Horse-Riding Kyrgyzstan – Part 4 Photos Song Kul to Sale of Sarala
After a couple of days rest at Song Kul, it was time to get back in the saddle and leave this chilly, windy plateau. Return to the valley where the…
Horse-Riding Kyrgyzstan – Part 3 Photos from Family Stay at Song Kul
It had been a long day to reach Song Kul. As soon as I found some puddles of water in the dried-up riverbeds, we stopped to camp for the night.…
Horse-Riding Kyrgyzstan – Part 2 Photos of Naryn to Song Kul Lake
There is so much to tell from the last month horse-riding here. It has been a refreshing change to travel at a(n even) slower speed. It means more time spent…
Horse-Riding Kyrgyzstan – Part 1 Photo Preview
For those who didn’t know, I’ve temporarily left the bike in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan’s capital. And I have bought a horse. He’s called Sarala. He’s a very cool, chilled-out dude who…
Russian Altai part 2 – Photos of Chulyshman Gorge and Lake Teletskoe
I finally met someone who likes all the off-the-beaten-track beaten tracks and mud and dirt and gravel… and it was fortunate I met him where I did. A local family…
Russian Altai – Photos of The Chuysky Trakt
The next proper blog post will have to wait. I have the time to write, whiling away the hours until tonight’s train to Novosibirsk from here in Biysk. But unable…
Last Days in Mongolia – Photos and Blog Dirt-Road biking in Uvs and Bayan-Olgii
[I got a bit carried away with this blog – about time some may say – but if you just want the photos, skip to the bottom] After a few…
Photos of Biking Across Mongolia
Having made it to Kharkhorin and had a look round the Erd Zuu monastery, I was looking forward to beginning the off-road adventures through Mongolia. Alas, progress has been made…
Things are Looking Up – Naadam and Road to Kharkhorin – in maps
Having made the decision not to do a big packrafting trip, the relief was tangible. Finally I felt like I could do things I really wanted to. And I wanted…
The Road to Ulaanbaatar – A Little Less Cycling – in maps
It’s time for a round-up of the last few weeks… you may have noticed, there hasn’t been an awful lot of cycling. I had great plans, but sometimes they don’t…
Naadam Festival – Horse-Racing
The second day of Naadam, I took a bus 40 kilometres out of Ulaanbaatar with Dimitri Kieffer (who is circumnavigating the world by human-power and I’d highly recommend following his journey), who…
Naadam Festival – Archery and Knuckle-Bone Shooting Photos
Sticking around Ulaanbaatar means I’ve had the chance to see some of the Naadam Festival. Essentially one big holiday where families gather to watch the wrestling, horse-racing and archery, as…
Bikepacking to Terelj National Park
I’m here in Ulaanbaatar for the Naadam Festival and until next week when I can get my Kazakhstan visa. The one guy at the embassy who issues them is on…
Gandan Style – Photos of Gandantegchinlen Monastery, Ulaanbaatar
I’m now in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s thriving capital, where half the country’s population lives. Finding it too easy to linger here, I have not yet been packrafting, so instead I’ve been…
A Week Biking Baikal and Buryatia – in maps
Well, it took 8 days to reach the Mongolian border from Irkutsk. As always, the shortest route is not always the quickest!. Here’s how it went. I haven’t been feeling…
Photos of Lake Baikal and Off-Road Biking in Buryatia
It’s started hard and slow out of Irkutsk to reach Lake Baikal. But since then things have been great… it has been long days of hard ups and fun downs,…
Guide to Not Taking a Bike on Trans-Siberian Train
My intention was to fly to Moscow with my bike, and then bring it with me on the trains across Russia to get to Irkutsk, where I would then begin…
An Eye on Irkutsk the Siberian City
I’m liking Irkutsk a lot. It’s a shame I have to leave (but I am looking forward to starting the bike ride). Fortunately, I should be back here in about…
Journey Across Russia – Trans-Siberia
Bundles of Russians and an English touristka trundling across industrial city sprawls that churn smoke to the skies and spew cars along straight roads that cut through the vast swathes…
Made in Kazan
So, I hopped (more like stumbled with heavy feet and loaded rucksack) onto the train in Moscow, bound for Kazan. A ‘short’ overnight train journey that saw me greet the…