Déjá Vu – riding through Kyrgyzstan again

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By 2slowspeeds • Posted in General • Tagged Adventure motorcycling, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Naryn River, Osh, Suusamyr Basin, Toktogul Reservoir, Too-Ashuu Pass

Jul 21 2017

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Couch riding snippets from Russia and Kazakhstan

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By 2slowspeeds • Posted in General, Video • Tagged Adventure motorcycling, Kazakhstan, Russian Siberia

Jul 13 2017

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P-256, a road worth riding

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By 2slowspeeds • Posted in General • Tagged Adventure motorcycling, M52, P-256, R256

Jul 11 2017

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Mongolia – Motorcycling

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By 2slowspeeds • Posted in General, Video • Tagged Mongolia Motorcycle video, Mongolia motorcycling, Mongolia Southern Route

Jul 1 2017

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Activities at a mini Naadam (festival)

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By 2slowspeeds • Posted in General • Tagged Mini-Naadam, Mongolia, Mongolian horse race

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© Anne & Anthony Speed and 2slowspeeds.com, 2017. Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Anne & Anthony Speed and 2slowspeeds.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

The bikes

Just put a deposit down on those 2 fully optioned up demo BMW F700GS bikes

So exciting to see the first of our customisation with the bash plate and crash bars

Equipment

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Some of our favourite moments

Rano Kau volcano’s crater and wetland, a haven for biodiversity

Rano Raraku – Easter Island’s main quarry for the moais

With Anthony at Ahu Tahai for the sunset

At Rano Raraku

Out of the storm, not far to go now and Anne is feeling fantastic

Crossing Rio Agrio on the RP27 after Caviahue

Rio Limay an hour out of Bariloche on the RN 37

San Carlos de Bariloche at dusk

Lago Villarino

Lácar lago

Villarrica volcano is definitely smoking today

With Carlos, Jessica and Sebastian

Bike collection – about to set off on our shiny new dealer demo BMW F700GS bikes

We’re ready to go so one last photo 😊

Storm over Marijampolé, Lithuania

Anne having discussed the finer points of Russian road rules after seeing video footage of ourselves riding…

Sunset over the Volga at Samara

The expansive Steppes of Kazakhstan from a relaxed position while Anthony is napping

End of a hard and dusty 10 hour ride into Kyzylorda

Anne very happy, enjoying the surroundings and delicious sardines for dinner – what more could a girl want?!

More sandy patches north of Aralsk

Kkazakh truck drivers stopped and took photos of each other on our bikes

Our home 120kms north of Baikonur

Baikanur in the distance

Love our home!!

Baikanur to Kyzylorda – one of the many detours while bridges are being built – dealing with the road surface was one thing, but trucks and cars are still impatient and overtake anyhow and anywhere

And we need flash new BMW’s?!

Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi in Turkistan

Cirik , who gave us an unforgettable experience of wonderful Kazakh hospitality

Our first sighting of hills and snow as we got close to the Kazakhstan-Kyrgyzstan border

On our back road loop from Balykchy, Kyrgyzstan

Photo stop looking back at our road up the mountain towards Toz-Achu pass

Yurts and herds, Kyrgyzstan

Suusamyr Valley, Kyrgyzstan

The scenery keeps changing on our way down from Ala-Bel Pass, Kyrgyzstan

Still looking for a spot for the night and the sun is starting to set, down from Ala-Bel Pass, Kyrgyzstan

Our wonderful home, outside Toktogul, Kyrgyzstan

Along the Toktogul reservoir, Kyrgyzstan

Our Uzbek friends after our amazing lunch stop in Uchqorghan – Abduvohid on my right and Mohamid on my left

Enjoying some fresh food for the first time in days in Andijan, Uzbekistan

Kudhayar Khan Palace in Kokand (Qo’qon), Uzbekistan

791,000 cym or just £200!! All in 1,000 notes.

