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Driving a Tacoma around the world

Discussion in '3rd Gen. Tacomas (2016-2023)' started by Round the world, Jan 4, 2019.

  1. Sep 4, 2024 at 6:33 AM
    #1641
    Round the world

    Round the world [OP] Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 4, 2019
    Member:
    #278143
    Messages:
    1,733
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Andy
    Home's our Tacoma
    Vehicle:
    2019 Tacoma AC LB TRD Sport MT
    flatbed with 4WC Fleet with extensive mods
    Georgia

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    Mountain camp, Stepantsminda

    Georgia was a fascinating and easy place to travel. You could feel the unique blend of historic influences from past occupations by the Persian, Turkish and Russian empires alongside European culture. The country had stunning dramatic mountains in the north, the charming and cosmopolitan capital of Tblisi, and a lush wine region in the south (Dawn was happy). The hiking and wild camping was spectacular, and the cultural sites intriguing, many stemming from early Christianity. The people are independent, maybe a little bit gruff, but once you got under their outer skin, a delight to talk to.

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    Our nearly 2000 km route through Georgia

    We entered Georgia after a slightly stressful rush across Turkey - long driving days without much of a break because we had to get the truck out before it ran out of time and could possibly get impounded. All this to say, we were happy to enter Georgia and crash in a seaside hotel in Batumi.

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    Our first night in Georgia, long border crossing from Turkey so we landed in a sweet hotel in Batumi - luxury. (But free for us on credit card points)

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    Public art on the promenade in Batumi

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    Beautiful architecture in the old town square of Batumi. It was hot so Andy took the opportunity to stroll into the fountain.

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    Beautiful old facades in Batumi

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    The Georgian language was a complete mystery to us - we have never seen anything like it. Google Translate was not at its best here.

    After our relaxing hotel night it was time to camp again, we worked our way up the coast to a paid campground (our first in a very long time!). We had lots of company with Russian tourists beating the heat.

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    Warm welcome at a campground north of Batumi - just us and mostly holiday makers from Russia

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    This would be the alternate universe Instagram photo that makes it look like we are alone.

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    Adding our Georgia sticker to our chaotic sticker wall - 78th country in the truck! But who is counting . . .

    Our first foray into the Georgian mountains was heading north into the Svaneti region anchored by the village of Mestia. The roads were rough but doable - we stuck to the often broken and potholed pavement rather than venturing onto the rugged 4x4 routes.

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    Driving along the beautiful river gorge on the way to the Svaneti region

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    Pealed off on a brushy lane to what we hoped would be a great wild camping spot

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    It was! Amazing grassy field with mountain views, the only visitors were a few horses

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    With the bonus of a nearby hike to Georgia's tallest waterfall

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    Hiking along the glacial melt river

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    Crossing the sketchy bridge

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    Taking in the snow capped mountains

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    Shudgra Waterfall - biggest in Georgia, maybe not as big as some of the Icelandic ones, but idyllic and private

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    Another beautiful Svaneti wild camp - this one on the way to a glacier hike

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    Another sketchy bridge! (consequences on this one a little more drastic with gaping holes down to a serious fall but we made it)

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    Chaladi Glacier - worth the hike!

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    Village of Mestia - with its ancient watchtowers still standing

    One thing we quickly learned about driving in Georgia is that domestic animals completely owned the roads. Cows, horses, sheep and pigs used the roads alongside traffic. Respect for vehicles was non existent.

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    Cows glaring balefully at us as we dared to want to cross their bridge

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    Don't even think of trying to disturb the napping pig

    Having successfully navigated the farm animal obstacle course with no casualties, we came down from the mountains for our first major cultural site visit in Georgia - and probably our favorite-Vardzia, a cave monastery and city carved out of the cliffs in the 12th century. The site was also built during the reign of Georgia’s famous King Tamar - one of the most powerful monarchs in the country and also a woman (the word “king” in Georgian is not gender based) She governed over the most extensive territory that Georgia ever held, uniting principalities and developing a national identity based in Christianity.

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    Parked across from the cave complex at Vardzia

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    Homes, places of worship, food storage, libraries and wine cellars all carved into the cliffs

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    Walking our way up the cliffs to explore

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    The carved rooms are immense

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    Beautiful frescos in the church

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    Found a great riverside camp after a busy cultural day

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    Private enough to use our outside shower! Andy saving you all from the x-rated version.

    Entering our fifth year on the road, we still try to maintain some basic level of fitness, mostly through walking. If we are not heading to a hiking or walking destination, We scan our daily route looking for trails or walking paths. These random stops have created some enduring memories along the way - opportunistic encounters with villagers or cultural activities along local walking paths. On this day we stopped by Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park since Dawn saw some trails on the Gaia app we use for finding hikes. We ended up on a two hour jaunt through gorgeous forest and found out it was actually the first national park in the Caucuses and one of the largest in Europe - we barely scratched the surface on our drive by hike.

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    Hiking break in Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park

    Our final stop that day was the base of the road up Albano Pass - an iconic Georgia scenic drive. The day we had planned to drive to the top dawned rainy and cloudy - not a good omen.

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    River camp on the way up Albano pass

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    Road to Albano pass - mostly single track gravel

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    One hour in and Dawn is not feeling it

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    Where it is paved the road is literally dropping off the cliffside

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    Definitely beautiful though

    Well, the fact that we have no picture at the top should tell you something . . . We arrived at the top of the mountains socked in by blowing clouds, barely able to see the edge of the parking space. We had planned to head down the other side to Omalo to hike but in the end we were cold, tired and not feeling like the weather was going to cooperate so turned back. Some days are like that. Even in Georgia.

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    Fresh marking on the hood map as we enter year five

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    Impossible to imagine we have been living together in a truck camper for over four years. We often say to each other that neither of us could imagine doing it with anyone else. Not every day is unicorns and roses but we are still thriving.

    The weather continued to challenge our hiking plans so we decided to take a wine country break. Georgians are proud to claim being “the birthplace of wine” based on evidence from archeological sites (verified by scientists from the US). We later found out that the Armenians beg to differ. But either way the culture of wine making in Georgia is ancient, culturally ingrained and unique.

    It was on our way to the vineyards that we encountered blinker-gate and Andy’s first legitimate ticket in years. Police were hiding along a stretch of highway which made a logical turn, although you could have gone straight. We were issued a $15 ticket because he did not use his turn signal and watched as others were similarly pulled over - which at least made us feel like they weren’t targeting tourists. We were told we would have to go to a bank and pay before we left the country. Luckily we did, as at the border it came up connected to our license plate and they wanted to see our receipt of payment. It was interesting to us that in the course of the routine traffic stop in the middle of the day they had Andy blow into a breathalyzer (which he had never done before.) It was enough of a caution for him to drink lemonade at the winery - not a hardship for him since he is not a fan. Dawn happily drank his share.

