▋Road to the Sky: Pamir Highway, Kyrgyzstan
(Post #3 of "Beating the Unbeaten Tracks” series)
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The most adventurous part of my grand trip in 2018: from Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan to Kashgar, a major city in China’s Xinjiang (so-called) Autonomous Region. I chose a much more strenuous way: moving over the Pamir Mountains, where the average elevation is well above 10,000ft, by some unusual ways: cargo van, martshrutka, hitchhiking, and shared taxi.
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▋The first 700km from Bishkek to Osh was an overnight trip along a mountainous highway on a cargo van, which had a wooden panel above the cargos for you to lay down. Since it was by a cargo van, the trip didn’t start at a bus terminal; instead, it started at a loading area of a giant market.
▋The second part (185km) was by a marshrutka (all-purpose minibus) toward the Pamir Mountains. The vehicle was fully loaded with various commercial goods, food, ingredients, and even a bike and a washing machine! And the driver had to honk very aggressively on sheep herds that blocked the highway.
▋The third part (70km) toward the Kyrgyzstan-China border was done by hitchhiking in a blizzard. I was fortunately picked up by two border officers and safely traveled through the snowstorm.
▋The last 240km inside China was an interesting experience. For political reasons, China was very strict on the border. They literally checked everything, including the data in your phone, computer, camera and USB. On the way there were 4 separate checkpoints and endless wait...
Read more at https://medium.com/@jeromecyang/bd44f58850c3
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▋Previous posts of this series:
How did it feel like to spend 52 hours on a train?
https://medium.com/@jeromecyang/e1ffc2da5f64
A Catholic Cathedral devastated by Protestants
https://medium.com/@jeromecyang/3bb9ca6f6202
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#travel #hitchhike #kyrgyzstan #xinjiang #pamirhighway #osh #marshrutka
