It has been exactly one week since we left Dushanbe. After cycling two days through populated areas we had 5 days of cycling over passed, through gorges, and little villages in places that I could not imagine that people can survive. It is nice to finally arrive in Khorog which I thought we would reach earlier. It is basically the last city before we go to the east Pamirs, a very remote area of Tajikistan, and a welcome occasion to relax and give my back some more recovery time.
Wet morning
We were really lucky with the weather so far, but last night there was a lot of rain, which filled the holes in the streets with water and left a dramatic looking cloud cover over the valley. But against the weather forecast, there was only around 10 minutes of rain along the way and then the weather got better again.
Road to Khorog
Because the road to Khorog was in a fairly good condition, we made good progress today and reached Khorog after around 4 hours of cycling. The scenery was nice as usual and the last few kilometers before Khorog the valley opened up and we could spot the airport. Yes, there is a daily flight from Dushanbe to Khorog, in case of good weather, and it is said to be very scenic because the plane has to descend between the valleys to make it to the runway.
On the way we saw at several places the effects of international organizations that rebuilt mud dams, and sadly also removed land mines that are still very present in this areas due to the countless internal and external conflicts in this area. It is nice to see how the money however is used for useful projects.
Now I am looking forward to get some time off and organize the things I still need like my cell phone battery, more cash or extend my SIM card. And I heard that there is a nice market here, so I will probably get the chance to eat some fresh vegetables, which is always welcome in this area.
Detailed Track
Max elevation: 2201 m
Min elevation: 2013 m
Total climbing: 884 m
Total descent: -698 m
Total time: 06:36:29