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    Visiting the vinyards

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    Touring the history of wine at Shumi Winery - ancient clay pot - Georgians bury them in the ground for the fermentation process

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    Map depicting Georgia spreading wine making to the rest of the world

    Still finding ways to entertain ourselves that didn’t involve trekking in a rainstorm, next we stopped by the enchanting old town of Sighnaghi, perched on a hill in Kakheti.

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    Wandering the old streets of Sighnaghi

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    Hill top view of idyllic Sighnaghi

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    Complete with ancient castle walls and turrets

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    The truck always looks a little out of place in old villages

    We stopped at one more cliff monastery - Davit Gareja. Arriving early allowed us to wander on our own, high fiving each other as we left the parking lot as tour buses started rolling in.

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    Davit Gareja ancient rock monastery, carved into the cliffs

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    Looking down on the solitary truck in the monastery parking lot

    Then time for city life! As we usually do in cities, we booked into a hotel in Tbilisi so that we could easily explore on foot. (There are times we actually miss those ginormous urban campgrounds common at the end of metro lines in big cities in Europe - they definitely make it easy even if they are not the most aesthetic places.)

    Tbilisi matched the country of Georgia in its intriguing blend of history and cultures. The city center held contemporary malls, regal 18th century government and museum buildings, old wooden courtyards filled with families living on topsy turvy balconies, family run bakeries and gourmet cuisine. Every corner held whimsical art surprises and graffiti depicted the country’s recent internal conflict over whether to look to the EU or Russia for fiscal and military support. Young people we talked to were clear that they were ready to align with the EU. But there was also fear with Russian tanks mustering at the border and very recent armed conflict in the north with a separatist state wanting to leave Georgia and become aligned with Russia. Similar to Armenia, it was a country on the brink of change. But the city of Tbilisi felt vibrant, dynamic, and filled with hope.

    We also loved the food in Georgia and had some of the best of it in Tbilisi! The bread was extraordinary - so many varieties filled with everything from beans to meat to cheese. Meat dumplings called khinkali quickly became a favorite as did their flavorful eats and stews.

    Tbilisi may not have the glamor and flashiness of Paris or Prague, but it has a simple understated charm and an equal depth of history when you take the time to explore and understand its past.

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    Our favorite Georgian cafe in Tbilisi

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    Amazing chicken - flavored with grapes

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    Khinkali and yummy cheese bread

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    Classic inner courtyard with wooden balconies and washing lines

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    Fresh bread, its what's for dinner

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    Beautifully carved ornamental wood everywhere in the old courtyards

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    Old streets of Tbilisi

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    What looks like an old clock tower is actually a contemporary sculpture

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    The Bridge of Peace, symbolizing unity and harmony

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    Visiting the rug shop - yes, we did buy one, a contemporary Georgian one made in a nearby village

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    Wine ice cream - only in Georgia

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    Parked outside our guest house in Tbilisi

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    Tbilisi Opera House, founded in 1851

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    Mural painted on a private residence in old town Tbilisi

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    Street art depicting the Silk Road history

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    Dawn's favorite place - tiny bakery making loaves of crusty fresh bread for about $.30 each

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    More mid 19th century architecture from the days of the Russian empire. Georgia was ruled by the Russian Empire and then the Soviet Union for most of the 19th and 20th centuries, finally declaring independence in 1991.

    We left Tbilisi freshly showered, laundry done and truck re-supplied with food, gas and water.

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    Another along the road walking break - this one taking the back road towards a hilltop fort.

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    Side trip out of Georgia into Armenia and back (separate blog), nice modern border

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    Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, Mtskheta

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    River side wild camp along the way, just us and the cows

    Truso Valley ended up being a favorite spot for us. It was one of those magical places to camp where the stunning scenery, the quiet and even the drive in all made for a fantastic exeprience.

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    Setting off to hike in Truso Valley

    Initially, we were not sure what the road into the valley would be like so we parked in the hiking parking lot and set off on foot to explore.

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    Abandoned stone houses in Truso Valley

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    Walking along the river

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    Stunning hills - so green! So far the road is easy and local taxis are roaring by us.

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    So we decided the camping had to be better in the valley than the hiking parking lot so went back for the truck

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    Andy taking advantage of the shallow water crossing to wash the truck

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    Easy road! No problem.

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    Found our spot! Beautiful views in Truso Valley

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    One of our favorite camps - no one around after sunset

    Grocery shopping in Georgia was easy, markets were huge and well stocked (even if reading labels and figuring out ingredients was sometimes challenging). Our current mini crisis - we were out of 3 of our favorite 12 spices. Garlic, onion and red pepper flakes go in pretty much everything we make.

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    Oh no - out of our favorite spices. But Carrefour to the rescue and we were all sorted out.

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    Once again able to make Andy's favorite meal - some kind of pasta with some kind of red pasta meat sauce. And cheese on top.

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    Random art in the mountains

    Our final stop in Georgia was the Kazbegi region, anchored by the town of Stepantsminda with its iconic mountain vistas.

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    Even with the scaffolding the backdrop to this ancient Gergeti Trinity Church is stunning

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    Found our spot to camp!

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    Exploring the trails above town

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    Ever grateful to be doing this together

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    View from camp - it really does not get any better

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    And a final stop in Georgia - Dawn found one last single baker shop for her last loaf of Georgian bread (she still misses that bread)

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    Filling up at a free water source - preparing to cross into Russia the next morning (more on that decision in our Armenia blog)

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    Waterfall hike at the end of the day

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    Last camp in Georgia - we had been heading for a site closer to the border but it had been shut down due to border control so opted for a trailhead parking area complete with graffiti. Still mountain views though! It was also laundry night.

    That’s a wrap for Georgia! It lived up to it’s reputation of having gorgeous mountains and a fascinating culture. Next we continue our route east, a little nervous about crossing into Russia and transiting as quickly as possible (only 2 nights). Driving in an American plated vehicle, we are not sure what to expect but are continuing on a wing and a prayer. Thank you for reading and following along with us.
     
    Last edited: Sep 4, 2024
  2. Oct 9, 2024 at 4:54 AM
    #1642
    Round the world

    Round the world [OP] Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 4, 2019
    Member:
    #278143
    Messages:
    1,733
    Gender:
    Male
    First Name:
    Andy
    Home's our Tacoma
    Vehicle:
    2019 Tacoma AC LB TRD Sport MT
    flatbed with 4WC Fleet with extensive mods
    Kazakhstan


    The Silk Roads
    Driving the Silk Roads had been a lifetime dream of ours. There is a mystique that surrounds the idea of retracing the ancient steps of these early explorers, merchants and warriors. We listened to historical accounts in the truck as we learned about the early East-West trading routes, what they meant to the world, seeding centuries of conflict and the beginning of commercial globalization. The names of Marco Polo and Genghis Khan evoked exotic images of camel trains loaded with silk and spices making their way across the desert. We could not wait to take our own journey along these venerable routes.

