Our Best (And Shittiest) Move Experiences From Ii Years On The Road

 the highest international border crossing the basis Our Best (And Shittiest) Travel Experiences From Two Years On The Road
Standing at 4700m, the highest international border crossing the world, betwixt Tajikistan as well as Kyrgyzstan.

When nosotros started our electrical current adventure of travelling overland from Thailand to South Africa without flying, nosotros idea it would conduct maintain 3 years maximum. Well, inwards our typical roundabout, zilch planned variety of fashion it ended upwardly taking us ii years just to acquire across Asia! If nosotros drew our route on a map, it would belike human face similar a bowl of spaghetti, with no rhyme as well as argue to the madness. That’s just how nosotros locomote – spontaneous, as well as e'er ready to observe a novel adventure!

The other hateful solar daytime nosotros looked at a calendar as well as realised nosotros had reached our two-year anniversary since the lastly fourth dimension nosotros left Commonwealth of Australia – Jan 23rd, 2014. Even though we’ve been travelling off as well as on for vii years, nosotros similar to proceed our journeys split upwardly inwards our minds, putting our travels inwards North as well as Latin America equally a dissimilar chapter inwards our book. In the yesteryear nosotros topographic point together posts on our highlights from 6 months as well as 1 twelvemonth travelling inwards Asia, as well as it was e'er corking to human face dorsum on the goodness times.

 the highest international border crossing the basis Our Best (And Shittiest) Travel Experiences From Two Years On The Road
Jumping for joy on our kickoff hateful solar daytime inwards Asia.

But non every hateful solar daytime has been filled with corking sunsets as well as tasty cocktails, equally nosotros discussed inwards our “Behind The Scenes” post. People inquire us what it is similar to live professional person locomote bloggers, oft assuming that nosotros are “living the dream”. Well, to paraphrase Alex Leviton, a basis shape locomote author as well as Jazza’s writing mentor – “Twenty pct of it is absolutely the dream project yous imagine it to be, 70% of it is drudgery, as well as 10% of it tin live worse than the worst project yous could imagine. But, whoa Nelly, that 20% is good. Very good.” The same tin live said of long-term travel. So rather than only focus on the best of the best, we’ll allow yous guys inwards on some of the shitty times we’ve had on the route equally well.

So to celebrate this momentous occasion, hither is our collection of some of the best, and shittiest, locomote experiences over the lastly ii years.

Would nosotros modify anything? Hell no. Would nosotros produce it again? Hell yes.

The Best Experiences

 the highest international border crossing the basis Our Best (And Shittiest) Travel Experiences From Two Years On The Road

Exploring Hang Son Doong

When nosotros were living inwards Phong Nha, Vietnam, nosotros were given the unique chance to jump on a 6-day expedition to Hang Son Doong, the largest cave inwards the world, working with the local tour operator Oxalis. This is no walk inwards the park, run-of-the-mill tourist cave. It requires some serious jungle trekking, river crossings, spelunking, rappelling, climbing as well as crawling. But to this hateful solar daytime nosotros conduct maintain withal never set eyes on anything equally beautiful as well as spectacular equally the scenes within this colossal cavern. And to top it off, nosotros fifty-fifty got engaged at the border Doline 1, beneath a glorious sunbeam. By far the best memory of our entire lives!

Words can’t trace the magnitude as well as awe that nosotros witnessed within the cave, thus nosotros topographic point together this photo essay of Hang Son Doong instead.

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Our engagement photograph from within the world’s biggest cave. Looking forrad to spending the residual of our lives together!

Visiting The Tsaatan Reindeer Herders

Located inwards the vast as well as remote taiga of Northern Mongolia, visiting the Dukha (or Tsaatan) reindeer herders has been on our listing of things to produce since good earlier nosotros ever planned to come upwardly to Asia. When nosotros eventually constitute ourselves inwards Mongolia, as well as decided not to purchase our ain horses, nosotros spontaneously jumped at the chance to see this unique tribe ourselves. The 500 or thus Dukha people are completley nomadic, as well as are subject on their reindeer to survive. It took a two-day Equus caballus trek to achieve the taiga they were residing inwards for the summer, as well as nosotros spent 3 days with a beautiful family, sleeping inwards a teepee, learning well-nigh their civilization as well as customs. Probably the most memorable affair nosotros conduct maintain ever done.