Top of Kamchi Pass before the extremely long descent towards Angren, Uzbekistan

After I asked whether I could take a photo of her skating, she offered me one of her head bands – too sweet. In Toshkent, Uzbekistan

Wonderful sandalwood colums from India, Barak-Khan madrassah, Toshkent, Uzbekistan

Amir Temur mausoleum, Samarkand, Uzbekistan

Amir Temur, Tamerlane, mausoleum, Samarkand, Uzbekistan

A tree trunk marks the burial site of a sufi – Amir Timur’s teacher, Sufi Sayyid Baraka, who died the same year as his favourite grandson in 1403

Ruxshona, 20 year old with 2 year old child, Azida, 22, married doctor and Dilnoza, 22, engaged with whom we chatted for an hour on life, mixed marriage, education and travel

Our first view of the Registan, Samarkand, Uzbekistan

We were invited to join this group of Uzbeks and Koreans as soon as we walked into a Korean restaurant in Samarkand – what a fun evening ensued

Inside the Sher-Dor madrasah, Registan, Samarkand, Uzbekistan

Amir Temur mausoleum, Samarkand, Uzbekistan – stunning gold leaf on silk paper adorns the inside of the mausoleum, the dome of bricks is 15m in diameter and 12.5m deep

Anthony enjoying the serenity of Tilya-Kori madrasah, Registan, Samarkand, Uzbekistan

Uzbek family having lunch inside Ulugh-Beg madrasah, Registan, Samarkand, Uzbekistan

Shahi-Zinda, Samarkand, Uzbekistan

Sher-Dor madrasah, seen from one of Kilya-Kori minarets, Registan. samarkanf, Uzbekistan

Last view of the Registan, Samarkand, before returning to Tashkent, Uzbekistan to collect our Turkmen visas

Ulugh-Beg madrasah, Registan, Samarkand, Uzbekistan

After bumping into Aziza and Gulnoza again, we were invited to have dinner at Aziza’s home and meet her family – such a beautiful family and overwhelmingly warm welcome

Anthony navigated us back brilliantly to our friends’ home in Samarkand to within 4 houses from this cross road

It’s too hot to walk around Bukhara, so why not get a hair cut and enjoy a new experience?!

Jamkhur just gave Anthony this superb gift – after another wonderful evening and delicious dinner of home made saussage rolls (the absolute best ever), home made fruit juice, delicious plov (a type of Uzbek pilaf), home made fortified wine, vodka, homegrown fruit, home home made fruit juice bread.

Poi-Kalon minaret, Bukhara, Uzbekistan – 47m high, it was built in 1127, over deep foundations of reeds to withstand earthquakes and has never required structural repairs.

Stunning and architecturally awe-inspiring Kalon minaret, Poi-Kalon ensemble, Bukhara, Uzbekistan

Bridge on road to Khiva – shared between trains and road users – there was a police man waving road traffic through, but it did feel strange

Kaltar Minar minaret, Ichan Kala

Gettting hotter on our way to Turkmenistan

We came across many camels in Turkmenistan

Lovely cool early morning morning ride towards Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

The 2 slow Speeds by the Dervaza crater, Turkmenistan

The 2 men show the scale of the Dervaza crater, Turkmenistan

Our campsite at the friendly road construction site near the Dervaza crater, Turkmenistan

The “dead road” with lit street markings and synchronised coloured fountains, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

The lovely twisty road towards our campsite for our first night in Iran, near Dor Badam, Iran

We are now riding in Iran and Anne is very happy

Stunning high plain, with the Iran border post at Bajgiran seen in the background

Storm clouds are building above our campsite

She wanted a photo of me with my bike, I said she could sit on my bike, she shouted ‘I love you’ and we embraced. Look at her husband in the mirror!

Afrooz and Anthony enjoying their ice cream – I love the guy behind them!!!

At Afrooz’s brother Babak and his wife Reihaneh for dinner, Beshahr

Not quite my idea of fun at the beach – Nur, Iran

Sohrab and Samone in the kitchen of her parents’s villa which we have been loaned for our anniversary

Our 40th anniversary dinner – thank you Sohrab!

