Murgab

After the previous day's difficult ride I got moving slowly. It was only a few kms to the village of Alichur. It was an odd place, sitting in the middle of nothing. There were no trees, no crops of any kind. The climate was too harsh for anything other than grass to grow. The houses were clustered along an axis parallel to the highway with wide spaces between each. The only asphalt was that of the highway. It had a real frontier town feel. By chance I met a guy who spoke English who took me 'shopping'. I needed some provisions. The shops (magazin in Russian) were all hidden away in people's houses. I'd never have found them by myself. Afterwards I went to his cafй for my second breakfast which included some fried yak meat (delicious).

After Alichur I continued East along the valley. A small river snaked along the valley floor which I suppose must grow in size in Spring though it didn't have wide gravel banks & there was a lot of grass & tussock growing on its banks. There was a gentle climb of 300m over 50km from the village to the 4137m Neizatash Pass. Along the way I was treated to stunning views of the Northern & Southern Alichur Ranges. Dotted on the valley floor were yurts, with their herds of cattle, sleep, goats or yaks all over the place.

From the top of the pass to Murgab was a wonderful freewheel down excellent quality asphalt. The road wound through some spectacular alpine country. I was glad that the road surface permitted me to gaze around & the gradient made getting going after a photo break easy. It was relatively easy cycling to Murgab. Even so it was a long day & I arrived in town tired & hungry.

I'd hoped to get rid of some of my excess Somoni on slightly luxurious accommodation (actually that was just an excuse, after the rigours of the Khargush pass I felt like pampering myself).My guidebook recommended a guesthouse run by a NGO called ACTED. Unfortunately it seemed that it wasn't open to 'walk ins'. I found a replacement with the help of my French friend Sebastien, who I'd bumped into by chance on the way into town.

Murgab was a bit like Alichur but on a bigger scale, being the district capital. Even though it was wired for electricity the only stuff about when I arrived at the guesthouse was that from their generator which they fired up when I arrived. I was told that some time late at night the town supply would be turned on. Both would do a good job at recharging those of my devices that needed it. I took a short walk to my friend's hotel with torch in hand, the town was eerily silent at 9:30pm.

I cycled 116 km in 7 hours & 45 minutes
Total so far 8112 km in 118 days