Read to a greater extent than well-nigh our Tsaatan reindeer herder adventure.

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The ii sons of the Tsaatan menage unit of measurement nosotros stayed with inwards Northern Mongolia.

Hitchhiking The Edge Of Tibet

It was the destination of wintertime when nosotros crossed from Vietnam as well as into China, as well as after a few weeks of travelling the Yunnan province, nosotros started to hear that the “Backdoor to Chengdu” route was open. This traversed through the historic Tibetan Kham province, on the border of the Tibetan Autonomous Region. The portion is populated with 80% Tibetans, as well as in that location are far less restrictions than tin live constitute inwards the TAR. This agency the actual Tibetan sense is to a greater extent than authentic than yous volition acquire inwards Tibet proper. We spent ii weeks hitchhiking around the area, getting rides with monks, camping ground inwards monasteries, skinning yaks with nomads, as well as nosotros fifty-fifty were invited to view a sky brial.

Read to a greater extent than well-nigh our journey along the border of Tibet.

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Two beautiful monasteries nosotros trekked out to inwards the Tibetan Kham province.

Driving The Pamir Highway

Starting inwards Osh, Kyrgyzstan, nosotros rented a 4×4 with a span of backpackers as well as headed into Tajikistan to explore the famous Pamir Highway. Sticking to the border of Afghanistan, nosotros followed the Wakhan Corridor for vii days. This is ane of the highest international roads inwards the world, reaching an height of 4700m inwards a higher identify sea level. Staying inwards local homestays, hiking to mount peaks, bathing naked inwards natural hot springs, checking out 2000-year-old forts, attempting to suspension into active armed forces bases, chasing Marco Polo sheep, bribing armed forces police, it genuinely was an amazing fourth dimension that nosotros volition e'er remember.

Read this article well-nigh the Pamir Highway.

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Amazing, barren mountains on the Pamir Highway.

The World’s Most Dangerous Hike

A 30cm broad timber plank, bolted to the side of a cliff 2000 feet inwards the air, with only the security of a questionable Chinese harness to protect us? There was no way nosotros were going to skip this! In fact when nosotros went to China, nosotros really wanted to produce this to a greater extent than than view anything else. Best. Day. Ever.

Check out the world’s most unsafe hike for yourself!

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Lesh loving life on the “World’s Most Dangerous Hike”!

Our Southeast Asia Motorbike Adventure

A random mesh search inwards Luang Prabang, Laos, resulted inwards us buying ii 110cc Chinese motorbikes for $260 each. Neither of us had much motorbiking experience, but figured nosotros would just ride off into the sunset as well as view what happened. 10 months as well as 15’000km later, nosotros had ridden some of the best (and most dangerous) roads inwards Southeast Asia, as well as seen the coolest off-the-beaten-track destinations inwards the region. Think it’s impossible to acquire a calendar week without seeing some other tourist inwards Vietnam? Well, purchase a motorbike as well as hitting the backroads!

Learn to a greater extent than well-nigh our motorbike adventures, as well as thus acquire purchase ane for yourself!

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Cruising the roads around Southeast Asia’s deepest canyon – Ma Pi Leng inwards Northern Vietnam.

Hot Air Ballooning In Cappadocia, Turkey

Our airplane pilot expertly guided our hot air balloon through the pump of the Love Valley in Cappadocia, barely missing the tops of the fairy chimneys. With a blast of the burners nosotros speedily ascended, soaring high inwards a higher identify the landscape. Silent, calm, stunning. I looked at Alesha as well as she had ane paw on her cheek, a tear welling upwardly inwards her eye. She looked dorsum at me as well as said, “This is just thus beautiful. I can’t fifty-fifty speak.” If you’ve ever met Alesha, yous know that seeing her speechless is a rare occurrence. That’s how sensational hot air ballooning inwards Turkey is. Definitely the to the lowest degree adventurous activity nosotros conduct maintain ever done that nosotros loved the most!

Of course of report nosotros wrote a postal service well-nigh hot air ballooning inwards Cappadocia – it was that good!

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A sight nosotros volition never forget – flight high inwards a higher identify Cappadocia inwards a Hot Air Balloon.

