The word desert will henceforth be renamed to blamange, or any other after dinner sweet, time for something new and less desert. It's my way of coping. Err, carrot. More...

3 days & 470km out from Kashgar, hot, drink, drink, drink. Basic stops, the temptation too great for rest day here in Aksu, 3 star hotel, luxury, $10 a night! Have a big menu decoder in the back of my phrase-book, any dish i point to, they can make, and was truly delicious after 3 rough days on the road. Unexpected bonus of buffet banquet breakfast included in the price, so am now truly stuffed. It must be what a camel feels like carrying all their supplies in their humps for weeks on end. Someone else's desert photos from Aksu back to Kashgar. More...

Leaving Iran was easy enough, Turkmenistan took a couple of hours form filling, showing the passport every 2 foot, x-raying our bags, declaring all our gear and dollars. And it's off to find a beer, we all sit down in the midday sun (36c) and enjoy our first beer in 4 weeks, with a nice hot desert bike ride ahead. Police check point was fine, the only shade within 20km, not too much hassle. More...