From Kyrgyzstan I had planned to make a quick five day crossing through western China, into northern Pakistan, and then finally Mumbai. But when India and Pakistan started fighting this year, India closed the one and only land border between them. So instead I found a group to join (riding through China requires a guide) which over three weeks was crossing through all of Xinjiang, China to the east, then south over the Tibetan plateau into Kathmandu, Nepal where I could ship the bike back to Tbilisi.
To my surprise despite the heavy restrictions and sensitivity of Xinjiang (home of the Uyghurs) and Tibet, we were able to independently go anywhere we wanted and speak to anyone so long as we showed up at our destination at the end of each day. China feels like another planet that would take far too long to describe here so I’ll just say it left me with memories of beautiful people and landscapes.
Crossing into Nepal meant pushing through a fragile dirt road at the border which had been taken out by landslides three times in the two weeks before we crossed, the last one happening the day before we arrived. It honestly didn’t seem possible but the only alternative to not trying was to ride an extra two weeks to Laos with major complications to everyone’s plans. So with the help of many locals we were able to push through on what was certainly the most adventurous day of my life.
After 16,000 kilometers over 97 days on two wheels, and having now sold the bike and all my gear, it feels a bit like I’m missing a piece of myself without knowing if or when I’ll ever be able to do something like this again. But more than that I’m feeling incredibly grateful to have had such an experience and I’ll try as long as I can to hold onto that feeling and carry it with me. It was also lovely to hear from so many people who told me afterwards they were following along the whole time. Sharing those stories made the whole thing that much sweeter. Big thanks to all who were a part of this in any way.
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#overland #adventurebike #bmwgs #china #tibet #nepal
Two months in central asia on a motorcycle.
Georgia > Azerbaijan > Caspian Sea ferry > Kazakhstan > Uzbekistan > Tajikistan > Kyrgyzstan
Planned for six months then threw half out the window.
Surviving off the mantra “It is what it is”. 🙃
Alright Georgia, I’m out! ✌️
A one year stay has turned into nearly three and I’ve come to love this place and the people here. I’ll miss the remote mountain villages, the grannies selling fruit in the summer, parties in beautiful crumbling buildings, the sweet doggos everywhere, the language, and so much more I couldn’t possibly hope to properly express. Thank you to everyone who took me in with open arms and made me feel welcome. See you next time. გენაცვალეთ ❤️
Tbilisi friends! Last party before leaving Georgia at the end month — come through 😎✌️
Opening at 18:00 and then joining the real ones @__kubick and @ika_smallmoves b2b2b at 22:00 ❤️