Scuba Diving In Thailand

We honey scuba diving. In fact, it is Alesha’s absolute favourite activity! After originally getting our opened upwardly H2O certifications inwards Utila, Honduras, nosotros are at nowadays qualified rescue divers, with 50+ dives nether our belt as well as nitrox as well as wreck specialties equally well. When nosotros kickoff landed inwards Thailand nosotros spent a hell of a lot of coin diving almost every hateful solar daytime around the islands, loving every 2nd of it! Beach life, hanging out inwards the bounding main yesteryear day, drinking beers with goodness friends yesteryear night. Does it acquire much better? Wasn’t goodness for our budget, but was goodness for our souls.

Read ane of our kickoff ever posts on the blog, all well-nigh scuba diving inwards Thailand.

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Jazza scuba diving off of Koh Lanta inwards Southern Thailand.

Our Own Private Pagoda In Bagan

On our tertiary hateful solar daytime of exploring the incredible temples of Bagan inwards Myanmar yesteryear bicycle, nosotros were getting pretty tired. It was mid-April, the temperature was inwards a higher identify xl degrees, the trails were soft sand as well as it was dusty equally hell. Even though nosotros loved Bagan, it was hard to acquire motivation to pedal around inwards the heat. So ane hateful solar daytime nosotros headed to a major temple, as well as after wandering around with the crowds for xxx minutes or so, nosotros spotted a smaller ane inwards the distance. We rode out there, climbed to the tertiary floor, as well as constitute that in that location was no ane there! We set downward on a ledge inwards the shade, stared out at the iconic scenery, as well as started meditating with the sounds of Buddhist chanting echoing over the plains. We didn’t view a unmarried other person, as well as for almost ii hours nosotros had this ancient pagoda completely to ourselves!

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The incredible temples of Bagan inwards Myanmar.

Camping Next To The “Door To Hell”

We only knew ii things well-nigh Turkmenistan earlier nosotros went in that location – That the upper-case alphabetic lineament Ashgabat is made of marble as well as golden as well as completely deserted, as well as that in that location is a burning gas crater inwards the middle of the desert. Due to the tight visa province of affairs inwards Turkmenistan, it gets pretty hard for travellers to really see this curious spectacle. Luckily nosotros were travelling with Dragoman, which meant nosotros were granted a tourist visa, as well as had a whole nighttime dedicated to camping ground adjacent to the nation’s most amazing attraction! We couldn’t believe that nosotros were sleeping just 100m from the vast, flame crater. Definitely ane of the top five spots nosotros conduct maintain ever pitched a tent!

Read to a greater extent than well-nigh camping adjacent to the Darvaza Gas Crater.

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The ii of us staring into the depths of hell inwards Turkmenistan.

Serenity In The Temples Of Angkor

Everyone wants to see Angkor Wat, as well as nosotros were no exception. But unsurprisingly when nosotros kickoff showed upwardly at sunrise, nosotros realised that “everyone” really meant everyone, as well as that they were already there. The crowds were horrid, with people climbing as well as crawling over each other to acquire that perfect photograph position, selfie sticks flight around threatening to poke eyes out. When the Sun was upwardly nosotros moved onto Bayon, as well as experienced the same scenario. That was until nosotros wandered into a moss-covered rock room on the basis floor, as well as constitute it to live empty. Alesha as well as I only sat on a stone, gazed at the Buddha images all around as well as soaked upwardly the serenity ambiance inwards ane of Southeast Asia’s most pop attractions for almost a total xxx minutes earlier some other tourist wandered in. Hard to believe things similar that tin withal laissez passer on off inwards the UNESCO site’s 2nd most pop temple.

We recommend spending at to the lowest degree three days at the temples of Angkor.

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A beautiful Buddha human face upwardly at the Bayon temple.

The Local Crew At Tan Hoa Village

This was the hamlet that made Vietnam our favourite country! 70km exterior of Phong Nha lies the tiny minority hamlet of Tan Hoa, with only 300 inhabitants, surrounded yesteryear towering limestone mountains as well as dense jungle. We had the peril to pass ii nights in that location on either side of our Tu Lan cave tour, which is something that is non really allowed. But because of our friends who ran the caving company, nosotros snagged some lastly infinitesimal permits. We got incredibly drunkard on rice vino with the locals, sleeping inwards a family’s solid as well as eating amazing nutrient collected fresh from the jungle. When nosotros woke at 7am with a hangover, nosotros went for a walk only to live called inwards to a bunch of people’s houses for to a greater extent than rice vino as well as nutrient earlier heading off for the two-day cave tour. We repeated it all ane time to a greater extent than when nosotros came dorsum from the jungle. Less than 10 foreigners had ever stayed inwards Tan Hoa village, all of them beingness friends or menage unit of measurement of the tour company. The villagers nosotros spent fourth dimension with were amid the most honest, caring as well as generous people nosotros conduct maintain ever met, as well as we’ll live returning to come across them ane time to a greater extent than ane day!