Sohrab helping us with our bike maintenance outside Tehran

With Saba at the Green Palace, Saadabad Palaces, Darband – Tehran, Iran

Dinner out with Fariba next to me, and her siblings

Friendly waves but I do wish the drivers didn’t cut in front of us that way – on our way to Kashan, Iran

This girl came ovee and offered me some chips/crisps as we stopped for refreshments

Zoreh’s family has prepared the largest pot of osh and prove such massive pots are household items

Mohammad, Anthony and Zoreh

Park surrounding Chehel sotun palace, Isfahan, Iran

Khaju bridge, Isfahan, Iran

Charity boxes are found every few hundred metres in streets, and also at petrol stations throughtout Iran

Zoreh’s sister and husband in the front, with their kids Sarah and Mohammad with his wife Shadi, who all showed us around Esfahan

Our hotel in Yazd – the Laleh

Household pots, Yazd, iran

Jameh mosque, with the tallest minarets in Iran – Yazd, Iran

Covered winding street in the old town, Yazd, Iran

Zoroastrian Towers of Silence, Yazd, Iran

Dolat Abad with Iran’s tallest Bagdir, Yazd, iran

Heading out of Yazd, Iran

Roadside truck stop lunch, halfway between Yazd and Banda Abbas, Iran

Last mountains before the Banda Abbas coast, Iran

Our ferry from Banda Abbas to Sharjah – except we were not allowed to board yet!

Unloading new car doors, Banda Abbas, Iran

The very busy, friendly and open ‘beachmaster’, Banda Abbas, iran

Ahmed in the centre and some of his staff

Kristjan and Happy Delhi Days

This way to Delhi airport cargo terminal

The Taj Mahal with 100,000 visitors expected today

Fine inlays at I’timad-ud-Daulah mausoleum, Agra, India

Plant motifs on carved marble dado, Taj Mahal, Agra, India

Muassaman Burj tower, where Shaha Jahan was banished to after being deposed by his son, and could see the resting place of his beloved wife in the Taj Mahal, Agra, India

Festive cows, Agra, India

Sun serting on the Taj Mahal

We were at the Taj Mahal, Agra, India!!! Waiting for the sunset…

Storm is reassembled and ready to drive out of Delhi customs at long last!

Great Indian trucks and great Indian roads – best not to linger beside these trucks for too long

A most stunningly handsome 80 year old with the most beautiful hands, eyes and skin at the little shack we stopped at for tea

Road side ironing on our way to Allahabad

Usual Indian traffic

We are getting the edges of cyclone Huddud

Rice field on our way to Allahabad

Threshing rice in India

Coal factory, India

And more crowds by the rice field, which caused a patrol car to stop again

A gorgeous rice farmer who happily showed us how threshing of the rice was done

Cemetry lane, Varanasi where Anne dropped her bike

Rohan and Raj helped Anne find what we needed to fix her bike, Varanasi

Ghat to the Ganges, Varanasi, India

Just a typical town crossing in India

Leaving a village between Chhapra and Muzaffarpur, India

Ukay, Smita, Dharmendra and uncle who escorted us into Ballia and invited us into their home

On our way to Muzaffarpur, India

Aditya and his friends Imtiya and Anwar who helped us find our hotel in Forbesganj

Stopped for a late lunch after Dharbanga, India

These signs were along our road for hours but we didn’t come across any elephants

Tea pickers in West Bengal

Light display for Diwali in Guwahati

Offerings seller for Diwali in Guwahati

Light display over tiny street in Guwahati

More working elephants on our country road!!! Assam, India

What a treat to come across these elephants on our small country road in Assam, India

Heading south of Kohima towards Imphal, India

Ebola check mandatory formall foreignes at Mao, Manipur state, India

So many army and police line the roads through the Manipur region to the Myanmar border

The 2 slow Speeds enjoying the ride through Manipur

The Indian army wanted a photo of our group at the border with Myanmar

After our Ebola check at the India-Myanmar border at Moreh, we took over the hut while we waited for our carnets to be processed

Now waiting for Myanmar immigration to process our passports

One of dozens bridges we crossed in Manipur

Anne’s first “off” day 2 in Myanmar

Day 2 in Myanmar

We wish we could have just stayed and camped in this stunning valley on day 2 in Myanmar

Gorgeous road day 2 in Myanmar

Pagodas dotted the scenery in this stunning valley

Good dirt and mostly dry mud day 2 in Myanmar

Need a break on day 2 – this still the good part and we are getting tired!!

