Hi Donkey,

Lots of beautiful places to visit. Georgia is stunning. Kazakhstan has beautiful national parks off the beaten track though, Uzbekistan has stunning historic towns. Do not miss Khiva. It is wonderful! Then go via Bukhara and Samarkand.

I did not get to Tajikistan 2 years ago (riots and Pamir closed). I will try this year. So for now I cannot comment.

Kyrgyzstan is stunning. The road from Osh to Bishkek (Still part of the Pamir highway technically!) is one of the most spectacular roads I have ever been through.

Osh is a pleasant town to stop and do repairs and rest. Contact Home - MuzToo Central Asia Motorbike Travel (I think Patrick is still over there?) if you need a mechanic or tyres or parts…. Helpful guy. He organises bike tours but he may be of help.

Good climate in Osh, decent hotels and internet, and you can even eat great salads (and pizzas!) at the California Café without fear of Deli Belly!

The Altai is absolutely stunning. Try to explore a bit before crossing into Mongolia. On the way, in Manzherok, you can contact Алтай-МОТО. Vladimir has now space for people in the moto-house and also a big workshop for repairs/tyres/spare parts. His main business is Siberian Enduro Events organisations, Enduro Schools/promotion and Enduro guided tours of the Altai, but he can be of help to travellers. He is a really nice guy and give good advice.

In Uzbekistan take enough cash with you as there are hardly any cash machines and they are usually broken. And most banks (and big hotels) won’t give you advance on your card. Usually because “the machine is broken” or they don’t have Dollars/money! It can turn into a massive problem, so bring enough dollars to get by. Euros can work but better rate with $$$.

Crossing the Russian Altai, it is really worth taking the short cut from Oskemen / Shemonaika border and taking small short cuts rather than main road through Semey. The main road is loaded with trucks and no fun. The short cut is detailed here in the HUBB by Walter Colebatch and is stunning (the shortcut I mean, not Walter )!

I will travel again across northern Russia, and the Stans this summer. I will report back when I come back end of September. So I may give you more recent info

And don’t forget vaccinations. TBE (Tick Born Encephalitis) is taken extremely seriously by the Russians, so it must be really bad. They even have special insurances for tick bites illnesses, so make sure you get vaccinated and you are careful with ticks.

That’s all for now! See how busy I am at work

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Maria

www.franglais-riders.com