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    Our 3 week, 3600 km route thru Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan

    The trip was well worth the wait. Each country we visited had its own personality and culture, but there were also many similarities shared by the countries often lazily referred to as “the Stans.” People were uniformly welcoming, curious and hospitable. Although little English was spoken, especially among the 40+ populace whose second language is Russian, people still wanted to communicate with us - using a lot of universal hand gestures and often Google Translate. Food and resources were easy to find on this first part of the route and the general lack of people in vast landscapes made wild camping easy. We paid for water once, but found clean free sources the rest of the month. We never paid for camping. Similar to the Arabian Peninsula, our expenses plummeted, down to an average of $60 per day for the two of us, as our main expense, gas, was generally cheap and food was less expensive than most other places we have traveled. Our route meandered in and out of countries, but we have separated each country in the blogs to make it easier (for us!).

    Kazakhstan
    Our first country, Kazakhstan, was in many ways what we expected of the area- initially lots of hot dry steppes. But as we made our way north, we were surprised by the transition to lush fields, forested national parks with lakes and rivers and eventually, mountains.

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    Our first two-humped camel siting! The Bactrian camel - native to the Central Asian steppes.

    Our entry involved a (very) long border crossing - something we would get used to. Even when the line seemed short (9-10 cars) - border crossings in the region often took 4-5 hours. Processes were unclear and confusing and, as we were unable to speak local languages, took some deciphering. Luckily there were often kind locals who took pity on us and showed us the way. Usually we felt like we were on some kind of confusing bureaucratic scavenger hunt as we would be handed a slip of paper that required multiple officials in different buildings and offices to stamp. We learned to clarify upfront how many stamps we needed before we could leave so we would not be sent back. Car searches were relatively thorough and involved drug sensing dogs and often X ray scans. Luckily we do not carry any contraband so there was no stress involved, just a lot of patience needed.

    Although we had a Carnet de Passage at this point, we did not use it in the Stans. Kazakhstan customs issued us a Temporary Import document for the truck, and as US citizens we did not need visas so paperwork was free. We were also easily able to buy auto insurance ($40 for a month) from a booth at the border.

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    Camped just over the border into Kazakhstan from Russia - woke up to "wild" life all around.

    It was time to re-supply the truck so we stopped off in Atyrau, a pleasant city on the Ural river. The city displayed much of the Soviet era architecture common in the region as the Russian and then the Soviet empire maintained primary control from the late 18th century through 1991.

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    Walking the riverfront promenade

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    Ural riverfront - high rises and fishermen

    Grocery shopping took much longer here. The language and alphabet is completely unknown to us. Although some words and pictures were intuitive, we have learned in the past to doublecheck with Google Translate (Dawn has been known to accidentally buy sour cream instead of milk for her coffee - a disaster that spoiled her morning in more than one way).

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    Kazakh spice aisle - very confusing for Dawn

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    As was trying to figure out how to weigh the produce!

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    Grateful for pictures - but it still took Dawn 30 minutes to accurately weigh 10 bags of produce - and she got two wrong to the amusement of the register clerk. (One picture of potatoes looks a lot like another)

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    The bakery items looked fabulous but it was a case of buying mystery fillings

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    MANY varieties of sausages and hot dogs. . . .all tasting pretty much the same

    Grocery cabinets and fridge full, we made our way into the great empty steppes. Camping was no problem - just drive as far away from the main road as you feel like.

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    Our first proper night wild camping in the steppe

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    The next morning Andy decides it is time to change the oil

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    Oops - picked up a screw in the tire somewhere along the way but this kind tire shop owner fixed it for us - and then went ahead and rotated the tires.

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    Andy's new friends at the tire shop. The constant dusty winds in the region meant many people opted for facial scarves.

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    The first time we have paid for water in 4 years (last time was eastern Romania on our way to Moldova). Since it was the middle of the desert, we did not mind joining the commercial water tanker at the filling station and paying the equivalent of $1 to fill our tank.

    We had researched in advance and learned that road safety in Kazakhstan was serious business. Police are out and patrolling, equal opportunity fines are applied for any offender who exceeds the speed limit or passes on a solid line. Andy was scrupulous about following the rules and we never had a problem. (Unlike the previous week in Russia where corrupt police attempted to shake us down for $300 for a made up “offense.” In that case, Andy refused to pay, joked around with them and built camaraderie and eventually they let us go). What we had heard about the police in Kazakhstan was true in our experience, they are strict but honest and even handed in applying the rules.

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    When there wasn't real police there was fake police

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    And fake farm animals

    Our first cultural experience in Kazakhstan was visiting Turkestan. The beautiful architecture was awe inspiring. The Persian inspired tile work, Arabic script and signature blue dye originally imported from Mongolia was magnificent.

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    Mausoleum of Khawaja Ahmed Yasawi, Turkic poet and Sufi mystic, commissioned in 1389 by Timur.

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    The back side was equally impressive but never finished

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    Common road view in Kazakhstan

    Then we were back on the road, covering some distance. After a few days in the dry steppes, we were ready for some green. We drove through the city of Almaty (modern but lots of traffic!) and made our way out to Ile Alatau National Park.

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    Visiting the Sunkar Falconry Center to learn more about this ancient regional art, humans working closely with birds of prey to hunt.

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    After visiting the falcon center (a little gimmicky, but still interesting) we camped inside the national park along the river. There are convenient flat spots along the river, free to camp and cement pads for cooking safely.

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    Riverside camp in Ile-Alatau National Park

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    Valley views along the hike to the lake

    We decided to hike in to Lake Almaty - a classic hike in the park. Much of it was along a paved road servicing local communities


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    A SIDEBAR- SECURING OUR INDIAN VISAS
    We are very grateful to the ongoing information sharing in a variety of Whatsapp and Facebook travel forums we belong to. We were getting new information that the Indian Embassy in Islamabad was becoming more tricky to work with in securing visas. This had always been our plan so as we heard of people waiting for weeks for visas in Islamabad and often being declined we decided to figure out a Plan B. As US Citizens, it was relatively simple for us to apply online for one-year multi-entry visas. The trick was that these “E-visas” were not valid for a land border entry, only for airports. However, once you fly into India and have the visa stamped into your passport, you are then allowed to enter at a land border.

    So we flew in one day, roundtrip from Almaty to Delhi, Indian E-visas in hand to get them stamped in our passports so that we could continue our journey east.

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    It was a 3am start in Almaty but there were already lines, luckily for Dawn there was also already coffee for sale

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    Previewing the mountains we would later drive through by air

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    And an 8 hour layover at the airport in Delhi before we could return. Dawn trying her best to look alert, somedays even coffee doesn't work.

    The next leg of our journey figured out, we returned to exploring Kazakhstan’s beautiful natural sites..

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    Wild camp along the way - tucked into the trees

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    It was fall and shepherds were busy bringing livestock down from the mountains to more temperate climates before winter comes

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    We shared the road

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    Our next stop was beautiful Turgen Gorge, it felt far removed from the vast steppes and reminded us of our home in Oregon with rolling hills, trees and beautiful rivers. Infrastructure was minimal but we used our Gaia app to find a trail and set off.

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    Beginning of Turgen Gorge hike. Sign was impossible for us to read, but it made us feel like we were going the right way.

