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.

Visa

We succeeded in getting all the necessary visa for the first part of our trip. We will get the visa for Libanon at the airport upon arrival, Syria is arranged, Turkey can be obtained at the border and also the visa for Iran are ours.

After Iran we will cycle into Turkmenistan and for that country you can get a transit visum if you have a visum for Uzbekistan. The visa for Uzbekistan is in our passports! Therefor we will have to arrange three visa in Teheran: Tadjikistan, Kyrgistan and China. How long will that take? We'll see.

Visa

Arranging all visa requires a detailed planning since most of them are only valid for three months. Too short to travel all countries on our way... While travelling we will have to arrange some visa, most of those we will try to get in Teheran.

On beforehand we need at least the following visa: Syria, Iran and Oezbekistan and hopefully also China (6 months, double entry). For Libanon and Turkey a visa is required but can be arranged at the airport or at the border.

At the moment the visa for Syria are in, and our passports are now at the Embassy of Iran in The Hague. With three weeks this will last a bit longer than expected, making the planning for Uzbekistan's and Chinese visa a bit tight but not impossible.

In Teheran we will hopefully be able to arrange a 7 day transit visa for Turkmenistan and also visa for Tadjikistan (including Khorog and Murgab) and Kyrgyzstan.

For the time being things are under control.

Gear

I thought it was a good idea to publish a short list of the gear that we are planning to take with us. It is not complete but it will give you an idea of what is needed for a trip like this.

Bikes (custom build by Snel Tweewielers in Utrecht)

Frame: Savanna
Edition: LXT 40 special
Tires: Schwalbe Marathon XR
Led lights: front & rear
Saddle: Terry Viago
Pedals: Shimano combi
Brakes: Magura hydraulisch

Luggagebag: Ortlieb Packsack
Front bags: Ortlieb Plus Rollerserie
Rear bags: Ortlieb Plus Rollerserie

Clothes for cycling in hot and cold weather

Clothes for tourism

Clothers for hiking

Two pairs of shoes (one for cycling with SPD)

Cooking gear (burner, pans, etc.)

Waterfilter

Drinking bottles, themos flask

Camping gear

Tent, Mattrass, Warm sleeping bag

Klamboe

Toiletteries

Tools

First aid-kit

Medicine

Formalities (passport, visa, maps)

Gadgets (iPod, binoculars, camera, camcorder)

The plan

Half a year has passed since we took the decision to travel the silk roads by bike in the footsteps of Marco Polo. After some years of dreaming, some months of thinking and some weeks of planning we came to the conclusion that the plan is feasible.

Janneke and I will travel unknown countries with different cultures, passing ancient cities, through deserts and rough mountains on our way to China. We will start our journey in Beirut, Libanon on April 13th. From there the route goes through Syria, Turkey, to Iran. Then onwards to the Central Asian region with Turmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tadjikistan and Kyrgyzstan until we reach the country of the middle: China. We will cross China from East to West: Kashgar, Urumqi, Chengdu to Kunming and from there to Laos and Thailand. The final destiny of our trip is Bangkok where we will be around Christmas 2008.

In August we will visit the Olympics in Beijing. We are not able to get there in time by bike, therefor we will fly from West-China to Beijing. We make a short break of one week when we fly from Beijing to Amsterdam to attend to important parties. First the wedding of Janneke's brother and my friend Jorrit with Nienke, and second my father's 65th birthday and my parents 35th wedding anniversary.

After this time-out we will return to our bikes and pick up the journey from there.