The Long Way Around

We arrived in Kazarman on a beautiful sunny afternoon after riding through some spectacular countryside - rolling hills where cows and sheep grazed against the backdrop of tall snow-capped mountains and through steep twisty canyons, then cruising along the Naryn River, past homes where women wash clothing and carpets outside, children play in the yard and herders drive their livestock along the roadsides. It was a wonderful day on the bikes, made even more enjoyable by the fact that we looked forward to a homestay in Kazarman, sleeping in a bed and enjoying a warm-water wash.

Our homestay in Kazarman was everything we'd hoped for. While not as special as the night we were invited to stay as guests in Emil's home (as this was a paid for service), we still got to wash up and enjoy the comfort of soft beds and heavy quilts and a breakfast of bread, jam, cream of wheat and tea.

The woman who owned the home where we stayed warned us that the pass that we hoped to cross to Jalalabad had been closed a couple days before because of snow. In the fall, tractors clear the road after the first few snowfalls until too much piles up and they can no longer get through, then the pass closes for the winter. When we woke up the next morning to stormy weather (rain in the valley, but snow on the pass), we knew there was no sense riding that way and so we took a real rest day and spent the afternoon knitting and playing cards. The next morning, we asked about taking a taxi over the pass to Jalalabad. It sounded hopeful for a while, but in the end, the drivers decided that the road was most likely closed (though they would happily take us for a look for $50). Not wanted to waste more time or money that necessary, we decided to bite the bullet and take the long way around....

Despite being only 200km from Jalalabad, we had to drive 1250km to get there! We figure that's sort of like driving to Grande Prairie via Prince George and Jasper. It was a hectic and expensive couple days but we made it in one piece and once again have reaffirmed why we prefer to bike that drive in developing countries (I think my knuckles are still white!).

Unfortunately, not all our our gear made it with us. In keeping with the what-can-go-wrong-will theme of this trip, somehow in the mad rush of unloading in Jalalabad, one of my bags didn't make it out of the taxi (I'm saying it all generally because I honestly don't know if it was intentional or not). Anyway, in this bag was about $700 of outdoor gear including my down jacket and goretex and our water purifyer. Ouch. Most of it (aside from some sentimental items) will be replacable here in Osh before we head into Tajikistan and the Pamir Mountains. Although it's a tough one to swallow, the show will go on!

Christine