I only have myself to blame for this - Tajikistan 🇹🇯 | S8, EP94

Okay, little crisis. Actually, really big crisis.

I just made a really, really terrible mistake.

So stupid! So stupid!

Tavildara, Tajikistan Season 8 - Eps.94

Good morning, Internet. It is 7:50 in the morning and welcome back to the channel.

Welcome to Tavildara in Tajikistan.

See if they do any breakfast in this place. I'm hoping they will.

This is for breakfast today.

I got some fresh bread and then egg with some meat and some tea.

So let me see. I am now right here and today I want to reach a place called Rushan.

Which is right here. You can see this is the river, the Bartang River.

So this is the valley that I'm going to enter but I'm going to stop just before the entry of the valley.

And I think that's about 250 km from here.

Goodbye! [Russian]

Okay.

Off I go.

235 kilometers for today.

So, it's a little bit more than in the last ride.

But yeah, it all depends on the condition of the road.

How fast or how slow that's going to be.

Back over the same bridge again.

This was such a pretty town.

Really beautiful.

This is another, I love the Tajikistan.

This way.

So, I'm starting at 1,600 m.

For today.

But there's going to be another quite a high pass.

I think up to 3,000 m.

Oh hello.

Like no traffic.

And the one car almost hits you.

Okay, crossing the river again.

Look at that flow.

It's terrifying, right?

I hope this doesn't say anything about the water levels in Bartang Valley where I'm headed.

'Cause there I have to cross many of them.

Without bridges.

Good morning.

Excuse me.

They're not impressed.

I have a feeling that this might be the beginning of the pass.

Of the climb to the pass.

That I have to just go through this gorge and that the pass might be somewhere behind there.

Left I think.

Not sure where that is going to.

Wow.

2,600 now so, the top of the pass is not so far anymore, I think.

I think the pass is up there.

Wow.

Almost there.

Oh, the views are amazing.

You probably can't see that 'cause it's a little far away.

But the mountains in the distance there, those high mountains, they have snow on top.

This is the pass, no.

Ohhh.

It's only over there.

Woo!

Still further.

Oh, yeah. I'm now at 3,000.

But it's still a bit further.

Huh?

You understand Russian? [Russian]

No.

You have a good donkey.

Where are you from? [Russian]

Holland.

Where are you from? [Russian]

Netherlands.

I don't understand. [Russian]

Goodbye! [Russian]

Okay, now I've really really reached the pass.

Has to be here.

No.

Oh no.

Ooh.

Ooh.

Ooh.

Did you see the teeth on that thing?

Oh, broken down.

I don't have any tools for cars.

Hello [Russian] You okay?

Good? [Russian]

Good, good! [Russian]

Okay.

Where are you from? [Russian0

Holland.

Holland.

Oh, very good!

And you?

From here.

Pamir.. Khorog.

Pamir. Khorog.

Good luck.

Goodbye [Russian] Well, at least it is not the ugliest place in the world to break down with your car.

What a pass!

Some people living here.

Oh no. A dog.

Here are the little baby cows.

This dog.. asleep?

I made it to Qal'ai Khumb And this I've been before.

So last time I took a completely different route.

Than this time.

For the rest of today.

So that means for the remaining 150 kilometers I'll be back on the same route.

Kind of following the river right on the border with Afghanistan again.

See here we go.

There's Afghanistan.

Wow. Now you can really see the difference, eh?

On the other side of the river and Afghanistan.

I can see women in burka.

Sitting on the back of motorbikes.

On a dirt road.

And here this is brand new tarmac.

Which I am guessing is all part of the Chinese project of the new silk road.

How things have changed, right?

This fence was not there 6 years ago.

And I'm guessing they built that after the Taliban took power in Afghanistan.

Okay, at least we're back to how I remember this road.

And no more fence either.

Think the road is blocked.

Somewhere.

I don't think I can pass there.

You think I can pass?

Oi.

I don't know why the truck is standing still.

But this is a good moment to be on a motorbike.

See if I can get some water here.

That's how they keep all the drinks cold.

Very clever.

It's a free fridge.

I have 110 kilometers to go.

So, I'm only just halfway kind of.

Okay. Little crisis.

Actually, really big crisis.

I just made a really, really terrible mistake.

So stupid! So stupid!

I stopped to drink something there and then because it was really quite hot.

I took off my armor and I held it under the stream.

I was like, oh, it's going to be nice.

But then I always carry my money belt.

So, because this was wet.

I was like, oh, I shouldn't put my money belt on.

You know, it has some papers inside.

So, I took it off. And then as I'm leaving, I put it.

I think, on top of my luggage to stow away.

Which I forgot.

I drove off.

I went maybe 5 kilometers and suddenly I'm thinking, where did I put it?

Where did I put it now?

And I'm like, oh no.

So I start riding back and then yeah, like four kilometers back.

I find part of my documents all scattered over the road.

I found back my international driver license and all my vaccination booklets.

Um.. but the rest is gone.

And this is a problem because okay, so basically what's gone is two credit cards.

The motorcycle registration card and my driver license.

And of course, I always keep things separate.

So I didn't lose any money.

I also have other cards.