Read well-nigh Tan Hoa village, as well as thus cheque out this article Jazza wrote for Matador Network well-nigh Trung, a local man child who used community-based tourism to opened upwardly a bakery inwards the village!

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Drinking rice vino with the boys of Tan Hoa village!

Seeing Samarkand In Uzbekistan

Ancient mausoleums from the conqueror Timur, set along the historic Silk Road inwards modern hateful solar daytime Uzbekistan. Some of the most amazing sights from our fourth dimension inwards Central Asia. In item the Registan was yesteryear far the most impressive pieces of architecture nosotros conduct maintain ever set eyes on.

Check out to a greater extent than photos of Uzbekistan!

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The Registan inwards Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Oh yea!

Camping On The Great Wall Of China

No see to China is consummate without seeing the Great Wall of China. Well nosotros took it ane pace further, as well as really camped on the damn thing, within a watchtower! After taking hours of (frustrating) populace buses, nosotros eventually trekked out to the Gubeikou department of the Wall as well as pitched our tent. After a sensational sunset nosotros drank a bottle of rice vino as well as hitting the sack. Waking upwardly inwards fourth dimension for the sunrise over the Wall was a surreal experience. Compared to other sections that view literally thousands of people a day, it was just us at Gubeikou. Epic!

Here’s how yous tin camp on the Great Wall of China yourself.

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Look how happy Lesh is to live the only mortal on the Great Wall of China!

Teaching English linguistic communication At H5N1 Buddhist Monastery

We met a monk at the top of Mandalay Hill inwards Myanmar, as well as he asked us if nosotros could come upwardly instruct English linguistic communication at his monastery. We felt completely honoured, but were due to leave of absence the adjacent day. Thinking that nosotros couldn’t missy this opportunity, nosotros extended our remain inwards Mandalay. In the morn nosotros showed upwardly as well as spent all hateful solar daytime pedagogy English linguistic communication to the coolest bunch of kids we’ve ever met! It was only a quick visit, but nosotros loved every 2nd of it.

 the highest international border crossing the basis Our Best (And Shittiest) Travel Experiences From Two Years On The Road
The grouping of kids nosotros spent the hateful solar daytime pedagogy English linguistic communication to inwards Mandalay, Myanmar.

Hitchhiking Across Northern Mongolia

After the Tsaatan adventure, nosotros spent a few days camping ground at Khuvsgul Lake, thus decided to caput west. Rather than conduct maintain the coach dorsum to Ulaabaatar, our goodness friends Dan as well as Christine, and us tried to organise a individual machine to conduct maintain us the four days to Olgii over the rarely-travelled Northern route. It barbarous through (long story), but a span of New Zealanders named Dave as well as Jordie came to our rescue as well as offered us a ride inwards their Unimog overland truck, after nosotros met them inwards a supermarket carpark. For the adjacent 7 days nosotros bounced (literally) across the vast Mongolian steppe amongst a immature Belgian/Turkish span inwards a Lada Niva, driving through rivers, camping ground inwards fields as well as yesteryear streams, as well as drinking lots of vodka as well as beer. Dave snapped his propeller shaft as well as nosotros managed to set upwardly it inwards ane long eve inwards a random local’s yard, nosotros had the Mongolian border constabulary kill as well as ready a marmot for us, nosotros were visited yesteryear dozens of intoxicated nomads wanting to cheque out the truck, went angling as well as only had an amazing time. We can’t give thank yous Dave as well as Jordie plenty for non only giving us a ride, but giving us a corking retentiveness as well as forming a solid friendship that volition no uncertainty lastly for life!

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Our amazing overlanding grouping that bounced across Northern Mongolia for 7 days. Dave really builds these expedition vehicles himself. You tin cheque out his trucks at Clark Global.

