After what seems like endless cups of tea and a mountain of bread I head off, into the head wind of course. I am through the first checkpoint of the GBAO area with no troubles, a small pass and then it is more grinding slowly uphill an into the head wind. The blue skies make way for clouds threatening rain.
After 46km I make it to Mamadzohir, a small homestay I have heard about. The lady the runs it must have seen my coming and is waiting out on the road or me. I am quickly hustled inside, given a mat to sit on next to the stove and plied with tea, bread and cream. I spend a cosy afternoon reading my book.
The weather is worse in the morning, a light drizzle and more head wind. I think about staying at the homestay but decide to head off. The family offers me a lift to the next town but I decline.
After the pass the weather starts to clear, although despite the sunshine the head wind is freezing cold. The rain gear stays on all day.
A tourist van is stopped on the side of the road. One of the tourists hops out to chat and take a photo of me. During our conversation she proceeds to tell me about all the things I am doing wrong. They include wrong type of brake - disc brakes can just seize up,no slime in the tubes, wrong sort of valves in my tubes, no piece of rubber inbetween my tyre and tube to prevent punctures. Before she can continue I make an exit before I say something rude.
After a fairly frustrating day of cycling into the head wind I end up at a guesthouse in Alichur. Somehow I missed the good one that all the other cyclists recommended and ended up at a fairly average place. I confuse the brea there with a brick. During the night someone decides it would be fun to bang on all the windows and doors. It's a bad sleep.
The next day I stock up a lot of water. I know that there is no water until after Khargush pass and I am not sure I will make it there today.
I cycle past a salt lake and make it to the turn off to the Whakan Valley. I sit there for 20 minutes eating and contemplating my decision, shorter and paved or longer and a terrible road. I take the turn off. Soon enough the road turns to loose gravel/ sand. I make my way past another salt lake and eventually over the pass. It feels bitter sweet to be going over the last pass of my pamir/ whakan adventure.
I find a great spot to camp near a little stream, just managing to cook, eat dinner and set up before the sun disappears over the hill. I have a great view of the Koh-i-Pamir massif in Afghanistan. Although I am camped at about 4160m there is no frost, part of the creek is frozen over in the morning though.
2/9 Murghab - Mamadzohir: rode 46km, ODO 1884km
3/9 Mamadzohir - Alichur: Rode 60km, ODO 1944km
4/9 Alichur - Just past Khargush pass: rode 50km, ODO 1954km
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