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    Sketchy bridge. We like the fact that in this region a high level of common sense is assumed, people are expected to take responsibility for their own safety whether hiking or driving. (Rarely do you see a flagger or safety cones for road hazards here)

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    Excited to see our first yurt!

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    Local spring we used to fill our water tank

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    Winding our way through dry hills. In general southern Kazakhstan was not nearly as flat as we thought it would be.

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    Heading onto a track to find a wild camping spot at the edge of Charyn Canyon

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    Squeezing through rocks along the way - glad we decided not to go with the F150

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    Not sure where we will end up but liking the scenery and the journey

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    The final task when pulling into camp - leveling, sometimes with the aid of objects found around camp.

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    Gorgeous! One of the joys of overlanding, finding that unique, remote soul filling spot where you just look around and soak it up

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    As we got higher in elevation, yurts became more common, typically nomadic shepherds homes.

    Our final real stop in Kazakhstan was Kolsai Lakes National Park. It was stunning, but surprisingly crowded. During our time in Kazakhstan most of the tourists we encountered were local or from neighboring countries, people would give us a second look, smile and ask where we were from. We felt like welcomed outsiders. Kolsai Lake was beautiful but our first instinct was to set off on a hike away from the instagram photo posing, coffee drinking, paddle boating crowds.

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    Kolsai Lake

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    We started on what we thought was a trail around the lake and quickly left all the people behind. We soon saw why, our two hour hike turned into a four hour expedition. Once we left the boardwalk, the trail disintegrated, taken over by tree fall, requiring clambering up and down steep cliff banks and a few unexpected water crossings.

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    The final leg when we rejoined the developed trail. Dawn is tired.

    Overall Kazakhstan was an incredibly easy introduction to the region, travel logistics were easy to figure out and the friendliness and engaging nature of the people made it feel safe and comfortable wherever we went.

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    Hay loads become major road obstacles

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    Our final night in Kazakhstan, camped near the border in a field with mountain views.

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    Fall is coming, a cloudy morning for a border crossing

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    Our only prep for Uzbekistan was filling our Rotopax as we had heard about gas shortages. This turns out to have been very exaggerated, fuel was relatively easy to find with planning ahead and filling up in urban areas.

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    Discovered a leaky cap so employed a bush fix learning in Africa - seal with a plastic bag under the cap

    We left Kazakhstan happy about our first “stan” country experience, ready to see what Uzbekistan had to bring.

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    Approaching the border with Uzbekistan

    That is it for our first Central Asian Stan country - a resounding success for us in terms of increasing our world knowledge and developing our remote travel skills. Thank you for reading and hope you come along on the next leg of our journey with us!
     
    Last edited: Oct 9, 2024
    CarverLB, d.shaw, RockBunny and 13 others like this.
  3. Oct 10, 2024 at 6:44 AM
    #1643
    hxp05560

    hxp05560 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 1, 2021
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    TRD Pro Wheels - Duratracs Black Softopper
    Always a great right up and always love the photos. I’m really intrigued to know more about your quick trip across Russia. It sounded like there was only a minor hiccup but was fairly uneventful overall.
     
  4. Oct 10, 2024 at 7:23 AM
    #1644
    Round the world

    Round the world [OP] Well-Known Member

    Joined:
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    You're right we did gloss over our blast through Russia. We picked up our Transit visas in Armenia. This type of Visa limits us to a maximum of 10 days of crossing Russia which was no problem for us as we did it in 3 days and two nights. We were very apprehensive even though we don't look like your typical spies, who knows if the Russian government needed someone to trade. Russia was quite flat, even boring. We were crossing extreme Southern Russia through Dagestan which is a majority Muslim province of Russia. Roughly 30 years ago Dagestan and Chechnya fought and lost a war for independence but is still now quite restive with an unhappy populace. We went through three border checks at the beginning and and entering the Dagestan province. In all three instances we were singled out and asked to come into a plain room and have a special interview with a person , resumably from the FSB/KGB. They asked us ridiculous questions such as what do we think of Russia owning the Crimean peninsula. As if we would give them an honest answer, haha. After 15 minutes or so they let us go. In one instance we noticed a police car parked at the border crossing and after leaving 5 minutes, he pulled us over claiming that we did an illegal pass. He demanded $300. After 15 minutes of repeatedly saying via Google Translate we did nothing wrong, smiling, and pointing out our world travel map on our hood, they handed back our passports, smiled, shook her hands and let us go. Weird, don't like crooked cops, especially Russian.

    We scrupulously drove below the speed limit, stopping completely at all stop signs, and using our turn signals and the rest of the trip passed without any more incidents. Both nights, we wild camped, hiding out in areas not visible from the public roads. It was nerve-racking but over quickly
     
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  5. Oct 11, 2024 at 11:19 AM
    #1645
    hxp05560

    hxp05560 Well-Known Member

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    That sounds a little more intense than I’d have imagined. Being pulled into questioning would have had me stressed out. I’m glad you all made it through ok, and appreciate you indulging my curiosity!
     
  6. Oct 11, 2024 at 8:25 PM
    #1646
    Round the world

    Round the world [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Uzbekistan

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    Ancient Silk road fort of Janbasqala in Uzbekistan

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    Our 3 week, 3600 km route thru both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan

    Uzbekistan felt like an even greater step back in history. The architecture in the cities was some of the most beautiful we have seen. We were back to desert and loved being able to clamber around old silk road forts on our own, using our imaginations to fill in the gaps.

    Unfortunately, Uzbekistan also had some of the worst roads - the kind of crumbling asphalt with unexpected craters coming out of nowhere that made driving feel like a pinball course. This was made worse by seeing, as we entered, miles and miles of new highway newly completed but not yet accessible for vehicles. Definitely driving will be easier in the near future!

    It was another slow border crossing (5 hours) despite the fact that there were only a few cars ahead. The most frustrating part about the borders was just waiting outside a gate for the guards to decide to let vehicles in, often for hours with no knowledge of what to expect for the timeline. Sometimes commercial trucks were being prioritized, sometimes it seems that people were either on a break or changing shifts. We learned to be prepared with food, water and kindles loaded with books. But in the end we were easily issued another Temporary Import permit for the truck (this time $2 fee), entry was free for us as US citizens and auto insurance was only $10.

    However, there was some additional bureaucracy for Uzbekistan tourists. All tourists are required to be registered by an official accommodation (hotel or hostel) within a few days of arrival. You are also required to have a certain number of “proof of stay” receipts which are entered into a national database and examined upon exiting the country. The rules seemed to be a little vague, we asked repeatedly and the best guidance we got was that you should be registered “about a third” of your days in the country. Luckily, hostels were accustomed to people needing registration and many would complete the paperwork for you for about $5 per person whether or not you actually stayed there.

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    Our first night in Uzbekistan - camped in an empty staging area for the new road construction - not our most glamorous site but very quiet.

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    Beautiful above ground cemeteries dotted the landscape, with intricately designed mausoleums

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    A very brave car load . . .

