The Route

The Route

These are the last couple of days before we start our trip along the Silk Road in the footsteps of Marco Polo.

On Sunday the 13th of April we will fly to Beirut from where our trip will begin. On average we will make 60km a day, rest days and other tourism included.

Our trip will take us through Lebanon, Syria, Turkey and Iran. Passing these countries will take about two months.

After the Middle-east we will cycle into Central-Asia to the former Soviet Republics of Turmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tadjikistan and Kyrgyzstan. This will take us roughly two months as well. Probably with lower daily averages because of deserts and high mountain passes. Here we will also visit the famous Silk Cities of Bukhara and Samarkand.

In the beginning of August we hope to arrive in Kashgar, Western China. The Taklimakan desert we will not cross entirely by bike. Probably we will take trains for some stretches. From Urumqi we will fly to Beijing to see the Olympics. So far we have tickets for two nights of Athletics and Rowing. We are still hoping for more tickets but if we cannot get them, we will celebrate in the Holland Heineken House ;-). A good warming up for the wedding party of Jorrit and Nienke!

We will be back home for a week to attend two important celebrations: the wedding and my father's 65th birthday. After this is all over we will retrace to Urumqi to find our bikes and to continue our journey.

First further East, still around the Taklimakan desert. Then south to the cities of Chengdu and later Kunming. This must be a fantastic part with beautiful mountains and nature, also rich in culture with plenty of interesting sites and monastaries.

The last part will take us through Laos and Thailand. Along the Mekong river for a part and through the jungle. In Thailand we will relax and enjoy our experiences. At least one week of kayaking, snorkling and camping is our reward.