Ka Pai Kiwis

We have a BIG day today 400km including a border crossing in this heat! We got away at 5:30 on the dot. A quick stop for gas and we hit the road. The road was not great, lots of broken asphalt littered with wheel buckling potholes. Very soon the heat began, hotter and hotter. This is desert country. By the time we reached the border at 10:30 it was 44 in the shade. The border was straightforward but just long winded. Go here go there, passport, stamp, visa, bike passport all the usual stuff. A nice lady in the customs house allowed us to wait  in the customs house which was air conditioned and fetched a chair for Robyn, then the boss man man arrived pushing his weight around and turned the a/c unit off. What a prick. A nice couple from Finland pulled in behind us, so we introduced ourselves. They have a similar route planned at least as far as Khyrgistan so we may have some company for a while. They are also young like us! Us on the road  We set off in convoy at aro...

This morning we traveled about 40km to the ancient city of Merv. This 2000 hectare world heritage site was a major city in the silk road. Different rulers, cultures and religions had their day. It dates to the 7th century BC and survived until the 1300’s when once again the great Ghengis Khan razed it to the ground. There is not too much of the original left to be fair except the remnants of the wall fortifications and towers. .This hawk was sitting right at the top in one of the alcoves of the mausoleum  It is amazing to see though, a mausoleum and a temple have and are being faithfully restored. What Ghengis didn’t demolish, time and the elements have weathered the mud brick construction to almost oblivion. It is amazing to stand in this place of history and the crossroads of so many civilizations and to think of the blood that has been spillt here.  There are traffic police absolutely everywhere, not only at the usual checkpoints but statione...