Travellive 5 - 2018

In return, we were rewarded
with the most magnificent and
breathtakingly beautiful scenes.
Every stop was more beautiful
than the previous with gentle
rivers and majestic mountains
twisting in exotic shapes all
about. Every morning we woke
up to a magical setting, and
were overjoyed with a profound
gratitude for life. It felt incredible
to be in harmony with nature and
we were awash with a deep sense
of inner peace. We went on and
hardly met anyone along our trail.
All that was left behind was our
bike tracks.
CAMPING ON THE ROOF
OF THE WORLD
We decided to take a detour to
visit Bulunkul, a remote village
in the Pamirs. We were taken by
surprise with the stunning scenery
of blue sky, red mountains, and
golden sand. However, the village
was a disappointment. Almost
everyone we met was in a state
of drunkeness, and the children
seemed bored. We turned down
the offer to stay at one of the
locals' homestays, and decided
to camp among nature instead,
even if we had to sweat a few liters
more and burned a few thousand
more calories before finding a
good spot.
We made it to Murgab totally
exhausted but full of pride. We
found a place to stay at the Pamir
Hotel, a godsend for tired cyclists
who wanted nothing more than
a soft bed, hot bath, and a real
kitchen. We spent two days here
to rest, relax, and drink a few cold
beers before heading for our final
leg of the journey - conquering
the Ak-Baital Pass, the highest
point of the M41 highway at 4,655
m height which was more than a
day away.
After getting to the top, we came
back down and the trail was just
as challenging as the way up, if
not more dangerous with bumpy
ground and winding paths. At the
end of our journey, we all walked
around with limp legs and our
bikes were absolutely worn out.
When we arrived at the Karakul
Lake what opened before our eyes
was amazing scenery with blue
water, clear sky, and white clouds
against the backdrop of snowcovered
mountains. We had lunch
at a local's house in the village
114
TRAVELLIVE