Anthony crossing the wooden log bridge under the creek bed on day 2 with those ahead waiting to help us

Anne only thought of taking a photo of where she came off after we had righted her bike

Myanmar day 2

Day 3 in Myanmar

Old Bagan, Myanmar

Myanmar mother and son

Old Bagan, Myanmar

We were offered prime viewing seating at the Taunggyi fire balloon festival, Myanmar

Anthony has been promoted by the red team and given lighting candle and lighter at the Taunggyi fire balloon festival, Myanmar

Ingenious one legged rowing used by fishermen on Inle Lake, Myanmar

Our favourite part of Inle Lake – a quiet meander through the reeds

Typical scene in Myanmar

Typical Myanmar scene

Taunggyi fire balloon festival, Myanmar

Shwezigon temple – (Golden Platform), bagan, Myanmar

The Super Highway from Naypyitaw to Yangon

Our last meal in Myanmar at Kawkareik

Bike maintenance finished, time for a birthday boy beer at Kyaikto, Myanmar

Hpa-An valley, Myanmar

Heading east towards Kawkareik, Myanmar

Last stop before Kawkareik, Myanmar

Between Kawkareik and Myawaddy, Myanmar

The road between Kawkareik and Myawaddy, Myanmar

Storm cloud in Chiang Mai

Anne’s loan bike while Nung works on her bike

Nung, the brilliant mechanic, loves selfies!

Between Nan and the Laos border

Approaching the Thai-Laos border crossing at Thungchang

Heading to Sayaboury, Laos

Breakfast stop by the Meekong, Laos

The mighty Meekong, Laos

Wat Hor Phrabang, Luang Prabang, Laos

Enjoying our roadside breakfast by the Meekong, Laos

Aumône des moines à Luang Prabang, Laos

Superbe Traction-Avant datant de 1950 à Luang Prabang, Laos

Anthony traversant la rivière Nam Khan á Luang Prabang, Laos

Luang Prabang, Laos vu du mont Phou Si

On our road to Kasi, Laos

Heading south east from Poungdong towards Kasi, Laos

And up… , Laos

Still going up, Laos

We’ve nearly reached the top 2000m, Laos

School kids heading home for lunch, Laos

Between Kasi and Vang Vieng, Laos

Ban Pha Tang, Laos

Heading for Vientiane, Laos

Dinner by the Mekong at Vientiane, Laos

Patuxai, Vientiane’s Arc de Triomphe, Laos

Monks brushing up leaves at Pha That Luang, Vientiane, laos

Buddha face in Bodhi tree, Wat Mahathat, Ayutthaya, Thailand

Wat Chaiwathanaram, Ayutthaya, Thailand

Wat Ratchaburana, Ayutthaya, Thailand

Jeeda, the owner of Promtong Mansion in Ayutthaya

Driving through Thai villages with flags for the King’s birthday

Thai cops at a petrol stop wanted photos of us so we asked the same of them

Transmission interrupted…

Our frisbee beach at Khao Lak, Thailand

Where we stayed at Khao Lak, Thailand

Sunset on our beach at Khao Lak, Thailand

Our last night in Thailand, Pak Meng beach

Pak Meng beach, Thailand

Storm near Alor Setar, Malaysia

Jalan Nagore street art, Georgetown, Malaysia

Kids on Bicycle, George Town, Penang

Interactive 3D Museum, George Town, Panang

Tok tok Mee sculpture, George Town, Penang

End of this leg of our trip, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and feeling good!

The morning after, with the best news possible – my heart is strong and just needs medication

Awwww 😍

We have made it!!

Riding across Brooklyn bridge, New York!!

What a feeling – we made it, after 14 months and over 50,000kms and countless memories

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