Day 99 - I’m excited to introduce Victoria, the brave girl who chose to purchase my Suzuki DR650. Honestly, I’m thrilled that we met her and Tom, another DR650 enthusiast, outside a coffee shop in Karakol. They pulled in together on a single motorcycle, and by pure coincidence, I asked if it wouldn’t be more comfortable to ride on two bikes instead of one. Victoria jokingly replied, “Do you have one for sale?” and that’s how the story goes. My original plan was to ride the bike back through Russia to Europe next year. However, my wonderful colleagues probably wouldn’t permit another three-month absence… so plan B was to leave the bike parked in Kyrgyzstan and return to ride it there, it’s always nice to have your own bike in Central Asia. Plan C involved riding into Russia up to Yakutsk to embark on the Road of Bones until reaching Magadan. But Yakutsk is 7000 km away… which means just two months of riding through Kazakhstan and Russia only to kick off a new adventure. Ultimately, Victoria was searching for a DR650, and I had one for sale. A perfect match, pure coincidence. I’m delighted that she rides with a group of fellow Australians, all on DR650s, so she’s in great company. Victoria and my motorcycle. For Vic to cross borders with the bike papers still registered in my name, she required a Power of Attorney (in both Russian and English), which we arranged here in Almaty. This was quite a challenge since we both needed a Kazakh IIN (Individual Identification Number), which we had to obtain from the Population Office in Almaty. After a bit of back and forth, I’m pleased to say I’m now half Kazakh :), I have an official Kazakh IIN - and Victoria has the POA for the motorcycle. We took the bike in for a thorough checkup (oil change, valve adjustments, etc.), and everything turned out well.
Day 100 - So this is hard one: The last post! With the bike sold, all we could do was celebrate the trip and so we did. Just like the last time we were here eight years ago with Gion’s brother Len, we wrapped up the day with a visit to the Arasan Spa and then headed to Darejani for some delicious Georgian cuisine. 100 days on the road, 15,000 km traveled, and zero accidents is worth celebrating. We rode over the Alps and Dolomites in Europe, the Pontic Mountains in Turkey, the Lesser Caucasus in Georgia and Armenia, the Alborz Mountains in Iran, the Hindu Kush in Afghanistan, the Pamir Mountains in Tajikistan, and the Tien Shan mountains in Kyrgyzstan to finally reach our destination in Kazakhstan. We were fortunate. Many times over. A full brake and a sliding maneuver on the highway in Iran to avoid a car that suddenly turned left just in front of us, or a small child who ran into the street just ahead of us in Afghanistan could have ended very badly. In both cases, just centimeters separated us from a tragic accident. We also had a few falls that left us sore for days, but thankfully, we escaped without any broken bones. Many fellow motorcyclists weren’t as lucky; we followed their stories, and while they are luckily okay, they had to fly home for treatment and recovery before being able to continue their trip. Riding is risky, and the road can be deadly. We are grateful to be here enjoying this moment; someone must have been looking out for us. We also feel incredibly thankful to have been able to ride together as father and son team, most can only dream of that. And we have met so many amazing people who helped us along the way. People who fed us, took us in for the night, introduced us to their family, showed us the way, showed us their ways, learned us something about ourselves. Thank you, cheers, and here’s to new adventures soon!
