reached FIFTY THOUSAND KM. To reach 100,000 I will have to wait another three years. thanks to Toursa, Oviedo, and Bike Tech for the last parcel with spare parts.
From the capital, day 1352 and 50000km by bike, Peace and Well Beingg, the Biciclown.

Among Cotton (Uzbekistan)

The border between Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan closes for lunch. They put a lock and officials go for lunch and siesta. I decided to go to the river for a swim and a wash. To enter Uzbekistan you have to do a medical check up in a 3 by 3m room, a doctor (I think) is having a nap.

On the table there are three glass bottles with non sterilized pads. He writes down my personal data on a book and he asks me, I think, for my sexual health. To tell him I have not been practising much lately, I bend my finger. The man thinks I have problems with my saddle. Some minutes spent to clarify the misunderstanding. Then I realize that either I stretch my finger or I will spend the whole day there.
The policeman gives me some papers, in Russian, to fill in. He gives me info little by little, I understand nothing. But it seems his salary does not cover clarifications. I have to fill in two forms, there is no copying machine in this country.

This country is famous for cotton monoculture, with many irrigation channels built during the Soviet times and which resulted in a dry Aral Sea. Silk is also important and Bukhara and Samarkanda are the two main cities linked to silk.

Both cities have beautiful buildings built hundreds of years ago and that have survived to many earthquakes.
Registan outstands in Samarkanda, a group of buildings in a square, the so-called Madrasas. Not even Jenghiz Khan demolished them. If you bribe a policeman, for a couple of euros you can get to the top of the towers. At night there is a light and sound show. With a beer, and for just a dollar, it does not look that bad.
Bukhara is quieter and less touristic than Samarkanda. In the middle of the square there is a swimming pool where carts used to get to back in 1620. Right now there are cafes for tourists, but the main tower built in 1127 has not opened a restaurant at the top, not yet. When it was built it was the highest building in Central Asia: 47m high and 10m deep. For 900 years it has not needed any renovation work. When I get to Tashkent I will get the parcel with spare parts for Koga. I will then play my cards to get the visas, with a fake hotel and flight booking, China seems to be the best option. Then, Tibet will be risky: you have to have many guts to cross it in
winter. But I have already learnt to live with challenges, even to need them.

On my way, day 1346, Peace and Well Being, the Biciclown.

Against the clock (Turkmenistan)

A Turkish, son of his mother, ran over me on a road. A broken pannier and some torn bags. I tried to repair it but it torn again. I welded
it before arriving in Mashhad. The day I was leaving the town I had another
accident. I was not injured but Kogadonga was. Again the back pannier broken and some other things.

The bike is strong because at 60 km per hour it would have been more damaged. I spent my last night in Iran looking for some light to repair my bike, no food at all, I had to repair the bike before starting my race to Turkemenistan, alone 500 km of desert. By10.30 pm I had repaired most of the damaged and asked at a hospital for a shower. Clean life looks different.
Turkmenistan was waiting for me, more than 50 C and some irrigation channels set up during Sovietic age and creating the cotton monoculture resulting in the disaster of the Aral Sea. Thanks to my filter I could drink some water, drinking, even if it just a beer, alone is as sad as watching a movie in an empty movie theater. So, I decided to wait to meet again Andi and Salva in Bukhara (Uzbekistan) where we
would toast to Sabine, the Swiss cyclist run over in Iran, to Homeini, the desert and our own health. Health is important.
Another mistake by Satlink, has not allowed me to listen to the messages left my friends on my birthday. But I have read them on the forum, thanks a lot and I do hope your dreams also come true. Thanks a lot for being there.
Now I am negotiating with Toursa from Oviedo to get the parcel sent by Bike Tech to repair the bike and move on, next to Samarkanda and then Taskhent, Uzbeka's capital. I will have to sit down and see to the next plans and the winter and the visas to get: Kyrgikistan, Kazahastan, China, Tibet, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Afganistan,
Tajikistan, Kyrgikistan, Kazahastan, Rusia, Mongolia (summer2009), is an option.
Kyrgikistan, Tajikistan, Afganistan, Pakistan, India, is another.
And well, who knows , plans I make and then remake because of a drunk driver or a beautiful Asian face that makes me feel butterflies in my stomach again.
From Bukhara, Uzbekistan, day 1341 Peace and Well Being, the biciclown

This desert needs a Nubio (06/07/2008)

As wind increases, hospitality decreases. In the North it was incredible: impossible to step in a supermarket without getting thousand offers, to sleep, to eat.... On the route 44, silk route linking Tehran and Mashad, things are different . And it is funny because it is an arid and dry area and hospitality could be the asset. But the North of Sudan was worse, just sand and no lanes, total uncertainty and sophocating heat nearly 55 C (At least in July).Here in Iran it only gets to 50 C. But in Sudan people were really nice and hospitable, and made all the trip worthwhile. That is something I miss now.