Uh, they can't take any money on these cards anyway.

I'll also block them, but..

You can't do much without them because they have all this extra security.

So, the money is not the problem.

Um, but it's my driver license and a motorcycle registration.

Those are the only two things I've lost now that are really important.

Um.

And yeah.

I don't know if I can cross the border without that.

Uh yeah, without those two.

I have photographs of both of them.

Um, so like scanned copies, but not the originals.

Oh, this is so stupid.

It is so stupid.

And like I said, I always keep documents in different places on the bike as well.

So if I lose something, I won't lose everything.

But of course everything that I carry is somehow important.

So you will always.. if you lose something you will always lose something relatively important.

So I just have to apply for new registration card and new driver license in the Netherlands.

But then what, you know.

Um.

I'm in a bit of a pickle.

'Cause where I'm headed there is going to be nothing like no place to send anything.

It's going to take a lot of time.

So, my first thought is when I arrive to my planned destination for tonight.

There should be Wi-Fi there or internet reception.

So, then I'm immediately going to apply for new documents.

Um, which should take a couple of days.

And then see if I can have those documents sent to Kyrgyzstan.

My next country.

To Osh.

That's like the closest kind of big place.

That I would be passing anyway.

But the question is though, are they going to let me cross the border without my original motorcycle registration and without my original driver license?

I have my international driver license, so it's something.

And I have photos of my driver license, but not the actual thing.

I also have my Carnet de Passage.

So, I do have also some sort of motorcycle papers and I have photos of the card.

Just not the original.

Are they going to let me cross the border with that? I don't know.

I really don't know.

But..

I kind of feel like that's the only option that I have because if I go back to Dushanbe.

You know.

Then A, it's going to take a long time.

Then all my permits are going to expire again for the bike for myself.

Um..

Yeah.

The more stupid thing is, is that it's not the first time that I've placed something on top of my luggage and driven off.

I've done it with like a selfie stick.

And I think two selfie sticks even.

I mean, okay, so on the bright side, I still have my passport.

I have other cards. I have plenty of cash.

Um, international driver license, Carnet de Passage.

So, I still have quite a lot of documents.

The day was going so well.

Ah, so stupid, stupid, stupid.

I'm pretty sure that somebody found the money belt.

Stupid stupid stupid.

Okay, well, I just got to keep going.

Um, I have 94 kms to go to that town.

And uh.. I will have internet there.

To kind of start fixing this mess.

Wah, just have a look at the river here.

Wild!

Hallo.

Brand new electric cars coming straight from China.

That's why they are building this road.

Just looks so out of place, right?

On the one hand, you get these old Ladas and then these brand new electric cars.

That didn't even have number plates yet.

Well, if they can get these cars in the country without number plates.

Surely I must be able to get out without papers.

Finally, the water is calm.

Here's the river is much wider here.

Afghanistan is beautiful, right?

That's what I'm looking at most of the day.

Yeah, if there wasn't any Taliban running around, I would cross back into Afghanistan.

But..

Right now.

I don't think so.

But oh, it's so beautiful.

Fair enough, the Tajikistan side is also stunning.

The town I want to stay has to be right over there.

It's like 4 and a half kilometers.

See, here are a whole bunch of these unplated cars again.

See, no plates. Not front, not back.

Oh wow.

I am back.

Oef, Frankie got a beating today.

I kind of got like a little bit of a mental beating.

With losing all these really important things.

And Frankie, uh..

Okay, there was quite some paved, I have to say, a lot more than six years ago.

Six years ago, there was nothing.

So, there was quite a stretch was paved, but there was also a lot was still like this.

Very bumpy.

Hello. - Hello.

What is your name? - Noraly.

What's your name? - My name is *inaudible* What happened to your arm?

Nah, this wasn't really an option to stay.

But they said uh..

Yeah, 11 kilometers more.

There's some more options so..

I'm just going to ride a bit further.

Hello. Hello. - Hello.

How do I get here?

Hello.

One? - One.

Okay.

Uh, I have motorbike.

Motor bike. Motor bike. - Okay.

Dushanbe?

From um.. Tavildara.

Tavildara? - Yeah.

All right, I made it to a room. Um I don't know what else to add.. other than what a day.

Uh, it started off so amazing. Like it was awesome and then yeah, a stupid mistake.

But I'm just moving forward and hoping for the best.

Uh, I'm in a small town, so I was thinking, it will be good if I have kind of a print out copy of my motorcycle registration paper.

It will be better than showing it on my phone, but I'm in such a small town.

So there's no like real copy shop here. But the owner of this place.

Um, she knows a guy, and I've just sent the file to him.

And tomorrow morning he says he will come with the print out the print out paper.

So let's hope that works.

Um, if not I will just have to go and show it on my phone.

But I hope this will work.

Um, and uh yeah see if I can make it across the border.

But that's still really far away.

So I'm now just going to park this.

I cannot do anything about it now.

And just looking ahead because I am now at the turnoff for the Bartang Valley.

So, I'm just going to focus on that for the next ride.

So, that was it for today. I really hope you like this video.

If you did, please give me a big thumbs up, subscribe down below, and then I'll see you in the next video.