During the summer holidays of 2023 I had the fantastic opportunity to attend a learning journey to experience community building through a cycling adventure that I spent with 5 other amazing cyclists. I started in Samarquand and we went through Tajikistan and its wonderful Pamir mountains along the Pamir Highway.
Photo taken on our way down to Qalai Khumb after a sweaty but stunning first pass
The Pamir Highway, also known as the M41, is an iconic and challenging road located in Central Asia. It is one of the highest and most remote highways in the world, traversing the rugged and breathtaking landscapes of the Pamir Mountains. Traveling along the Pamir Highway treats cyclists with stunning landscapes characterized by snow-capped peaks, deep valleys, alpine meadows, and vast plateaus. The route passes through the Pamir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is known for its natural beauty and diverse wildlife.
We started our trip in Dushanbe and took a detour through the Wakhan Valley continuing to cycle along the border of Afghanistan and finishing the tour in Alichur, a small town before Murghob.
Where did this Idea come from?
Have you ever experienced this moment, where you are intensively looking for signs, guidance or other messages so you know how to move forward out of a status quo in your life where you lack the power to get out by yourself?
Exactly that happened to me with this project. I had a moment where I brainstormed what I wish to do and experience in my summerbreak, as it is the only longer period of time throughot the year where I am not teaching, don’t hold any responsibileties and have the duty to take care of myself so I can show up for my tasks as a youthworker and teacher in a meaningful way when the next season starts mid September. To do this at the end of a long school year is always tough for me. After I brainstormed in my diary I sent a prayer that I would love to receive help in any way as I could only grasp facettes, rough ideas, but nothing that really clicked.
You might believe it or not, but the next day I had an email in my inbox with the invitation and introduction to this bautiful initiative – the caravan school. I read throught the draft and was puzzled, as it captured so many aspects of values and motives that are very connected to my owns. The recent pilgrimage we organized for teenagers and young adults was exactly the same idea just smaller in its scale. With this invitation I suddenly found a format that I could participate in, be held in and where I myself could become a student again. My heart was pounding and a seed of excitement and curiousity was planted.
The more I started to work myself into it, the chances of saying yes to it grew, even though my hesitant side always hoped to find reasons why such a project would not be for me. I researched flights, traveling routes, climate, looked into documentaries about the pamir highway and realized that my interest in the country, culture and specially the mountains grew exponentially.
“The Caravan School is an existential undertaking. We will be a group of 30 people (we ended up with 6 very commited ones) learning about ourselves and community as we negotiate together what is one of the world’s most demanding (and stunning) routes to travel by bicycle, the Pamir Highway in Central Asia. It is an experiment in interdependent living within a context of minimal infrastructural support and a quest to realise in our bodies, minds and hearts that beyond any material asset, our most valuable wealth for growth and fulfilment lies in relationship.
We will be presented by immense challenges along the way, stemming from or amplified by the strenuous and unpredictable conditions of the journey and the goal will be to use all of these as opportunities to deepen our connections and act in regenerative ways. This will require deep listening of ourselves and others and the wisdom to balance needs, limits and desires from within the group with factors external and uncontrollable such as weather and terrain, food and water sources. To our aid, we will have each other’s unique gifts as well as an organisational framework that will facilitate their recognition and coordinated expression.”
excerpt of the invitation by Jose
One of the more challenging days on our way to the highest point of the journey – 4300 meters
The gorgeous team that showed up for the challenge – starting together – finishing together!
My deepest wish for this time was to connect again deeper with my inner guidance, give myself to the unknown and to recharge my batteries. This journey held a lot of learning potential for my profession, as I love to organize pilgrimages, community experiences and learning journeys for people and it was an amazing opportunity to expand my knowledge with this trip.
I created this blog in order to keep all my friends and supporters informed about was going on in my preparation and my journey and to keep you in touch with my work.
I hope you enjoy reading my diaries and pictures I took along the way, please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have wishes or ideas on how this website could evolve.
You can find all the diaries and photographs that I created on my blog
my diaries were created during my cycling trip in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan
None of us, including me, ever do great things. But we can all do small things, with great love, and together we can do something wonderful.
Mother Teresa
dusty road stories 