Doom (aka Steve Fassbinder) recently wrote a piece on his trip to Tajikstan for sponsor and long-time supporter, Revelate Designs. Read the full article here.
“Dirt hut on Wakhan Afgan border: Had another bad sick night, shit the bed. Spent a long nice morning cleaning up doing laundry and napping. It’s worth mentioning that I received some very bad news over my InReach device. Just days earlier, extremists killed four foreign riders near the capital, in a rare and very brazen attack on the road. I’d be lying if I said this is not affecting me. But as I continue my ride through the country I continually meet with smiles and gracious hosts. These positive interactions with all the Tajiks I meet along the way are quickly washing away my fears of being alone on the road.” ~Steve Fassbinder, Journal Entry, August 2018
“Tajikawhere?” My father asked when I told him I’d be traveling alone through Tajikistan by bicycle.
Answering this question was part geography lesson for myself and part Dad deciding that this was “next level crazy.” I could hardly blame him for his reaction, as the bordering countries aren’t exactly tourist destinations.
This, in addition to my choice of “alone by bike,” seemed insane to a person like my dad who prefers putting greens and shiny sports cars to dusty abandoned roads on the Afghan border. Perhaps this was a case of the fruit rolling away from the tree, by bicycle of course.