The Local Interactions

Ok, this isn’t ane item experience, but nosotros couldn’t speak well-nigh all the corking times we’ve had over the lastly ii years without mentioning all the friendly, welcoming, generous local people we’ve had the pleasance of meeting. From beingness invited into people’s houses for tea as well as food, to having people give us shelter, give us rides, assist us inwards countless ways, teach, acquire as well as inspire us. It really is the people yous come across that create locomote the most rewarding affair yous tin produce inwards your life.

 the highest international border crossing the basis Our Best (And Shittiest) Travel Experiences From Two Years On The Road
Alesha hanging out with some awesome Kazakh kids that nosotros stayed with inwards Western Mongolia.

 

Wow, looking dorsum we’ve definitely had an awesome few years on the road! And that wasn’t fifty-fifty all the corking memories. But now….

The Shittiest Experiences

And of course, it wasn’t just all fun as well as games across Asia. We were really really lucky inwards that for the lastly ii years nosotros never got nutrient poisoning or became sick, were never robbed (except for Alesha having her iPhone stolen inwards a hostel inwards Vietnam yesteryear a backpacker), didn’t acquire guns pointed inwards our faces (like nosotros did inwards Republic of Guatemala as well as Mexico), no vicious beast attacks, no bed bugs, or other unfortunate circumstances. There were just times where nosotros were topographic point inwards shitty, stressful, scary or frustrating situations. There were a lot of things that nosotros could conduct maintain topographic point inwards here, similar our 92 hr cargo ship passage over the Caspian Sea, getting ripped off yesteryear vendors as well as long spells of crappy weather, but that is just a component of travel. But hither is a little collection of some of our shittiest experiences over the lastly ii years.

Bus Crash In Myanmar

Day 1 inwards Myanmar, nosotros booked a tourist coach from the border to Yangon from the customs office. H5N1 kind-hearted Burmese human being named Tommy picked us upwardly inwards his individual machine instead as well as apologised, proverb the coach was full, but he would drive us one-half way to grab some other one. Awesome! After traversing the sketchy as well as unsafe mount pass, nosotros got to Hpa An, as well as Tommy topographic point us inwards the most dilapidated coach nosotros conduct maintain ever seen. Less than ane hr after leaving Hpa An, I was staring out the front end windscreen when some other coach came around a corner as well as drove direct into the front end of us. Hard. Really hard. We came to a abrupt halt, the vibrations was deafening as well as for a minute fourth dimension stood still. My life didn’t flash earlier my eyes, everything just went blank. When the debris had settled nosotros checked ourselves as well as the people around us for injuries, thus jumped out of the window inwards illustration the buses were on the brink of exploding. We helped comport women as well as children from the wreckage, as well as had to give kickoff assist to the drivers. H5N1 few hours after the route was cleared, as well as nosotros hitched some other coach to Yangon. No fatalities, but ane hell of a story.

Learn how to live a coach crash!

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That ane fourth dimension our coach didn’t quite create it to our destination.

Buying Train Tickets Anywhere In China

How the hell tin something equally direct forrad equally going to a educate station as well as buying a ticket live such a clusterf0ck? Well, acquire to whatever educate station inwards China as well as you’ll acquire to conduct maintain the wonderful sense of beingness yelled at, punched, spat on, ignored yesteryear the ticket seller, conduct maintain people force inwards front end of yous as well as other bouts of volume confusion, for hours as well as hours. We would literally set aside entire mornings/afternoons just to acquire purchase a educate ticket. Sometimes nosotros would leave of absence empty handed because no ane wanted to assist us. That’s just how things go.

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Lining upwardly to purchase a educate ticket. What yous can’t view inwards this photograph is the pushing, yelling, screaming, spitting as well as other mayhem that comes with what should live a elementary mission.