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    Our second night, camped in the sandy desert

    Our first cultural stop in Uzbekistan was city of Nukus and the Savitsky Museum. Nukus itself was unremarkable, a Soviet built city with broad avenues and practical architecture. But the museum was fascinating, with great value added by our young, local tour guide. Named after a Russian benefactor committed to preserving Uzbekistan art, the museum houses an impressive collection which rotates regularly. The art gives an intriguing insight into the life and historical culture of the country.

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    Early 20th century piece by O. Tansiqbaev

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    Women picking tulips

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    Then back to traveling the desert

    Next up was a real Silk road experience - the land of 50 fortresses or Elliq Khala in Khorezm. Built in the 6th to 4th centuries BC, these ancient forts have mostly and remarkably stood the test of time. Some have had some partial renovation, others are slowly eroding into the sand.

    Even our stamina could not withstand 50 fortress visits so we spent most of our time at three.

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    Standing on the walls of Topraz Kala

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    Brick walls and openings at Topraq Kala. Both a defensive fort and a royal residence, the site once housed over 2500 people and is one of the best preserved Kushan Empire (Indo-European people driven west by the Chinese) sites in Central Asia.

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    Dawn looking for the best angle to capture the extensiveness of Topraq Kala. A Unesco site, some of the walls in the distance are restored.

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    Her final picture

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    The next site was Ayaz Qala, with three forts spread over neighboring hills, dating back to the 4th century BC.

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    Driving up to the smaller fort at Ayaz Qala

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    Following a rough path outside the walls

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    Finding pottery shards everywhere. It was so incredible to be the only people wandering these places.

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    Looking from the small fort site across the valley to the larger site

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    First views of Janbasquala, our third and final fort, rising out of the desert

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    Walls of mud brick slowly crumbling away

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    Double walls with tunnels inbetween

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    Our fort explorations over, time to hit the road and see some ancient Silk road cities. Of all the countries we went to in the region, the historical cities of Uzbekistan were our favorite. Khiva, Bukhara and Samarkand were extraordinary, blending unique and intricate ancient architecture with contemporary conveniences.

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    Camel on the road photo - it never gets old.

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    More desert

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    Sandy wild camp along the way - found some shade!

    Although heavily renovated and somewhat touristy, the city of Khiva charmed us. Walking its streets, we could feel and sense what it must have been like to live there in times gone by. Our only glitch was that Google Maps did its best to navigate us into a non-driving area to get us to the hotel we had booked. Finally we realized we needed to park outside the gates and walk in - which actually positively added to the overall atmosphere of the city.

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    Walking in between the inner and outer walls of Khiva

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    Gorgeous old doors

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    Beautiful mural

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    The city felt like a living museum blending art and architecture

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    We appreciated the fact that unlike some ancient walled cities, people still actually lived in Khiva

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    We enjoyed a local performance in the town square, equally transfixed by our fellow local tourists as by the performers themselves

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    Beautiful mosaic work everywhere

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    And down the side streets, people living their lives

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    Uzbeki weaving

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    Our first meal out in Uzbekistan - yummy savory bread pies and kebabs

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    Khiva was equally beautiful at night

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    Outside the walls of Khiva

    Our next historic city was Bukhara. Feeling the need for another hotel registration, we camped outside a hostel close to the city center.

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    Our urban camping spot in Bukhara

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    Visiting the neighborhood baker for breakfast

    After the relative quiet of Khiva, Bukhara felt like a bustling metropolis. Tourists and locals filled the streets, gaping in awe at the beautiful old architecture and conducting daily business. Although much of the city was destroyed when Genghis Khan invaded in 1220, remnants of those days remained along with some beautiful newer architecture.

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    Bolo Hauz Mosque, built in the early 1700's

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    Mausoleum built over the reputed site of Job's Well - where he struck the ground with his staff and created a well.

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    Central market - and more of the classic regional flat bread

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    And a whole room of cheese balls

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    Mausoleum of Ismail Samani, revered Islamic scholar. The oldest remaining building in Central Asia, it dates back to the 9th century. Not destroyed by Genghis Khan as it was buried under sand when he came through.

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    Beautiful Modarikhon Madrasah, school built in the 16th century

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    Central plaza of Old Bukhara city

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    Kalon Tower - from the 12th century. Competing stories for why Genghis Khan did not destroy it: 1) he looked up to the top and his hat fell off which made him bend to pick it up and he commented that never before had a structure force him to bow to it. 2) he liked throwing his enemies to their death off of it

    Our last stop in Uzbekistan was Samarkand, a key Silk road trading center and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Central Asia. Not as touristy as Khiva or Bukhara, the old buildings were surrounded by pleasant walking paths, parks and contemporary cafes and shops.

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    Mausoleum of the ruler Timur, built in the 15th century

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    The women of Uzbekistan typically wore light weight colorful cotton fabrics and head scarves.

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    Central Registan square in Samarkand

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    Hazrat Khizr Mosque, Samarkand

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    Beautifully carved and painted ceilings

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    A local lunch of Plov - rice cooked with vegetables and meat, a staple

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    And samsas, delicious meat filled pastries

    And for Dawn, no visit to the region was complete without learning more about making rugs. We visited the Samarkand Bukhara Silk Carpet factory for an excellent tour, demonstration and explanation of the process.

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    Silk cocoons

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    Artist hand knotting a silk rug from naturally died silk. It can take several years to complete a rug.

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    Two artists working together on a complicated pattern

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    And of course, we had to buy one. We could not afford silk (averaging $15,000!) but found a great wool one.

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    Our tour guide, son of the factory owner

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    Throughout Uzbekistan young people enjoyed taking pictures with us

    That is it for our first two Central Asian Stan countries - a resounding success for us in terms of increasing our world knowledge and developing our remote travel skills. Thank you for reading and hope you come along on the next leg of our journey with us!
     
    Last edited: Oct 11, 2024
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  7. Oct 12, 2024 at 4:14 AM
    #1647
    TacoTime55

    TacoTime55 TT58

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    What a great cultural experience!

    Thank you for sharing.
     
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  8. Oct 12, 2024 at 10:45 AM
    #1648
    antwon412

    antwon412 Well-Known Member

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    Awesome truck and trip. You’re living the dream. I hope to spend a lot of time exploring once my kids are moved out.
     
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  9. Oct 13, 2024 at 10:08 PM
    #1649
    Round the world

    Round the world [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Enjoy them while they're around. We didn't start this trip until the last one graduated from college. Retirees can definitely do this!
     
    Last edited: Oct 16, 2024
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  10. Oct 21, 2024 at 5:43 AM
    #1650
    Round the world

    Round the world [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Tajikistan and the Pamir Highway

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    Driving the Pamir Highway, Tajikistan

    Tajikistan embodied all the greatest aspects of overlanding adventure for us. It had vast open country, stark majestic mountains, a culture and history that was different and new for us to learn. Tajikistan provided remote and wild terrain, we could not wait to explore its high desert mountains and fulfill a lifelong dream of driving the Pamir Highway.

