Day 24: Slight change of plan

Today I decided that Seoul won't happen. Aserbaidschan and Russia are currently not changing their policies and even if they do, I am not sure anymore I really want to do this.

When checking the policies I noticed that I did not root for open borders anymore. Instead I kind of hoped that they don't change, so I have a reason not to do the whole trip. Why?

I guess for one I don't really trust my velomobile for this. It already had issues with the road quality in eastern Europe. This won't get better in the Stans. In the back there is a part of the bottom that is broken because of ground contact. Currently this is not a big deal, but it might become a problem at some point.

Also I do not really enjoy cycling in the heat. I can do it, but then a day only consists of cycling and recovering from cycling. Kazhakstan and Uzbekistan will be even hotter than what I have experienced until now. And just proving that it can be done is not enough to endure this. I certainly have underestimated how taxing the cycling is.

So instead of waiting for the border policies to provide a reason (they probably will anyways), I can just change my route. Because I don't really need any reason ;)

I will now first cycle to the Danube, then probably to Croatia and do a trip around Europe. 

Sorry to those of you that have looked forward to then Stans and Russia. I also still want to see them, but probably in a different setup where it is easier to decide in which season to visit.

So what else happened today?

I followed the route my navigation software proposed. The road had very few cars, but the quality of the tarmac was very bad and it went uphill most of the time.

At at some point I was to turn left, but there was only a dirt road. So I decided not to follow the instructions. The navigation really needs some improvements. But I had some nice views even if I did not cover a lot of ground.


I ended up in Karnobat beside a nice park (that is, if you like the slightly socialistic style ;)



Comments

  1. crummelJuly 25, 2021 at 1:35 PM

    This is probably a wise decision. From what I've seen in YT-videos of people cycling from China to Europe or vice versa, all routes will sooner or later be in a state that you have to push or even carry your bike. And that usually is an MTB or a gravel bike. I really wouldn't want to do that with a velomobile - you would be absolutely guaranteed to get stuck on rocks or in potholes.

    Nevertheless, take care & good luck on your journey!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. mehneniJuly 27, 2021 at 9:28 PM

      Thanks a lot. I think people are using the "rough" roads, because the areas are more beautiful. You could actually cycle through Kasachstan without going into the mountains and always on paved roads (but through an area that is a bit boring). But yes, this would have tested the limits for a velomobile.

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