Our Mongolia / China Border Crossing – Part 1

“Leaving Khovd at 1200,” really meant, “We’ll sit down around drinking vodka until 1800,” but nosotros should conduct maintain known that, equally that’s what happens every fourth dimension yous attempt to acquire anywhere yesteryear populace carry inwards Mongolia. Luckily for us it was 725 degrees exterior as well as nosotros roasted inwards the Sun all hateful solar daytime waiting to hitting the road. At to the lowest degree nosotros wouldn’t freeze to death. We arrived at the border town at midnight, but spent ii hours driving around inwards the black because ii local ladies couldn’t call back where in that location gers were. For real. Eventually the driver took us dorsum to town at 2am, as well as nosotros walked from hotel to hotel trying to observe something inwards our budget. First ane $40. Lady wouldn’t budge on the price. Second ane $30, consummate with a collapsed ceiling inwards the bathroom, debris as well as asbestos coating everything as well as exposed electrical wires. Lady wouldn’t negotiate with us. Finally nosotros settled on the lastly hell hole of a hotel inwards town for $25. We walked inwards to view the constabulary arresting a huge, drunken Mongolian for beating his wife. He talked himself out of it (better negotiating skills than us, I suppose), as well as nosotros locked ourselves inwards the room, listening to the sweetness lullaby of an intoxicated giant screaming as well as smashing things just exterior our door until the Sun came up. Good sleep? Yea, non really…

 the highest international border crossing the basis Our Best (And Shittiest) Travel Experiences From Two Years On The Road
Not the guy from the hotel, but a drunkard Mongolian nonetheless.

Our Mongolia / China Border Crossing – Part 2

The adjacent morn our Mongolian border acquire out went relatively smooth. We entered China as well as constitute a local driver who offered to conduct maintain us to Urumqi for the cost nosotros read online. Perfect! That was until he drove us into town as well as left us inwards his machine piece he drank tea with his friends for an hour. When I asked him what fourth dimension nosotros would acquire to Urumqi, he used his telephone to interpret “tomorrow”. What the f0ck produce yous hateful tomorrow?? Cue a farther hr of back-and-forth contestation as well as him doubling the price. We were at nowadays nowhere close the border, as well as in that location were no other drivers around.

He wouldn’t allow us acquire our bags out of his car, but when I threatened to blast his boot open, he agreed to leave of absence straightaway. Then he drove us into the middle of an industrial zone to come across his “friend”, who said he would conduct maintain us for double the price. The men started ganging upwardly on us, teasing us with “leave now”, “leave tomorrow” as well as “pay more”. We grabbed our bags as well as walked to the highway to hitch a ride. They followed, as well as every fourth dimension a machine pulled over they would force inwards front end of us as well as tell the drivers to leave, non letting us acquire with anyone else. fifteen minutes of this, as well as nosotros had had enough. I screamed at them to leave of absence us alone, as well as they both got inwards my human face upwardly laughing as well as pushing me inwards the chest. Things looked similar they were well-nigh to acquire violent. Luckily some cops drove yesteryear as well as Alesha flagged them down. The men scattered, as well as the cop drove us to a armed forces checkpoint.

By at nowadays it was getting slowly as well as in that location were no to a greater extent than cars going to Urumqi. Randomly ane of the d1ckhead drivers returned as well as the cop demanded he conduct maintain us for the originally agreed price. With the officer’s assurance that it was “safe” nosotros jumped in. The human being kept stopping every 500m making telephone calls, thus he pulled into a solid for some other hr to swallow dinner. We had to proceed telling him to drive as well as he would just express joy at us. Finally dorsum on the road, he pulled over as well as a beast of a adult woman jumped inwards the front end seat. They spent the adjacent few hours mocking us, making telephone calls as well as looking at us with evil eyes as well as pointing similar they were going to rob us. I pulled my broken telephone out as well as pretended to create my ain calls, which freaked them out a bit. I grabbed my Leatherman as well as kept it inwards my paw inwards illustration they tried anything. When nosotros finally pulled over at some traffic lights somewhere inwards Urumqi, x hours after the ordeal started, nosotros grabbed our bags as well as jumped out, throwing the agreed cost on the topographic point thus he wouldn’t chase us. Alls good that ends good right? Welcome dorsum to China.

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Us just after nosotros crossed the border, well-nigh xxx seconds earlier nosotros met the driver.

Marshrutka Drivers In Tajikistan

Another carry story. See a designing here? Taxi drivers tin live ruthless inwards most countries, thus we’re used to it. But some of the drivers inwards Tajikistan were just plainly twats, peculiarly inwards Khorog as well as Dushanbe. Dragging us from van to van, demanding ridiculous amounts of money, all ganging upwardly when nosotros refused to pay, proverb that no ane was going to “X” town, etc etc. Nothing unusual, as well as with patience as well as a smiling nosotros e'er figured something out (usually yesteryear getting shoved into the dorsum of an overcrowded van for also high of a price). But it’s pretty annoying knowing that just trying to acquire to the adjacent town is going to take all morn for yous to just concur on being ripped off.

