Afghanistan central route heading east
Days 54, 55 and 56, 10380 km
Day 54 - Today was our first day riding off-road in Afghanistan, and wow, what a day it was. We had to wake up at 5:45 AM to tackle a long stretch of 180 km to Chesht-e Sharif. The route was mostly piste/track with plenty of bumps, gravel, stones and sandy sections. I mean a LOT. 160 km of bumps. It wasn't too hard to ride, but it was definitely tiring. We had to stay super focused to avoid hitting any big rocks or sand puddles. The villages are super cute, as soon as you leave the city they are all built with traditional construction methods such as pakhsa (a combination of earth and straw) or mud brick. Water irrigation systems around the villages allow for the green plantations. The villages are simple, it’s like being taken back in time, but clean and well structured. After just four hours, we were already worn out and feeling the heat. Time for a break. We were guided to a fish farm where a lovely family raises salmon. It was the perfect spot for lunch, and the people were wonderful. They invited us to relax for a bit, and we gladly accepted: in no time, both of us were asleep for two hours, dozing away in the cool breeze under the pergola. We passed through three Taliban checkpoints along the way, and they were all super friendly. They always asked for our regional permits and passports, but we didn’t need to show the road passes for our bikes. “Let me ride” the Taliban commanded at one of the check points and Gion handed him his bike. We figured it was best not to discuss the matter…
Day 55 - Both bikes were down on the ground. I lost my footing while navigating a rut on a steep climb, and Gion’s bike toppled over when he tried to lend a hand. My front end was misaligned and needed adjustment. Not a big deal. However, Gion’s bike wouldn’t start anymore due to the floated carb. And now his battery was drained from repeated starting attempts. That’s not ideal in the Afghan mountains. Besides: Also not optimal is that we need a sanitary stop every 30 minutes, Afghani food hygiene has done its thing by now. Ok. Fortunately, we managed to roll the bike down the hill where we remembered spotting a small motorcycle shop just 15 minutes earlier. And that’s exactly what we did. The shop was perfectly located, just for us. The team there handled both our problems, and we were back on the road. It’s a good thing there are probably hundreds of thousands of small motorcycles riding around here, so finding knowledgeable mechanics is easy. The all know how to repair old bikes as ours. The terrain became tougher to navigate, but it also grew more stunning. Flat plains and riverbeds gave way to gorgeous mountain ranges and winding roads. Once again, we rode into the midday sun and stopped at a small shop that let us rest for two hours. We were completely wiped out and overheated. We literally dozed off in the back of the shop on a rug, but the siesta worked its magic. Back on our bikes, we headed towards on our final destination for the day, the famous Minaret of Jam, a UNESCO World Heritage site here in Afghanistan.
Day 55 - evening. We made it to the Minaret just in time for sunset. Standing at 65m tall, it dates back to the 12th century and is nearly untouched. The scenery is breathtaking, nestled in a deep river valley surrounded by towering mountains. The Taliban, as impressive as they are said to be, are the ones guarding the site. They greeted us warmly and helped us transport our gear over the ropeway bridge from the trail to the Minaret, and letting us sleep beside it at the checkpoint. The soldiers of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (that’s what they call themselves) took us for a walk to the fruit trees and showed us how simple and beautiful life can be: the soldiers climbed the trees, shook the branches, we washed the ripe fruits that fell in the small stream close to the camp and we all shared stories over tea. It’s been a nice evening with the Taliban, at a magical place.
Day 56 - We had an awesome sleep and woke up at 5:45 AM. I headed back to the peach trees, climbed up, and shook our breakfast off the branches. After moving our stuff back over the ropeway, we hit the trail towards Chagcharan. The first few hours were fantastic, some of the best riding here; the roads were a bit smoother, allowing us to ride fast on the tracks. The scenery changed from narrow valleys to expansive plateaus. The elevation rose to between 2500 and 2800 meters, and we enjoyed a nice breeze instead of the scorching heat we faced in the previous days. We reached Chagcharan early after 5 hours of beautiful riding. "Hotel," Gion asked? No, the Taliban replied firmly. We mistakenly thought the Taliban headquarters was our hotel, which was actually right next door. While I was editing my photos in the lobby, two armed Taliban came in for tea, and we ended up chatting about Islam and the world. Why not.