    As with the neighboring countries of Central Asia, the Tajik people were warm and welcoming, but outside of the bigger cities tourism infrastructure was surprisingly limited. Family run homestays were the norm along the Pamir highway with groceries hard to find outside of very small convenience stores carrying dry goods, soda and cookies. ATM’s were scarce but gas stations were common enough to get us by with some planning.

    We entered Tajikistan from Uzbekistan with our E-visas in hand. Although not technically required for us as US citizens, we found that applying for the E-Visa was the simplest way to get the GBAO permit online (required to drive the Pamir region). Total cost was $75 each for the visa and permit together. We were required to pay a $25 road tax for our truck at the border and insurance was $12 for a month.

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    Our 2100km route through Tajikistan

    The first place we explored was the gorgeous Fann Mountain region.

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    Driving up the road of the Seven Lakes Valley

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    Wild camp with a view - the fourth of seven consecutive lakes

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    Sun goes down on camp while Dawn (with Andy's encouragement) poses a little awkwardly on the hood

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    The road was narrow - we were glad we only met one vehicle

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    Hiking around the seventh lake

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    Local villagers making bricks at a stream

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    Passing through villages, school children always beautifully dressed in black and white, the girls with huge white bows in their hair

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    Traditional homes in the region

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    Some built into the cliffs

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    Some with beautiful designs in the walls

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    Navigating the narrow road along the cliffs

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    Each of the seven lakes a different, glorious blue

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    The weather was perfect in early September - clear and cool.

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    Another intricately designed home

    People, especially children, in Tajikistan went out of their way to welcome us as we passed through their villages. Children would run out and wave and call out “hello” or “welcome!” We always felt safe, whether in the city or in a really remote area.

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    Women collecting hay

    The cultural hospitality extended to the availability of wild sites to camp. We quickly realize that unlike some other places we have been, there was no need to try and hide. People often honked and waved, smiling as they drove by our camp.

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    Bluff top camp

    The next drive we ventured on was into Alauddin Lake near Sarvoda. It was another area steeped in beauty, rural village life side by side with spectacular hiking and scenery.

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    More donkeys than vehicles on the road to Alauddin Lake

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    Another steep windy road - no surprise!

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    Hike to Alauddin Lake

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    It was a beautiful, mostly flat hike with a stunning backdrop

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    Carved door at a village home

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    Sunset view from camp

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    River side camp

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    That's a lot of sheep and goats in the road! Shepherds still moving the flocks before winter.

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    Drive back out from Alauddin Lake

    Our souls enriched with mountain scenery and air, it was time to head to the big city to pick up our son, Nicholas. We were thrilled that he would be joining us on the road for a month. It was also an opportunity to re-supply the truck before we headed out on the Pamir HIghway.

    Dushanbe was not our favorite city. It was easy to navigate with wide tree lined streets, orderly and clean. But it also felt inauthentic somehow. The downtown buildings were new and ornate, many displaying giant posters with pictures of the president who has been in power for 33 years and has a questionable human rights record. We did not delve into the politics with people but did do a free walking tour which felt like the most extreme example of whitewashing we had ever encountered. Our guide assured us that the country was perfect, the people were all happy, the president was great . . .

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    New government buildings in central Dushanbe

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    Monument to Ismail Somoni, a revered leader of the Samanid dynasty which included what is now Tajikistan in the early 900's.

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    School with poster of President Emomali Rahmon

    The 3am pickup of Nicholas at the Dushanbe Airport was successful, and we set off full of groceries, gas and water to tackle the famous Pamir Highway.

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    First picnic lunch with our son on board! Featuring local flat bread.

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    We miss our three children and were thrilled to have one of them on board with us for a while. Our truck is small and the third seat is cramped but for family we always have room.

    Pamir Highway - Tajikistan Section
    We kept detailed notes from our trip as we found it was relatively hard to get specific information about routes, timing, places to stay, etc. Below is our day by day breakdown in case it is useful to others.

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    Map of the Pamir Region and routes from the Caravanistan website, which we found to be an extremely helpful resource.

    The classic Pamir HIghway Dushanbe, Tajikistan to Osh, Kyrgystan. But there are a number of variations and side routes that people incorporate.

    The first decision point upon leaving Dushanbe is whether to take the northern, Tavildara route (more remote and over a 10,700 ft mountain pass) or to go through Kulob which is a better road, slightly shorter in time but longer in miles (if you believe Google). As our weather was good and we always love the mountains, we took the northern route to Kalaikhum.

    From Khorog, you can choose to take the direct Pamir HIghway route (M41) - the red route above - or head south along the border with Afghanistan for a more remote route. After speaking to locals and fellow travelers, we opted to take the southern, Wakhan Valley road - the brown road above - which locals commonly refer to as “the real Pamir.”

    We took eleven days to go from Dushanbe, Tajikistan to Sary Tosh, Kyrgystan. We did not continue driving north to Osh at this point, but peeled east to enter China. We were traveling the Pamir route Sept 11- 20, 2024. As far as weather, we felt like this time of the year was ideal. Still warm enough, past the summer months of tour group travel (it is limited but we did see a few groups of tourists in hired vans with drivers), but before snow and cold becomes an issue.

    Day 1 - 165 km, 4.5 hours of driving
    We left Dushanbe at 11:30am, arrived at camp about 5pm. (We were using iOverlander to find wild spots to make sure we didn’t accidentally camp somewhere we were not supposed to. ) The more northern route (blue road on map above) was mostly decent, but at times deteriorated to gravel and forced us to reduce speed to about 15kph.

    In general, along the route we drove, road conditions were rough enough to slow you down (gravel, if asphalt then potholes to watch for) but never severe enough that you needed hardcore 4x4.

    Throughout this first day, the scenery got better and better as we approached the mountains and started passing through canyons.

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    River side camp along the road from Dushanbe to Tavildara. Grey tent is NIcholas's bedroom.

    Day 2 - 178km, 7 hours of driving
    On the second day we drove over the mountain pass and through Kalaikhum (shown as Qalai Khumb on map above). A big challenge for overlanders during this time was massive construction delays on the Pamir Highway stretching from south of Kalaikhum to Khorog. Someday, maybe in a year, the road will be smooth going, but for now traffic is stopped for anywhere from 2-6 hours intermittently along the way as construction crews blast out the rock cliffs to widen the road. Locals advised us to get up early and try to get as much of the road as possible before crews showed up at 8am.

    We decided to go as far as possible even though we were driving in the afternoon and hit a construction roadblock mid afternoon, but luckily only a 90 minute delay until crews knocked off for the day.

    We left at 9am and pulled into camp at 6:15pm (including the 90 minute construction delay). At this point, we had started driving along the Tajikistan/Afghanistan border. It was sobering to look across the river that separated the two countries and think about the history of violence and strife - both between them and between our home country and Afghanistan. We watched as children played on farms across the river and villagers worked their fields.

