Langar to Alichur, (5/X); 2nd July

2nd July

The road out of Langar was immediately very challenging. Very steep gradient on gravel or sandy road was very tough. Several times the rear wheel spun out as we struggled to get enough traction, which made it additionally tiring.

The bridge before this point had been washed away, so this was the alternative point to cross the river. Ice water so feet were very cold.

However, the views changed as we ascended and became much more interesting. There were times where the rock on the Afghanistan side was a red/ orange hue which was slightly mesmerising. It was certainly the best views from the Wakhan valley floor so far and I was glad we’d chosen this route over the M41.

About 23km in we turned a corner and saw a 4x4 with a Malaysian flag on it! The couple had driven from Malaysia and were heading towards Germany. They were very kind and gave us two bottles of Coca Cola from their fridge, as well as some serving of a meat floss called Serunding, a Malay style dish, which was absolutely delicious, packed with spice and flavour — a big contrast to a lot of the Central Asian dishes we’ve been having which I find can get a little repetitive.

A few KMs down the road, we bumped into another car with Malaysian plates, this time driven by a couple from Singapore, as well as a motorcyclist who had driven from Malaysia.

We found a camp spot behind an abandoned building around 6pm. A short day of 35 KM but very tiring, with the climbing in difficult terrain.

I guess this is an old bus stop, from the Soviet period, now derelict and almost destroyed

Tomorrow the plan is to reach Alichur, the first town from Langar, where we left today. The drivers from Malaysia recommended a home stay there with a Russian sauna which I am really looking forward to. It will be a difficult day though — we are camped at around 3500M, and tomorrow we go to 4310M, followed by a descent into the town.

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