Wandering CrankWandering Crank

Biking the World one crank at a time

Uzbekistan

Khiva, Bukhara and a new crew

by Nathan Molyneaux on category , ,

Nukus was a great rest for a couple of days whilst I work out the plan for the rest of Uzbekistan.  The steppe had been tough and I wasn’t sure I wanted more of it.  It was also a chance to meet two other cyclists, Sebastian from France and Ollie from the UK.  Julia had decided to cycle every kilometre and this would mean having to leave after one day.  I was willing to take a train for a bit to avoid more steppe.  This meant we had to say goodbye and cooked a meal for our hosts Julian and Nora.

There is also the Svitsky art museum, which houses the largest collection of Soviet artworks.  Sveitsky saved many of these from destruction after the fall of the Soviet Union.  The museum is well planned out and you have time to appreciate the artwork; however, just be ready for the school children.  There are many groups and it did become noisy.

Read On

Subscribe to receive more straight to your inbox.

Remnants of the South Aral Sea

by Nathan Molyneaux on category , ,

Very quickly the road deteriorates into a bad mud track.  Even 4x4s have to slow right down.  We are enveloped in dust, rattled around by the endless potholes.  After about 10km of this we scoot across to an area where it looks like there is a road under construction, it was.  We even joined the workers for lunch in the shade of a vehicle.  They welcomed us and we shared our dates with them; always remember to bring a gift.  Despite the wind, against us again, we had an easy afternoon cruising along compacted gravel.

On looking for a place to camp out of the wind, we asked at the workers’ camp if we could pitch our tents next to a wall.  We were taken aback when they spoke fluent English.  Nilufar was the translator for the Chinese and International teams.  Nilufar spoke with the deputy engineer, Muhammad, for the project and we found ourselves whisked into the executive worker’s hut and given a room with a warm shower, functioning toilet, kitchen and even a gym!  Muhammed, from Pakistan, also offered to cook.

Read On

✕