As we continued through Tajikistan, the road got seriously worse and we were in desperate need for a bike shop in Dushanbe. Let's find out how it played out!

16.09.18 A memorial in Qalai-khum for the four cyclist victims. It reads "The Tajik people mourn for foreign tourists from the US, the Netherlands and Switzerland who have perished at the hands of terrorists".

17.09.18 A dairy worker walks with Matt along a pass. We were determined to cross that pass in one day because it'll be the last one before arriving in the capital.

18.09.18 First damage received - Pheng's front rack snapped and the only thing holding it in place is a rubber band (or two). Quite disappointed but we had to carry on.

19.09.18 Most of Tajikistan's rural community live off the land and animals. These sheep are quite different to ones back home in New Zealand.

20.09.18 While randomly looking for a place to camp, we ended up staying at a family that makes wooden bowls which are a popular folk craft in Tajikistan.

21.09.18 We had to climb up to get a photo. Grammatically it should have been "We ♥️ Tajikistan" but it was still fun to get a few photos to send home to families and friends.

22.09.18 We made pizza for our CouchSurfing hosts using our home recipe. We stayed for 3 nights with them while we sort out many errands in Dushanbe.

23.09.18 There is an event with leaders from ex-Soviet Union nations attending. Lots of road blocks and motorcades passing through. No sight of Mr Putin unfortunately.

24.09.18 Our amazing bike mechanic did a splendid job fixing all the problems we had. We promised to take him to see a football game in Barcelona when he visits Europe.

25.09.18 "P'lav" in Russian or locally "Osh". Most families we stayed with made this signature dish for us although it takes a long time to prepare and cook.

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