Wandering CrankWandering Crank

Biking the World one crank at a time

Wild Camping

The grandfathers of pilgrimage

by Nathan Molyneaux on category ,

Hosted in Zhanaozen

Zhanaozen is a small but pleasant city for a rest, and our hosts Zhanibek and Aliya were excellent at showing us the highlights and introducing us to the food and culture of Kazakhstan.  They had made the national dish of Beshbarmak, lasagne sheets with horse meat, fried onions and some choice beef cuts.  It was tasty and a lovely surprise.  It was my first time eating horse meat and it reminded me of a good beef cut, maybe a little tougher.

After the meal they took us around the town at night to view the highlights; however, we also noted how many of the children were still out and playing so late at night.  We later found out that Kazakhstan has a shift system for schools.  Children might go to school in the morning, afternoon or evening.  An issue caused by too few teachers and a quickly expanding population.

Read On

Kutaisi, Aktau and the road to Zhanaozen

by Nathan Molyneaux on category ,

The journey to Kutaisi was not the most enjoyable.  It was a main road full of cars and trucks but lots of places to stop and grab a coffee, or a bite to eat and have a quick chat with the locals.  Kutaisi was a busy city.  I was spending three nights there, the first in a hostel and the other two hosted by Paul from the US, an English teacher at the university.  I discussed the problem of getting bike boxes and he mentioned other guests who had the same problem.  The bike stores were all out.  A solution was to visit the appliance stores and hope they had one.  Eventually, I found one that did. A fridge freezer box.

In the evening we met with a couple of Paul’s friends to play Scrabble.  It was disastrous for me; Scrabble is not a game for me.  Not enough strategy.  It was a fun evening all the same.  My last day was used creating a box for the bike and trying to stay within the baggage limits.  I failed! 

Read On

Subscribe to receive more straight to your inbox.

The restart and Shromantic Gardens

by Nathan Molyneaux on category , ,

Getting off the sofa in the first place is quite often the hardest part of an adventure, but doing it again knowing it will be cold and wet makes me regret pausing my journey!  Although being at home with parents all day pushes you out the door.  But I did start again and am happy that I did.  Why did I stop?

After a quick flight to Istanbul with the bike and a new saddle, hopefully less pain this time, I found myself a quick hotel for the night.  The next day, knowing crossing the mountains would be very cold in March I decided for a coach over to Trabzon.

Read On

Lessons learnt… so far

by Nathan Molyneaux on category , ,

I’m preparing for the next stage through Central Asia and am currently in Aktau, Kazakhstan.  A place I am already falling in love with.

But first, during my winter break, I had time to reflect on several months of travel.  This, in turn, has led to what I would do differently.  This is not an exhaustive list of things I would do differently but, three areas I wish I had considered more carefully before.

Bike and kit, making decisions and getting advice

A bike fitting is very useful

Whilst I had researched what I wanted to take carefully, I was poor at making decisions in time before leaving.  I had wanted to change my tent (it was on the heavy side) but, after looking at all the options I left it too late to order it in time.  I eventually changed my tent in Switzerland, not the cheapest country to buy a new tent!  They did, however, have it in stock.  Lesson learnt…be more decisive!

Read On

Cappadocia and tough decisions

by Nathan Molyneaux on category ,

Just after pitching my tent, a German couple, Uber and Nelly, show up in their 4×4.  It’s on its first test run before a bigger trip planned when they retire.  It’s an impressive build and I am slightly jealous.  Although I do love my bike (just not the seat), I always admire other people’s methods of slow travel.  They offer me a beer whilst I cook and eat dinner, tomatoes, beans, tuna, chilli and bread – an eclectic mix.  We chat into the evening and the different vehicles he has used to travel around the World. We also talk about his wild camping in Africa, with the lions joining him!  The temperature drops but before retiring to bed we notice the sunset behind Uchisar castle and the stars coming out!

Balloons, balloons, balloons everywhere.

With the alarm set for just before sunrise (about 6 am these days) I awaken to the sounds of roars.  Thinking I am late and about to miss them, I dress quickly and dive out only to find the roaring carries across the valley.  I still had to wait about 45 minutes before they were airborne.  They start to get airborne and head toward me; I’m in the perfect spot.  The skill of the pilots is something to admire.  They drop into the valley travelling just metres from the ground and valley edge. Rising just in time to avoid a collision at the end.  I later find out it can cost €200 for a ride in one, €400 if the day before was cancelled.  I’m just glad I am scared of heights and will never go up in one!

Read On

✕