As is always the way with this sort of thing, things never quite go the way you first envisaged them. Once on a trip I usually try my best to just go with the flow and see where I end up, these unforeseen interjections often end up being the highlight of a trip and are what the spirit of adventure is all about after all.
However with a big trip like this a vague plan is required in order to facilitate things such as vaccinations, visas etc. People will no doubt want to know trivial details like "Which countries are you going to" and "What date are you leaving". So I made a big list of countries, including roughly how long I would be staying in each one and set a target departure date of September 2019. Simple right?
Of course it's never really that simple. As mentioned previously here, my original route has changed due to visa issues forcing me further North than planned. The fallout from this is that I would be crossing the mountainous regions of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan in December. A bit chilly you'd think, but nothing to worry about....
"In December, weather conditions in Kyrgyzstan make it a relatively bad trip destination." - thebesttimetovisit.com
"In Rangkul, located in the east at 3,800 meters (12,500 ft) above sea level, winter is long and freezing, with a January average of -16 °C (3 °F)." - climatestotravel.com
In fact many of the mountain passes are blocked with snow leaving them completely impassable with some even being closed during the winter months.
Given this information and after much deliberation I decided to bravely run away and delay my departure in the hope of warmer weather. A departure date of late December/early January will all being well see me reach the mountains in the Spring sunshine. I will still be crossing Europe in the winter but this is less of an unknown and something I'm fairly comfortable with.
I honestly feel like a bit of a failure for bottling it and taking the easier option, but at the end of the day I have nothing to prove and this trip is supposed to be enjoyable. The main reason for leaving in September was that I had to see out the notice period before leaving my job. However I had been questioning whether my savings were sufficient and a later departure allows me to get a temporary job for a few months to top up my funds.
Finally I had originally planned a trip to Scotland as a test run for the bike and equipment. Preparations have unfortunately taken a little longer than planned and so this extra trip was looking like it wouldn't happen. With a few extra months I will be able to fit in a quick blast up to the highlands, after all it seems silly to travel to the other side of the world when there is so much still to explore closer to home.
See you on the road!
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