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Oh, as well as suspension downs as well as apartment tyres are mutual too.

Alesha’s Hospital Visit In Yangshuo

While hiking inwards Hong Kong, Lesh picked upwardly some variety of pare rash on her arms, breast as well as back. It just kept getting worse, as well as eventually nosotros decided to acquire to a infirmary inwards Yangshuo, China. Unlike smart people, it wasn’t mutual sense that made us view a medical professional; It was the local touts at the coach station ruthlessly pointing as well as laughing at pitiful Lesh that convinced us to create the trip. The nurses gave her an IV drip of saline which proved to produce SFA for the rash, but nosotros got the wonderful sense of hanging out inwards a rural Chinese hospital, afraid that we’d acquire hepatitis from touching anything. Want to know what the within of a rural infirmary inwards China looks like? No, yous don’t.

 the highest international border crossing the basis Our Best (And Shittiest) Travel Experiences From Two Years On The Road
Alesha hanging out at the Yangshuo hospital. Such a trooper!

The First And Last Days Of Our Tsaatan Horse Trek

While really spending fourth dimension with the Tsaatan people was zilch curt of spectacular, the Equus caballus ride inwards as well as out was horrible. The lady nosotros booked the tour with convinced us to non exercise the TCVC (which was recommended yesteryear guide books everywhere), spinning some prevarication well-nigh how they are funnelling coin away from local people as well as it wasn’t sustainable tourism. Long story short, nosotros were dropped off with ii Equus caballus guides (the lady’s cousins) who had no people skills. We spent the kickoff hateful solar daytime next a route inwards hot as well as dusty steppe, despite beingness told nosotros would live inwards the middle of pino forests, because the guides got lost. We couldn’t observe H2O for hours, as well as nosotros did it was filthy (luckily nosotros locomote with a SteriPEN).

Our friends Dan as well as Christine bailed at the destination of the kickoff hateful solar daytime due to a pre-existing injury which flared upwardly from the crappy riding. The guides brought no nutrient or H2O for themselves, fifty-fifty though the organiser said they would, thus nosotros were expected to ready for them. Their horses were scared of the reindeer as well as started losing their shit when nosotros arrived – exactly the argue everyone says to acquire with the TCVC. The guides were awkward, lazy, as well as gave us no confidence that they fifty-fifty knew where to go. It was just a crap sense all around. Hot tip – Never volume with Saraa from Saraa’s Guesthouse inwards Moron, who spun prevarication after prevarication to us.

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One of our guides taking a nap on hateful solar daytime 1 of our ride to the Tsaatan people.

Crowds In China

It isn’t exactly breaking tidings if nosotros tell yous that in that location is a lot of people inwards China. At lastly count, in that location is 1.4 billion people living inwards the nation. So crowds are to live expected when yous see pop sites there. But unfortunately the sheer divulge of Chinese people at the most beautiful places inwards the province is just depressing. Not thus much because of how many of them in that location are, but because they are loud, pushy as well as disrespectful. National parks, populace transport, temples, streets, no identify is sacred. We witnessed one-time ladies beingness trampled, nosotros were punched as well as elbowed thus someone could force yesteryear us as well as overwhelmed every fourth dimension nosotros tried to observe some seclusion. If yous view a grouping of Chinese tourists, next a guide with a flag as well as a loudspeaker, run!

 the highest international border crossing the basis Our Best (And Shittiest) Travel Experiences From Two Years On The Road
Insane crowds at the top of Changbaishan.

As yous tin view in that location were a lot of amazing things that nosotros had the peril to sense over the lastly ii years, as well as a hell of a lot to a greater extent than that didn’t create it into this post. As for the shitty things, they weren’t really that bad after all. Winning!

Thanks to everyone for next along on our adventures. We’re nowhere close finished with our travels, as well as nosotros conduct maintain a lot of cool things planned for 2016 as well as beyond.

Happy travels 😀

 the highest international border crossing the basis Our Best (And Shittiest) Travel Experiences From Two Years On The Road
Riding camels inwards the Gobi Desert!


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