Do you want to help a good cause and have something from it (apart from a good feeling)? Originally, in this way we wanted to reduce the deficit of our budget but after the earthquake in Nepal we changed our mind. The epicentre of the April earthquake was not far from Manaslu (8160 m), which […]
Blog 25 – Summer in Afghanistan – first impressions
A calm oasis “Why didn’t you call before crossing the border? I would have told you not to come right now. You don’t have anything arranged? Give me someone local!” That´s what we heard on phone from a guy from the Aga Khan Foundation – one of the three contacts that we have had in […]
Blog 24 – Hindukush is calling
It started already with the first the look at the map. Tian San, Pamir, Hindukus… We had the chance to visit the first one last year, the second one this spring but what about the third one? The one with this mysterious name, the one where to Czech expeditions in the 60th and 70th aimed; […]
Blog 23 – Ala Archa – the icy queen of the western Tian San Mountains
Archa means juniper. It is Kyrgyzstan’s national tree and across the country there are plenty of them. Especially in Ala Archa – a valley close to Bishkek. If you were looking for someone who will take you through the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pavel Vorobiev local mountain guide of Russian origin and the technical […]
Blog 22 – Welcome to green Kyrgyzstan
In Kyrgyzstan, mountains and green colour are everywhere. It´s a nice change after all the deserts we have gone through. Once you leave a main road you find a lot of yurts spread in the side valleys. In yurts a big number of Kyrgyz people still spend the warmer part of the year. On the […]
Blog 21 – Rushing through Uzbekistan
Ping-pong at the borders “What are you doing here, guys? How come they (the Turkmen border officials) did let you in? This is an infringement and a big problem for you” we heard from a strict Uzbek border official. “You better head back to Turkmenistan and go the border crossing which is stated in your […]
Blog 20 – Turkmenistan – into a different world
Crossing the borders to a different world Finding our car at the Iranian customs after three weeks of backpacking felt like coming back home. The next day we headed to the other side of the hills – to Turkmenistan. After North Korea Turkmenistan is supposedly the second most guarded country in the world. Some people […]
Blog 19 – Alam Kooh – Ski-Mountaineering at the Caspian See
Spring has arrived The last symptoms of the „low altitude sickness“ disappeared in light breeze of a clear day. Lost in green slopes above the Vanderbun village (2200m) we were climbing towards Sarchal refuge (3600m). The spring had been successfully climbing up the valleys changing white into green. Nobody around. While slowly climbing up the […]
Blog 18 – Damavand – To The Roof of Iran
Damavand (5600 metres) is the highest volcano of Asia and the highest peak of the Middle East. Maybe also due to its proximity to Teheran it has become a popular goal for mountaineers, especially in summer. However, recently more and more climbers are attempting it also in winter. Originally, we wanted to try the northern, […]
Blog 17 – Iran – From See to Desert
To the Persian Gulf “Instead of studying for the A-levels I kept watching the satellite pictures of the Persian Gulf. Let´s go there, I am really curious how it looks like!” We started to check this right after arriving to Bandar Abbas and headed to one of the Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf – […]