Taklamakan

Before I knew it, we’ve done another lap around the sun. It’s the last day of December, and a new year is just hours away. Sipping a Turkish coffee and peering out of the window of our high rise over the snow-covered roofs of Shanghai, I’m quietly watching the final moments of 2018 draw to a close.

Before this year becomes a memory, it’s time to take one last glance over my shoulder and savor the journeys, the challenges, and the adventure of such an awesome year before jumping headlong into 2019.

The past twelve months have been four action-packed seasons of continual travel, questing, and adventure, both on and off the bike. It’s been a series of nonstop journeys all about getting out there. It was a year of spending time in incredible places, meeting new people, and by chance, a day catching up with one good friend.

Land of the Long White Cloud

Journey to the Southern Hemisphere. Cycling across New Zealand from Bluff in the south to Cape Rienga at the northern tip, a most incredible Kiwi adventure. The family riding for the first part, and solo on the second. Meeting the Maori of the Eastern Cape. Many nights spent camping under the Southern Cross and the Milky Way. Riding to beat the tide along Ninety-Mile Beach.

Wandering on the Eastern Steppe

Inner Mongolia, a land of endless grasslands under everlasing azure skies. Days spent chasing the light along meandering rivers. Tramping through the former lands of the mighty Mongols and Genghis Khan. Pausing on windblown hilltops to capture glimpses of herds of galloping ponies. Capturing faint shadows of the Golden Horde in the corner of my eye. Exploring the sidestreets of Russian border towns. Standing on the edge of the river peering into Siberia. Thinking about adventures for another day.

The Old Silk Road

Xinjiang, a new frontier, and a land of many things. A Silk Road odyssey pedaling into the heart of Asia, a place I’m forever drawn to. Endless days in the saddle making passage in this mysterious land. The Pamir Mountains lie to the west, with the Kunlun forming a border to the south. The Tian Shan runs roughly through the center east to west, and the Altai Mountains are in the north. The Gobi guards the east and the Taklamakan lies in the south between the Kunlun and the Tian Shan — such a rugged land.

Cycling through the ancient oasis cities of Turfan, Kucha, Niya, Khotan, and finally to old Kashgar located on the eastern front ranges of the snow-capped Pamirs provided me with a fleeting glimpse into ancient trade route. Mud-walled homes and dusty palm trees among grape fields and nut tree orchards harkened back to a wilder time, one that still maintains its mystic aura today.

Turning north across the eastern reaches of the Tian Shan. Heading north into the Altai Mountains. Reaching the fringes of the boundless Kazak Steppes whetted my appetite for deeper forays to the stans of Central Western Asia. It’s a land of dense forests and grass-covered hills bisected by turquoise rivers. Lazy woodsmoke emanating from clusters of white yurts wanders up cold valley floors.

Duku Highway

Traversing the heart of the Tian Shan brought me in contact with welcoming Kazaks and Mongols still living in clutches of yurts scattered across the land. Many offering spicy lamb kababs and fresh naan to us as we passed by. Uyghur people inhabited the land to the south of the towering mountain range. Our time on the road was filled with seemingly unending days climbing and descending among massive snow-capped granite giants.

Sands of the Taklamakan

The Taklamakan, whose name means “Those who go in don’t come out.” Also referred to as “The Desert of Death,” the barren land is a sea of endless dunes circumscribed by the northern and southern routes of the Silk Road. Some of the dunes reach a height of a thousand feet. Few have dared to enter. Fewer still returned once they did. The wise and less foolhardy chose to go around, and still do today. Traveling in the shadows of Aurel Stein and Sven Hedin set me to wondering what they would think of Chinese Turkistan today with the endless stream of lorries transporting Chinese goods to the west, and the vast oil and gas fields tapping the rich underground resources.

Time in the Tropics

A couple of short trips to Chang Mai and Phuket in Thailand provided a much-needed respite from the cold winter weather. Thailand is filled with plenty of old temples to explore, cheap beer, savory fare, and friendly Thai people.

Friends Remembered

Time with a loyal friend, a trusty comrade of distant adventures, is among the most savored of moments. Time catching up on old times. Journeys remembered. However, time moves on, but old friends are not forgotten. Bonds remain across the span of time.

The Dream is Alive

A new year is upon us. 2019 is here — the open road beckons. Many dreams still remain unrealized. Time is short, and I’m running behind. I long to feel the free wind blowing in my hair, to spend more time in incredible places. There are still place left to see through the lens of my camera. Lonely highways still yearn to be pedaled. See you out there. Cheers.