Sent you a message!

I'll be in Georgia in two days! Drop me a message

Probably not! I've got just over 6 weeks from getting to Aktau to having to be back in Europe, so maybe aiming to get to Tashkent I think and flying back

. For sure ! Drop me a message on how you guys are doing, and if you need any help

Sent you a pm

Ah good point, didn't even consider! I'm a man

i'm flying back to once I reach Tashkent so won't be spending time in the Pamirs, but thanks!

Thanks!

Hi! 29M, currently on a big tour from England, hoping to fly from tiblisi to Aktau around the start of May to continue eastwards. Up to now I've been touring by myself and meeting people on the road, but I get the impression it's going to be more remote for dessert crossing! 

Would love to find someone else going on a similar route so we could help each other with logistics and have a bit of company for the desert. If you're planning on being there around these dates drop me a message! I'm very flexible with plans and ideas , not on much of a schedule ✌️

Yes exactly, rainy! I'm used to the cold and came pretty well prepared (very warm sleeping bag, two down jackets etc, good waterproofs etc) and when it was just a cold day I had no problems. The issue comes when it's wet, it's very easy to get cold quickly as water inevitably gets under whatever waterproofs you have and the tent gets wet....then it becomes really tricky to warm up.

That being said, I really enjoyed touring in the winter months. It was very quiet and you can have patches of nice clear weather. I think if you were on a tight schedule it would be tricky, if it was raining heavily I generally stayed put or occasionally forked out for some accommodation. I was lucky with the weather but I'm not sure how I would have dealt with a week straight of rain. Also many people I met told me I was lucky as it was usually raining most of the month. Also things definitely got easier/more enjoyable as I went south hahah

If you want any pointers feel free to message me.

I started my tour from the north of Italy in January. The cold might be manageable but cold and wet is a pretty horrible combination. I would definitely aim for the warmer months! Another aspect is the amount of daylight. If you're wild camping, the days feel really short because you need to start looking for camp spots in the afternoon, so unless you start early it's hard to do big days.

Haven't heard of a Jones bar! But will look into it, thanks for the suggestion ✌️

I've had a look at some of these but wasn't totally convinced they would make that much difference in position. Like you say though, cheap, so maybe worth a shot

Sorry I just saw your comment! I fried mine with some sliced garlic , ginger and soy, they go really well in a stir fry. To me, they tasted like a fake meat substitute - was surprised how tasty they were! Not a very mushroomy flavour

Just make sure to put something over the pan , they have a high water content so "explode" and try and jump out of the pan. Gave me a shock when I heard the first one pop haha

Apparently you can also try them out and reconstitute at a later date

Have you been hiking in known tick areas?

Early bulls eye rash of erythema migrans can look like this.

I'd recommend seeing a GP! Guidelines suggest antibiotic cover for those presenting with a bulls eye rash follow tick bite.

Those leaves look very similar to mugwort

This is exactly what I was looking for, thanks! Did the polyurethane have a bad smell at all? That was my only worry using it

This is the countertop if it helps to see:

https://imgur.com/a/03q9RGI 

Thanks - I was confused if I needed the negative cable from the starter battery back to the lesiure battery but will add one.

Perfect, thanks! The only part I'm confused on is the vehicle battery, do you mean the lesiure battery? My starter battery is connected to chassis on negative side..

Just the answer I was looking for - thanks