#pamirs

With renewed strength I make it to the top of the last pass in the morning. From here on the road goes mostly downhill to Osh with temperatures rising; exactly what I need right now. Although Kyrgyzstan is beautiful my full focus is on reaching Osh, so I hardly stop for pictures, chats and children’s high fives anymore. Closed off with my earbuds in I kick away the miles to my destination.

On my final day of cycling it’s only 70 more k’s, the road is great and I’m feeling better. With the stress of time pressure slowly lifting I can’t help but celebrate early by singing along to some ancient Switchfoot albums at the top of my lungs, to great amusement of some locals.

It’s early afternoon when I finally roll into town under Osh’s giant victory arch, which seems fitting, especially after the last three days. What a relief to have made it, on my own and in time for my flight! Turning onto my hostel’s premises I’m reunited with Kineticnomads Robin and Ida as well as my old pal Andy; after making it out of the Wakhan on his own his bike broke down, and without repair options he found himself hitchhiking all the way to Osh. It’s great to see them all again, and to celebrate we go out for the first western food in weeks: beer and burgers.

As demanded by my airline I go looking for a carton box to transport my bike in, together with Andy. The hostel’s owner assures me they are easy to find, but after asking every single bicycle shop in Central Asia’s largest bazaar we still stand empty handed. So I decide to build one myself from used refrigerator packaging, and with some help of a fellow cyclist I construct a box built like a Russian tank. To prove it I proudly climb on top, as Ida snaps a pic with her phone. Receiving the shot from her, back home, I’m harshly confronted with the toll the Pamirs have taken on my emaciated body. Not bringing a mirror has its clear advantages...

Although skin and bones might make for cool stories, it’s good to put things into some perspective: I’m pretty convinced that anyone in decent shape with a healthy dose of determination and taste for raw adventure can cycle the Pamir Highway -as have hundreds of cyclists before me. And everyone will face challenges of their own along the way. I’ve been somewhat unlucky by getting properly sick twice. Being bedridden for days, unable to eat or communicate, and the complete absence of a safety net has brought me to the edge of what I can endure. And although that’s exactly what I came for in a way, the process of being stretched beyond one’s comfort zone is hardly ever pleasant. But to place yourself in a position where you are exposed to the ‘elements’ feels incredibly liberating and can redefine your playing field. Ending on the pretentious note you knew was coming, I think this adversity has given the trip a deeper dimension, for which I’m weirdly grateful.

This has truly been an unforgettable experience; an adventure worthy of bringing a decade to a close. And it makes me all the more curious to see what the next one holds.

One of the great things about travelling solo is a personal openness that I experience, to changing environments and people. To look for the unexpected and engage in it; something often lost when travelling with a partner, removing that necessity to have the tide bring you places.

Being on the road by oneself for an extended period of time, is where this fundamental human desire to connect in some way, flourishes. Among its fruit are the many great encounters I’ve had with people along the way.

One of them is during diner in my hostel at Lake Karakul. Whilst outside a snowstorm is raging, the dining room is toasty and the food abundant. Here I meet Roman and Sandra, an Austrian couple living in Thailand. Roman is an avid analogue black&white photographer, and has brought an old medium format Hasselblad with him. Fascinated by this timeless piece of kit we get talking and he is kind enough to spend some of the frames he has left for this trip on me, the next morning.

Dawn is the incarnation of ‘calm after the storm’, with beautiful skies and the mountains draped in a pristine mantle of white. It must be a combination of the high altitude and low humidity that has an amazing effect on the light up here, giving extraordinary intensity to the snowy peaks and clouds. Great day for a shoot!