Two UAE residents embark on 13,000km journey through Central Asia
While this may sound as outlandish as it gets, it is something that many passionate travelers, more specifically Kizhakkekara Neelancheri Rajith and his friend Binish Krishnan, who excitedly had breakfast in Kazakhstan, and had dinner in China — prominent travel hubs located thousands of miles from each other, within a period of 24 hours, might seem envious.
United in their foreign appetites, the two adventurers made their way for their trip of 13000 KM ending up in southern India, for which they had to take a three-week journey through Iran , Central Afghanistan (which includes Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan and ended in Kazakhstan) before successfully traversing the mountainous landscape of Nepal within a span of around forty days eventually ending up reaching the southern Indian state of kerala.
Marathon drive
The commencement of the journey was done on the 26th of August from Abu Shagara, with the ever-growing Dubai skyline fading away in the rear screen as they prepared themselves to plunge deeper into the journey.
Carrying 20-25 tins of Kerala’s instant curries, maps, medicines, car tools, repair kits and above all, themselves, the two embarked in their Toyota 4Runner, the sound of the engine suggesting the commence of great things.
“I began to think about it in 2019. My friend wanted to do something unusual. I am a hiker and my friend is an expeditioner. However, crossing into other countries while driving was really stressful because it involved a lot of documentation and excessive movement particularly to get the visas. We called several embassies for more information. It was February when we initiated this process and by July end we had our visa forms.” said Rajith.
The 31 year old stated that they needed this special permit for travel to the Pamir mountains, the highway, and the GBAO (Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region).
“Because a portion of the Pamir highway runs along the border of Afghanistan, it is mandatory to take this measure and present these additional papers since the army occupies this area during these construction works. On the way there we crossed about ten of such control points each of which required all our documents to be presented,” he continued.
The two of them drove non-stop all day long, but had to make allowances for the fact that they would need to sleep in a ‘proper’ bed or, when need be, camp at a more respectable setting.
Ancient landscapes in Iran
Upon entering Iran where the first stop was, Rajith and Binish were welcomed by the friendliness of the people, the mesmerizing ancient landscapes, and the colorful markets of the cities.
As for Binish, who owns a business in Dubai, he stated, “We saw some historical places, are probably the best Persian food one can find, and admired the beautiful buildings of Iran, for three days. Then we came into Turkmenistan after entering the heat of the desert which changed into a vast empty area. Initially, the itinerary did not include Turkmenistan but we added it in order to see the ’Darvaza gas crater’ which is a natural gas burning pit drilled by Soviet engineers in 1971. Gas can be perceived the moment you step into the place. It is an incredible geological phenomenon in its own right.”
After this vacation, the mountains of Uzbekistan could be seen from afar now and her pull was towards Samarkand known for its glory in the Silk Road.
“The blue-tiled mosques were a marvel with the intricately designed building,” says the 40-year old.
Highest and most dangerous roads
The two then made their way towards Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan where they were-honestly-presented with stark beauty in the form of mountains, such geographical features as high mountain passes, and horseshoe roads. They spent two days on the so-called Pamir Highway, one of the highest and probably the most dangerous roads in the world.
The high mountain passes, hairpin bends reached out for their driving experts. At times the cliffs on the side of the road seemed overly dangerous; nonetheless, they carried on.
Nevertheless, there is no such undertaking that will be without its share of hitches that are on most occasions perceived as salt to a journey.
“I remember we had a tyre puncture on the Pamir highway, the second highest international road in the world. Well, we managed to navigate that,” said Binish.
Cracked windshield
Nonetheless, their journey through Turkmenistan took a rather surprising turn. A stone suddenly hit their travelling car and cracked the windscreen.
''The jagged edges inscribed in the glass looked like the outline of a spider’s web depicting the descent of the crack. It may not have been shattered, but it obstructed our view as it grew bigger and bigger. We have surely seen the world through a shattered windshield. All the scrapes in it flashes a scene. Finally, we got into Uzbekistan where one of the mechanics, a local, found some help and fixed the broken part for the time being. ''
After the terrifying mountain roads, Kazakhstan came as a pleasant surprise. They spent three days there, recuperating from the stress of the former few days.
‘’Talking about the transforming scenery, Binish could not help but add. ‘But it was an experience crossing over to China.’’’
He said, ”When we were having the conference in China, it was on September 11 and the first thing which one got to gaze at was the bewitching mountains on our right after crossing the boarder.T’Was TDY travel in India, ‘In a minute flat however, the scenery morphed into high gigantic sand hills.’ There we went after an insider and went dune bashing in the Gobi desert. By the evening, we were in Tibet with its high mountains and the Himalayan range. ”
“T’Was TDY travel in India,’’ The stage roads through China started and ended in the Tibetan plateau. ” Rijith added, ‘’ Although mountain passes in China were thrilling and quite dangerous, the backdrop of Everest in the distance was absolutely breathtaking.”
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