Second Marriage Proposal

My second marriage proposal in Tajikistan. Actually, it was Afghanistan! I am cycling along the Panj River while wearing headphones and listening to my favourite music at loud volume. In the background, I hear a shouting sound that doesn’t belong to the song. I glance at the mountains on the Tajik side to the left … Read more

A Night In A Kyrgyz Yurt

Cycling the Pamir Highway in Tajikistan as I descended from a 4000-meter pass, I spotted a Kyrgyz yurt on the right side of the road. Its colour and shape stood out in the barren landscape. I immediately pulled the brakes and asked a man getting out of the yurt if I could stay inside for … Read more

Tajikistan Independence Day

Part 3 of Tajikistan Independence Day on 9 September. Tajikistan was my favourite country on my bicycle trip from Germany to Pakistan in 2015. Its high plateau landscape, majestic mountains, and hospitable people gave me the most cherished moments of the entire trip. A year later, when I cycled South America, I discovered that Tajikistan’s … Read more

Marriage Proposal In Tajikistan

In Tajikistan, I almost tied knots with the lady in the background.   While cycling the Pamir Highway, I made a short stop in a lush valley to pick black mulberries from the trees. Nearby, a family was sitting on the ground having a meal. As I was tasting fresh mulberries, two women from the … Read more

Happy Birthday Tajikistan

Dear Tajikistan, Back in 2015, when I was cycling from Germany to Pakistan, you were the first country where I experienced pure wilderness. In your grand landscape, I felt so vulnerable. But, as I struggled to survive each day, you freed me from myself. In awe of your grandeur, I lost my ego. Your majesty … Read more

Arrived In Murghab

I’ve just reached Murghab in Tajikistan and achieved a big mile stone in my journey. I am going to stay here for at least two nights. Over the past three days I have been cycling in the Pamir plateau at about 4000m elevation, and have been rewarded with fantastic views. However it is bitterly cold … Read more

Away From Home I Feel at Home

Where I sit if you look up for this location (38°28’35″N, 70°57’56″E) on a map and draw a vertical line through it, in the south the line will cross a city named Layyah in Pakistan. Layyah is my home town, where I was born and spent two-third of my life. This is where my brothers … Read more

Bicycle Check In Tajikistan

Could this be the last bicycle check during the trip? Well I hope so! The wobbly rear wheel gets straightened yet one more time, after getting treatment in Mashhad, Bukhara, Samarkand, and now in Dushanbe. It is still not perfect but I think the mechanic tried his best for the 25-Tajik-Somoni-job. Now I hope the … Read more

7484 km in Dushanbe, Tajikistan

7484 km in Dushanbe, Tajikistan! This is the total number of kilometres I have cycled across 13 countries so far during the trip from Germany to Pakistan. In 2011, I cycled 4354 kilometres from Rostock, Germany to Sivas, Turkey. During the last two months, I’ve cycled over 3000 kilometres from Sivas to Dushanbe. I still … Read more

Greetings From Dushanbe

Greetings from Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Yesterday I cycled 105 kilometres from Denau to reach Dushanbe. Going through the Uzbekistan immigration was a pain in the arse. I was the only visitor at the check post and seemed the border authorities had nothing to do so they decided to kill some time by checking all my stuff. … Read more