Beinjing and Back WE DID IT!
Yes we are back home after 23 weeks of travelling. It is impossible to summarize the trip and just to say it was marvelous does not remotely do it justice! Despite obstacles such as rock falls, floods, collapsed bridges and landslides and the Chinese Government we made it to China following the northern silk road through Turkey, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. On this route we climbed to 4000 meters and descended to 154 meters below sea level and finally entered china through the high mountain pass where a lonely Chinese soldier stood. A few kilometers later we came to a customs post and they just did not know what to make of us and after an hour of heated discussion it was agreed that they would x-ray our dirty washing in a bag. Through floods and landslides we continued about 100 kilometers were we reached passport control and the promised health check, that meant standing in front of a machine, flashing lots of green lights, until the doctor stand we were fit? The Chinese reacting to Tibet riots and threats to the Olympic torch decided to restrict our visa to 32 days so we spent more time in Kyrgyzstan than was originally planned but that was fine. By late July we reached Beijing and the birds nest stadium which was ringed by a circle of surface to air missiles which seemed quite frightening considering it was the Olympic games that were taking place. The route home was equally demanding north to Mongolia and across the Gobi partially by train, where we stayed and slept in the camper which was violently shaken by the downhill sections of the journey; I don’t think we will try that again and rides at Disneyland or Thorpe park will seem quite timid in future.
From Mongolia we entered Siberia and faced a month long journey across Russia. Again the Russians made life difficult so we had to enter Kazakhstan for 24 hours. Roads barely exist in Siberia and are primarily sand and with endless rain they become quite interesting. I have a great picture of us when we just slid off the ”road” into the side mud. Driving finally through Belarus, Poland, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland seemed quite mild.
We saw some great sights and met great people especially in Iran, Uzbekistan and China and our preconceptions of these countries quickly changed for the better. I will post the best photos on our blog quite soon and am seriously thinking of writing a book to help others make the same journey. Back in France the weather is perfect, but the weeds have taken over much of the garden. No longer can we get a tank full of diesel for less than a Euro (Iran) but we have many new friends who are set to write and email us now we are home.
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What a wonderful journey your memories will last a life time
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