    The Tajikistan military were very active along this section. There were regular military check points (just friendly passport checks), frequent military bases and patrols. People were not allowed to camp along the river in open view of the road, the Tajikistan military insisting it was not safe because of the Taliban.

    We found a wild camping spot tucked out of sight up a side canyon.

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    Nicholas getting in on the daily routines - first thing in the morning, make a picnic lunch

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    Road up to the mountain pass - nice gravel at this point

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    Happy family photo at the top

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    Regular military patrols along the border with Afghanistan - the border is the river

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    Nice to have a third driver to switch off with all the driving!

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    Construction delay - everyone just sits and waits

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    Riverside canyon camp

    Day 3 -144 km, 5 hours of driving
    We managed to get out of camp early - 6:15am and get through the rest of the construction zone with no delays. Having spent a couple of long hard driving days, we headed to Jizeu Valley for scenery and hiking. We arrived at 1pm (having taken an hour break after the construction to make some breakfast). We chose a spot 28km out the Bhartang Valley road (green road on above map). Jizeu Valley is a side canyon hike off of the Bhartang Valley road.

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    Looking across the river to villages on the Afghanistan side

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    Scenery across the road

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    Driving up Bhartang Valley

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    Bhartang Valley road - along a glacial river

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    Now we get to take pictures of our son in addition to pictures of the truck

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    View from camp

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    And who should pull up to say "hi" but a French overlander with a Toyota Tacoma with a 4 Wheel Camper!! He ordered both from the US.

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    Nicholas taking his turn in the "resting nest"

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    Like father like son, they happened to each have the same baseball cap

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    The sun goes down on camp

    Day 4 -Jizeu Valley hike, 90km and 3.5 hours of driving
    In the morning we headed across the REALLY long suspension bridge to hike into Jizeu Valley - we hiked 9 miles roundtrip, making it to the first village and lake. After the hike we had a relatively short drive to Khorog where we had booked a guesthouse.

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    Suspension bridge access to Jizeu Valley

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    Hiking up the valley - the villagers do this regularly, coming out to the road when they need to access outside supplies

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    Traditional village home. People were busy preparing for winter, piles of dung drying for fires, fruit and corn being dried on rooftops.

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    Nicholas heading to the lake to see what he can find

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    And then back over the bridge . . .

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    Although monochromatic, the scenery was stunning

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    Heading out of the valley back to the main road

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    Guesthouse view in Khorog - we booked a three person room at Hotel Zarya - received a warm welcome from the host and had a beautiful breakfast the next morning ($60 for the three of us). Average prices for guest houses along the Pamir seemed to run about $20-$25pp

    Day 5 - 138 km, 6 hours of driving
    We left Khorog at 11am after re-stocking a few groceries. We were already seeing a lot fewer food options than we had in Dushanbe (no surprise). Meat in the supermarket was limited to a huge variety of sausages and hotdogs (we chose not to buy meat from the local stalls hanging huge hunks of mutton and beef from outdoor hooks). Cheese was non existent, fruits and vegetables limited to bell peppers and apples we bought from local women on the street. We also filled up on water and gas as this would be our largest town for a week.

    One regret we had about Khorog was that we were not there on a Saturday and so missed the Afghan market. On Saturdays Afghan traders come to an island in the river and people are allowed to cross the bridge to buy from them. We would have appreciated the experience but our timing was off.

    From Khorog we continued south on what becomes the Wakhan Valley road, not officially the “Pamir HIghway” but still a Pamir road. This meant we would be continuing to hug the Afghanistan border for 100s of kms.

    We were able to visit Khakh Kaka fort on our route which was a fascinating scramble over decaying ruins. We arrived at camp before 5pm.

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    More gorgeous scenery

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    Climbing up the bank to Khakh Kaka fort.

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    The fort was built into and around the natural rock formations

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    You could still see some of the ancient design elements

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    Villagers near the fort had way too much fun dressing Nicholas traditionally

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    View from camp, uphill from the river so far away from the border that the military was not concerned

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    Nicholas tucked in behind us as a wind break

    Day 6 - 60km, one hour driving
    This day was one of our favorite days on the drive incorporating a scenic hike, iconic old fort and hot springs.

    We left camp at 9:45 and drove to the Darshai Gorge trailhead. This gorge hike is famous for its construction - villagers built a ledge by sewing branches rocks together. It allows them with access to winter hunting grounds and it provided us with a lovely hike. Two and a half hours round trip got us to the most famous part “the ledge.”

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    Standing on "the ledge" at the Darshai Gorge

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    Note that Dawn is not featured in any of these "ledge" photos

    The next stop was Yamchun Fort, an ancient Silk Road outpost. The setting was awe inspiring but we were slightly sad to see that the fort was in the process of being fully restored, with new brick walls being erected on the old foundations. For us, with old buildings there is a sweet spot between full renovation and full ruin - we prefer just enough to get the imaginations going. But we understood the intent in terms of encouraging future tourism dollars.

    [​IMG]
    Yamchun Fort, originally built in 300 BC

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    View from Yamchun Fort across to Afghanistan

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    Old walls still standing, not yet renovated

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    Petroglyphs on rocks in the fort

    We have no photos of our last and possibly favorite stop of the day - Bibi Fatima Hotsprings. For a minimal fee, men and women enter separate hot springs in cave like rooms built into the cliff wall. It was relaxing and rejuvenating.

    [​IMG]
    And after all that activity, family movie night in the camper

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    River side camp in view of Yamchun Fort

    Day 7 - 100km, 4 hours of driving
    Despite the rain this day (our first!) we were up and out by 9:30am, arriving at a 4th century Buddhist temple in the village of Vrang by 10:30am.

    (As an aside, we were usually the only tourists at all of the ancient ruins we visited along the way. Signage was minimal as was cell coverage. Luckily we had downloaded maps on a variety of apps (Google, OSM, Gaia, Apple Maps) beforehand so we were always able to find what we were looking for, but it took a bit of work.

    [​IMG]
    Hiking to the Buddhist temple, or "stupa"

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    Buddhist Stupa

    [​IMG]
    Village girls who accompanied us

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    View across the valley from the Buddhist stupa

    From Vrang, we drove an hour to the village of Langar and found the trail up the steep hill to the petroglyphs.

    [​IMG]
    Traditional Pamiri homes along the way

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    Petroglyphs on the hillside above Langar

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    That's one big Ibex, a type of mountain goat

    [​IMG]
    So much to look at

    After a lunch break cooking up some noodles in the truck, we continued our way along the Khargush Gorge and eventually pulled into camp about 5pm. This day was one of our favorites scenically with far away views of the Hindu Kush range.

    [​IMG]
    Driving the Khargush Gorge road

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    Wild camp along the river, cloudy mountains in the background. With the rain and cold it was the only night Nicholas came inside and slept on our dinette seats - he claimed it was comfortable.

    Day 8 - 175km, 6 hours of driving
    This was another one of our favorite scenery days. We completed the Khargush Gorge road, re-joined the M-41 (Pamir HIghway) and drove out to visit an abandoned Soviet observatory.

