Horizons Unlimited - The HUBB - Central Asia Adventure

Dear Adventurers,
the book Head East - Motorcycle Adventure in Central Asia is now online and could be purchased from the link below:
http://rtw-adventures.com/central-as...venture-1.html

Prelude

My name is…

I am just an ordinary guy but what makes me different is the fact that I am a full-blooded motorcycle enthusiast full of passion for adventure, open to new experiences, exciting challenges and in quest of conquering new horizons. Yes, I am your average guy who wants to change his routine existence by setting out and pursuing a dream, entering a new world, a world so different, so unknown and waiting to be explored.

This is my memoir. It depicts my adventures spanning over 2 months and covering a distance of 17,000 kilometers, crossing 11 borders, entering 18 countries and seeing countless, unique, one-of-a-kind breathtaking sights and meeting a whole lot of interesting individuals along the adventure route.

If you are searching for information, inspiration, an amusing read, a good laugh and a true depiction of two wondering souls bravely following and realizing their dream to ride across Central Asia, you’ve literally hit the jackpot and came to the right place. You will accompany us through our journey; witness our ups and downs; jump over all hurdles on the way to our final destination.

This is a voyage, a true test of strength and perseverance, physical and mental endurance aims to drag you out of your comfort zone and throw you in the arms of the unknown and undefeated.

Each day is a true test of survival, a challenge that goes beyond the human strength and can only be conquered by a strong spirit. Each day is a trial and each day is a defeat!

Here is a short excerpt that will validate if you’re ready to face this challenge:

He let us have a small in-between room with two beds that were made quite fast with sheets of plywood. They had a thin colorful mattress on top. An old and quite crooked wardrobe was placed at on one wall, while the other was a lacquered dressing table with a mirror. It turned out that we had a neighbor as well. A bank manager from Zurich, Switzerland. Our rooms were partitioned with a thick rug instead of a door, but who pays attention to these sorts of things in Tajikistan? He was in his late fifties with totally gray hair. His face and hands were severely sunburned; the sun being something that he had most obviously underestimated. He spoke English and was sincerely happy when he learned that we could communicate. He was travelling by bicycle. He had been planning this trip for a long time. He wanted to escape the stress in Zurich and to travel Pamir by bicycle. He had flown to Dushanbe, from where he departed 5 days ago realizing that the task at hand was beyond his strength. He had arrived a few hours before us. He had passed only 250 km and had another at least a 1000 more to go. He was feeling that he had reached the utmost of his abilities and had become quite distressed and down.

“I can’t quite grasp where I am, it’s awful really, this broken down road, the dust, the trucks, the sand…and the heat is just killing me, I won’t be able to, and I give up. Tomorrow I am going home,” he was lamenting.

“Wait a second,” I tried to console him. “You can always give up and, when you go back, what? I am sure it’s not any better at the bank. I am sure that’s another hell altogether, did you forget?”

“I don’t know, I didn’t expect it to be so hard,” he was shaking his head. “I won’t be able to.”

“Look now,” I continued. “Rest a day or two. Gather your strength, it would be a real pity to give up at this point, you are almost half-way there!”

“Half-way? I am nowhere, my climb hasn’t even started yet – no, I won’t be able to.” He was stubbornly insisting.

“Look what I am going to tell you now,” I kept on convincing. “Come with us now, we’ll have something to eat, to drink some of the magic potion of my colleague here, we’ll talk and tomorrow, if you still feel like it, you can return. In any case you can’t depart now. Each day that you survive here is a major achievement. It is a defeat that you will always remember when you sit down at your desk at the bank. Take it one day at a time. This way, you don’t have to think how you will make it to the end, just focus on how you’ll end the day. You see how easy it is?”

“Yes, you are somewhat right, but…” he was being demure.

“There are no buts my man, this is not you making estimations on the potential bankruptcy of the bank or some sort of a credit risk or whatever you call it. Here you decide, you either win or, you lose. Every day is a win, come, let’s go eat, then we’ll speak again.” I concluded my lecture series.

“You might be right,” he said thoughtfully and we went out in the yard.

The host brought us our dinner which was included in the price. It contained a soup, a large salad, home-made bread and watermelon. We filled our glasses with the elixir, chatted while the sun slowly descended behind the hills. The river was crashing loudly at the shore under us and one more fantastic day was coming to an end. We quickly emptied our glasses and our new friend became increasingly more pleased and content. A short while before we headed off to bed, he said thinking:

“Yes, you convinced me, I will stay. I will rest a few days and I will continue. Thank you very much.”

“Right, I even sometimes manage to convince Mitaka, so convincing you is not even a challenge,” I said in all seriousness. Let’s go kill the mosquitoes, cause otherwise we won’t be able to get any shut eye. And don’t forget, each day is a conquest!”

The same applied for us, each day was a defeat. Another battle won – our own personal battle.