Maybe in the past things were different, when there were no cars but just carts pulled by camels and people sharing stories and pieces of advice. Currently, cars go too fast, they do not even stop to fill up the tank. They sound their horns as crazy. You have to stick within the white line, otherwise... hit by the wind and the trucks passing by, they play with you as if you were just a tiny stone inside a balloon.
Days pass by without much excitement. At midday I have to stop for 4 hours till the heat comes down, we have eaten for less than 2 euros (rice with some meat or meat with some rice). A place to sleep in the desert and exposed to the wind? A diffficult task. Rice comes with lots of sand and hours of non sleep. I think we have become older, the sun effect. Mashhad seems older. Sabine will not get to Mashhad. We had planned to meet her and Andi in this city, to cross Turkmenistan and to toast with some beer after some months of ?no alcohol? in this country. Sabine and Andy left on Sunday towards Tehran, she had recovered from an accident, a car had run over her. But just as she was leaving Tehran another driver hit her from the back, some teeth broken, the nose injured and some bones on the face fractured. Sabine had planned to reach Malasia. Now she will have to go to Switzerland after surgery in Tehran.
In the section with videos you can see one when I met Sabine . In the section Links, Travellers, there is a link to her website. I leave here Andi?s mail. (Andreas.Griessner@uibk.ac.at) in case you do not speak English, I leave here a message in case you want to send it to give them your support, the only thing we can do after a car has spoiled her dreams.
Hi Andi and Sabine
I am friend of Alvaro, the biciclown. He told us about the accident and we are very sorry. Hope Sabine will be soon ok and she can ride again on the bicycle.
Please say hello to her and we wish all the best for you and Sabine

Salva and myself will arrive in Mashhad in July 8th. I have to get some new equipment, the new back pannier that Bike Tech and Toursa have sent me to Mashhad. The 7th of July I will play my silver San Fermin, a gift by my friend Portu in Amman (Jordania) last Christmas. Ten days after San Fermin, 17th of July, I will become 41!!!. Any age is good and welcome as long as I am fulfilling my dreams, and I am.
From the silk route, day 1325, Peace and Well Being, the biciclown.
Congratulations to the people from Pamplona, today the BEST PARTY WORLDWIDE STARTS, VIVA SAN FERMIN (this year without Portu).

Not to get STAN!( Iran 22-06-2008)

I spent my last morning in Teheran in a taxi looking for Uzbekistan Embassy. Two hours looking for a building, hidden, until I found it. My first visa from a Stan. The Stan are the five countries of the Old Soviet Union in Central Asia, I will cycle through: Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kiryiguistan and Kazahastan.

To get a visa you need to know the city well and to know when exactly you want to enter that country. If you make a mistake you get stuck. If China does not let me in I will have to go round Russia or find another way round. It seems that after Olympics China will start giving visas in October. At that time I hope to be cycling to Tibet, Nepal and India. In December I will be in India.
Not much to do in Teheran, so I went to Isfahan. It is in the south and on the way of the Silk Route, with one of the most beautiful squares in the world leading to Jame Mosque. The biggest and most misterious mosque of tthe Muslim world. At night, families gather around the square, with their gas cookers, blankets, sweets and ice creams. The moon shines from one of the corners off the square, the only lady that shows her face in whole Iran. In Isfahan I met again Daisuke in Isfahan, he is the Japonese guy who has been cycling the planet for ten years. I wrote an article about him for Bike a Fondo. See article
I also met Salva, a guy from Granda, I will cycle much of the Silk Route with him.
Shiraz has another hidden beauty: the city called Persepolis. Dario started to build it but did not know that his son would finish it. It used to take longer to do things because people wanted to do it well. For just half a dollar you can see the beauty. There is little foreign tourism and locals prefer to take pictures off me.
Bargaining is important at the local markets. Nice ice creams and sweets all around, until sunsetting. Prices have gone up lots in the last year and you cannot buy much for 3 dollars. Backpackers are not here yet so there aren?t many cheapy hotels in the country of Homeini.
On Monday I will go back to the visa business, Turkmenistan, Tuesday to rest, Wednesday Tayikistán, and so days pass by in one of the most overwhelming areas in the world: the Pamir highway.