    [​IMG]
    Mountain views with the previous night's snow along the way

    [​IMG]
    View from the lunch stop where we re-joined the Pamir Highway M41

    All of our supplies were dwindling so we were happy to visit the village well in Alichur and Nicholas manned the pump so we could re-fill our water tank.

    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]
    Downtown Alichur. We had been hoping to buy some fresh groceries but no luck.

    [​IMG]
    Back on the road

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    Abandoned truck at the Soviet observatory. full of Marco Polo sheep horns

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    Our "wild" camp tucked against an old Soviet building as shelter from the wind

    [​IMG]
    Old solar telescope building

    [​IMG]
    Nicholas having fun sorting through 40 year old memorabilia

    Day 9 - 50km, 1 hour of driving
    The next morning, we left the observatory camp, stopped by some ancient cave paintings and made our way to Murghab. At this point we were pretty much out of food, having eaten garbanzo beans and couscous the night before. (Getting down to the end of our dried good storage). We were happy to stay at Guest House Erali where Andy and Dawn parked in the yard behind and slept in the camper and Nicholas booked a room. Hot showers all around!

    [​IMG]
    Heading back out of the valley where the observatory was

    [​IMG]
    Side trip to see cave paintings

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    Dawn appreciating a rest in the sun

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    Murghab guest house, typical interior decor for Pamiri home

    [​IMG]
    Home cooked Tajik dinner! See grandma chef at window. We were joined by a French cyclist and climber, riding 200km a day to Nepal.

    [​IMG]
    Photo with our host (and chef) and her grandchild

    Day 10 - 210km to Tajik border, 4.5 hours driving
    We left our guest house with cheerful goodbyes and continued on our way to the border with Kyrgystan. (Another side note, known as the Kyzyl-Art border, this border requires a pre-registration for all travelers, we used a service, Destination Pamir, to do this for a cost of $15 per person. We worked with Erali who owns both Destination Pamir and the guest house - Erali Guest House - where we stayed in Murghab. It worked well for us - he sent us confirmation of border registration by Whatsapp and we had no issues. We had heard of a lot of travelers having trouble trying to register themselves and decided it was worth paying in advance for the security).

    The security check point on this route was the only one where the military tried hard to get a bribe. We did not have copies of our passport and they told us (trying really hard with a straight face) that we would have to go back to Murghab and make copies for them. Other checkpoints had asked about copies (which we could have made in Dushanbe but did not think to) but usually when we said we did not have them they just took photos with their phones. At this checkpoint they tried for money, cigarettes or food none of which we offered up. In the end, Nicholas provided some fabric tape to help them fix their volleyball and we were let through.

    [​IMG]
    Stopping by and old Silk Road Caravanserai en route

    [​IMG]
    Crossing the pass at 15,300 feet - we were getting accustomed to being at high altitudes

    [​IMG]
    Coming down the other side of the pass

    We crossed the border into Kyrgyzstan with no issues and continued our journey to Sary Tosh we camped at the base of Peak Lenin then eventually headed east to China.

    A few lessons learned on the Pamir Highway route that we chose:

    • Come prepared with plenty of food and supplies! For travelers, this area is infamous for minor stomach issues. As visitors we are not used to the spices and microbes in the local foods, although we mostly cooked our own food, we all got grumbly stomachs after eating at local establishments. We also ran out of our own fresh food (limited by our refrigerator space) and were unable to resupply for over a week.

    • Don’t count on cell coverage - we had minimal cell contact for about seven days we were glad that we had pre downloaded plenty of maps.

    • To make check points easier, bring some copies of your passport picture page and your GBAO permit.

    • There is no garbage service. People are using personal burn barrels and recycling container waste. We went several days without finding anywhere to drop off our garbage - mostly food related from cooking. Eventually we did find some public garbage drop offs but we carried a few day of garbage before finding them.
    • Be prepared for sustained, high altitude driving and camping. May want to consider getting a prescription for Diamox
    That’s all we have! Thank you for reading and we hope some of this detail will be helpful to others planning a similar trip. Safe travels out there.
     
    Last edited: Oct 28, 2024
    Nevin, soundman98, RockBunny and 14 others like this.
  11. Oct 21, 2024 at 7:50 AM
    #1651
    TenBeers

    TenBeers Well-Known Member

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    Yeah.
    That's all you have? So lame.

    Kidding, what an awesome post! I was wondering about the altitude on this part of the trip as I was going through the photos, then you answer my question. A pass at 15,300 feet is pretty high. I'm guessing you spent a lot of time at over 12k elevation.
     
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  12. Oct 21, 2024 at 11:01 AM
    #1652
    MR E30

    MR E30 Well-Known Member

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    Wherever it's parked
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    Wow, simply wow.

    This is remarkable, what a trip! Stacy and I pay close attention to this as our world trip gets closer and closer.
     
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  13. Oct 21, 2024 at 11:48 AM
    #1653
    dilbert

    dilbert AI Member

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    This expedition should be a National Geographic series. Thank you for taking the time to to share so much from this amazing journey. As a parent of two older teenagers, I especially love seeing your adult children show up for various legs of the trip. I'm always excited when I see an update to this thread.
     
  14. Oct 22, 2024 at 2:51 AM
    #1654
    TacoTime55

    TacoTime55 TT58

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    Great Thread!!!

    Thank you for posting detailed updates.
     
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  15. Oct 22, 2024 at 8:23 AM
    #1655
    Round the world

    Round the world [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Funny guy!!

    Yeah we forgot to mention the high altitude. During a 7 day stretch, our campsites averaged 11,000 ft, peaking at over 14,000'. Luckily, the previous week we had worked our way up averaging about 6,000 ft. Still, the mornings were cold some of them frosty.
     
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  16. Oct 22, 2024 at 8:26 AM
    #1656
    Round the world

    Round the world [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Thank you. This was a long-awaited, highlight! It met our really high expectations. I look back at the photos and just smile.
     
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  17. Oct 22, 2024 at 8:40 AM
    #1657
    Round the world

    Round the world [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Wow! Thank you so much! Be delighted to have them sponsor us...
    It has been a special pleasure for us to have all three of our adult children one at a time and together, come with us on our journeys.
     
  18. Oct 23, 2024 at 9:34 PM
    #1658
    Round the world

    Round the world [OP] Well-Known Member

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    PXL_20241009_055408971.RAW-01.COVER~3.jpg

    Second time changing these (120,000 miles). What a PITA! Big shout out to Team Oil Drop for their how-to video, very helpful!
     

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  19. Oct 24, 2024 at 10:01 AM
    #1659
    Canadian Caber

    Canadian Caber R.I.P Layne Staley 67-2002

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    Hopefully you didn't receive knock-off plugs. They can cause trouble.
     
  20. Oct 24, 2024 at 10:40 AM
    #1660
    skiierman

    skiierman Kyle

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    Great updates as always!

    Any ideas why the French man built out a Tacoma instead of just building a Hilux?
     

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