TAJIKISTAN / KHYRGYZSTAN

ROUTE from duchambe to och via pamir:
- easy to get out of duchambe via ayni street, then flat good road for 20 km aprox till a roundabout where you turn left for the northern road to khorog
- then roadquality is so so sometime, but they are working on it
- the further you are, the worse it is: up and down till the base of the pass with one cp at the cross road with the direct road to khirghistan (the boarder is closed for foreigners, info from a japanese cycler who tried and had to pay 100 dollars to pass)
- the end is asphalt
- on cp before pass after a cross-road with a bridge for khorog: no problem
- the pass is not really steep on good asphalt road and leads down to a nice gorge to reach kalaikim (on check post before it and in it)
- some shops there and good water
- road to khorog is quite good. more traffic, easy cycling
- khorog bazar not too bad but don't expect much - some pasta 1.7/kg, snickers 1.5, tea...
- internet is very slow but the last one before och
- road to ishkashim is easy cycling and good
- ishakashim: only time our GBAO have been asked!, bazar and food
- flat road, mainly asphalt till langard, shops on the way (zong better than langar)
- at the end of langar, left on the cross road: be ready for a really steep climb on sandy road = push
- there are many water points on the way, don't carry any from langar
- the first 15km took us 4 hours
- then easier cycling: sandy road but not really steep
- before the pass: check post, no problem
- pass really easy, water just before (close to a farm selling milk)
- down to the main road of pamir high way: some part really bad parts of the road, less water, some corrugation on the last flat km before the main road
- main road = asphalt: perfect till murgab, the pass on the map is not a pass, tail wind, very easy
- one cp before murgab
- after bridge in murgab: eli hot springs (40 km): nice place for relaxing and avoiding dusty murgab
à use the hot water for bathing and washing (5h cycling, mainly flat except in the end) 

murgab
theoretically a registration is required, 15 dollars / 24 somoni plus ecologic tax = one dollar a day
we paid nothing, just don't go there and don't stay long in murgab. they asked nothing after murgab and at the border à avoid staying a long time if you're not registrated

BAZAR: is really poor but there is petrol (bad 2.8 somoni) and basic food (snickers!) they sell some vegetables, home made in big glasses container = great with pasta (45 som), rice 5 somoni, pasta 1.9

HOTEL: hotel murgab, 5 som correct

ROUTE from murgab to och:
- 60 km flat, up, head wind, then 5 km steep for the 4600m pass with asphalt
- some bad road with corrugation for karakol but mainly OK
- home stay in karakol, not really good according to other cyclers who stayed there
- chinese border is closed to foreigners (2 american cyclers tried in vain and they even spoke chinese)
- the pass after karakol is easy but some steep sections
- check post after the pass, no problem
- other side of the pass road is so so till the border, glue asphalt and then no asphalt and corrugation and head wind
- take care: only few water points there, one river far away from the road and bad water if no filter (we didn't have one)
- small climb to the border, no problem, then 2 km up to the pass and khirghistan

KHIRGHISTAN:
- khirghize border is far away: bad road. they don't give a stamp and allmost don't check your passport!
- flat till sary tash but really really strong side wind

sary task:

MONEY: some few exchange opportunity (1 dollars = 40 som as the best deal, expect 38 or 39)
FOOD: some food, good bread

ROUTE:
- after sary task: few km flat, water along it, then small pass, mainly asphalt (3650m top) but it's not the real pass
- down 3 km, water on left side, (bread kumisse), then 3km of upwards to the real pass
- then steep down, beware of dogs around yurtes, restaurant (caffee) on the way with good food for less than a dollar (and gulash)
- flat down till gulcho, easy, then another pass (not steep but long and in two times, top 2575m altimeters)
- then down to och and it's bazar full of everything!!!

och:
FOOD:
snickers 15 com, cooked vegetables 30 com, sugar 34com/kg, rice 26 com/kg
haven t sleep in och, but used some good internet points

ROUTE och - bishkek - along the main road
- leave och as you arrived, then left on the big cross road for the brilliant road: flat with perfect asphalt till jalalabad (ozgon: nice bazar, jalalabad too)
- the road is brilliant till bishkek, except 14 km (which they are actually building after tash kommur)
- 2 passes: the first one (alalabell) is easy, good asphalt, not steep, after it there are lots of yurtes and huge dogs!!!
- second pass is steep but short and there's a tunnel on the top, quite dangerous, try to follow a truck
- cafes all the way, cheap and good, honey for sale before alalabell pass (120 som/kg)
- in karakol and toktogul: small bazar with everything
- from the tunnel pass down and flat till bishkek!
- road traffic on the last 60km (after cross road)

bishkek

RESTAURANT:
fat boy: expensive  for small plate

HOTEL: sary chelek hotel, 500 com for a double room, it's so so

BIKE SHOP: antonkochetkov@mail.ru phone: home 996312620633, mob 996543912060
down soviet toward north till jibek jolu crossword, continue soviet rd. after this crossroad for 150m, then first small alley on the right: number 43, right hand side (private house)
they have many spare parts, mainly sram (giant), and anton is a really good mecanic

FLAT FOR RENT = good, really good!
katia 0502514090, mobile 0503234824, no english except if you're lucky and her daughter is there!
Cost = from 500 to 700 per day, depending the flat (ours: kitchen, satelite tv, bathroom, place for bikes, really really a good bargain, room for 2 to 4 people)

MONEY: bank cash advance: 2% commission for visa, 3% for master card

FOOD: pladza super market: european food, but expensive

INTERNET: good, fast and 24 hours

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