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It’s been a long time since you received our last newsletter, in March, with the news that Coen was returning to Kazakhstan to rescue the Land Cruiser from the customs. Let’s give you an update on our whereabouts.
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In Almaty Coen was greatly relieved to see the Land Cruiser in the parking lot. Not just that, he got the engine started at the first try – after 15 months of inactivity. Such a reliable home on wheels we have! (well, most of the time).
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Thanks, again, Eduardo, for having kept an eye of it for so long!
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Coen had a longstanding appointment at the local ARB dealer in Almaty where they equipped the Land Cruiser with a complete set of OME shock absorbers and leaf springs. What it a difference that has made in comfort of driving, we are beyond grateful to ARB. Thanks so much!
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Finally, at midnight, on the last day of the already extended TIP, Coen drove across the border to Uzbekistan where, again, he got great help from Deniz and his workers at a workshop in Tashkent. During the weeks that I (Karin-Marijke ) was still in the Netherlands, they worked hard to get a couple of nagging issues solved: a broken front window hinge was fixed, the collapsed front body mount support was replaced and a heap of other small chores crossed out.
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The Plan
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Early May I flew to Uzbekistan. Together we enjoyed Tashkent, spending time with new friends. Thank you Jan & Brieke, Pieter & Helena, Aybek, Sasha, Medina, Sanyar, Pavel, Michael & Mariyam, Isa, Malo & Eric, John.
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Temperatures were rising quickly, up to 48 degrees Celsius (118F). We left for the mountains and explored the countryside, wild camped along rivers and lakes, and enjoyed a couple of day hikes – but even for hiking it became increasingly hot. We were stuck in Uzbekistan, the surrounding land borders closed for different reasons, mostly covid-related.
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Whereas the land border to Kyrgyzstan was closed, we could fly and so we executed a plan:
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1. I flew to Osh (Kyrgyzstan) on July 17.
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2. Coen drove to Andijon (Uzbekistan) and with local friend Zoha organized paperwork with a notary, allowing Zoha to drive the Land Cruiser across the border.
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3. Coen accompanied Zoha to the border, Zoha drove across where I waited for the Land Cruiser on July 18.
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4. Coen flew a week later and joined me in Osh.
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Overlanding does require some level of creativity at times :-)
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It was all perfectly legal but turned out to be unnecessary! On July 19 we learned that in fact, the land border had been opened on July 16 but the officials in question hadn’t been informed about the decision yet…
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Stuck in Kyrgyzstan
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We loved our time in Uzbekistan but we had traveled in the country extensively pre-covid and it was just too hot for the summer. So we are beyond grateful to be in Kyrgyzstan, a country we don’t know that well yet. It is a mountainous country, with higher altitudes than its neighbor and thus cooler temperatures.
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Thus far we have divided our time between the TES Hotel in Osh (to work on new publications and new books) and driving, camping, hiking south from here, in the Pamir Mountains (border with Tajikistan) and Alay Mountains. The Lenin Peak (7000+ meters) is too much of an expedition for us, however, our 6-day hike including 4000+ meter passes was glorious.
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With covid continuing on hijacking the world, we expect to be staying in Kyrgyzstan for the time being. No complaints on our side. We still have lots of exploring to do (and books to write)!
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Book Tip: Going Home to Africa
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Dot Bekker grew up in Zimbabwe but some 38 years ago moved to Europe. In her early sixties she was ready for a big change in her life, bought BlueBelle and drove 20,000 kilometers via West-Africa to her home country. West-Africa is one of the, if not thé, toughest overland route(s) to drive these days. Why? Check out the book, get inspired, be in awe, and enjoy a great read!
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Find Going Home to Africa here, among a fantastic selection of books on overlanding and adventure.
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Meet Luke
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In Osh we had the pleasure of meeting Luke, with whom we spent two inspiring afternoons in a cafe exchanging thoughts and ideas about (long-term) travel and life in general. This Brit has quite a story and project. A cancer survivor yet never knowing if the next scan will send him back to the hospital, he concluded that his time to fulfill a dream was now: to cycle around the world.
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He is cycling on a tandem so friends, locals, other CanLivers (people living with cancer) can join him for a leg or two. Meanwhile he is supporting several charities and speaking at schools and other places to tell his story and on how to move forward.
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We have met many people in our 18 years on the road but Luke is truly one of the most inspiring persons we have ever met. We listened to his ideas with wonder and respect. When the three of us said goodbye, all our heads were filled with food for thought.
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Check him out, follow his journey, and see how you can help.
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Creative Flows
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One of my favorite designs was by Coen’s niece, Maud, who encourages us to go and have an adventure. Are you ready for adventure?
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And, popular as always, check out all products with one of Coen’s favorite designs: the blue-circle Land Cruiser logo.
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Enjoy the most popular products up to date: Stickers, T-shirts, and Hoodies
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Van Het Pad Af
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Van het Pad af is our first book about our 3,5-year trip from the Netherlands to Vietnam. Enjoy 386 pages of travel stories, gorgeous pics and follow the road on detailed maps.
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For sale on our website, or go find it in the public library.
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the Overland Expertise Pool
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The overland community is continuously growing, rapidly. So there’s lots of knowledge, experience, tips & tricks on long-term travel around the word with your private vehicle. Thanks to our Overland Expertise Pool, we can now conveniently share a lot of this info on our website with fun and informative blog posts.
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Thank you fellow overlanders, who have all chimed in with so much enthusiasm, great tips and funny anecdotes!
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Are you a long-term overlander and would you like to share your knowledge with the overland community? Let us know so we can add you to the Overland Expertise Pool.
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Dealing with the Heat When Overlanding (Overland Expertise Pool)
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When we left the Netherlands in 2003, a heatwave was about to hit Europe. During the summer months in Greece we were grateful for the foot vents in the BJ45. I bought a plant spray bottle, filled it with cold water from the fridge to spray our steaming skin, we soaked pieces of cloth and put them around our neck, …
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Tips on how to Level your Overland Vehicle from the Overland Expertise Pool
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Coen is a perfectionist in many ways, even when it comes to using leveling blocks. When he wants the vehicle to be parked straight, it has to be straight. As in straight, straight. Totally straight. Straighter than straight if that's possible... You get my drift. When it comes to leveling the vehicle, I, on the other hand, am okay with …
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Which Overland Tires do You Need - Fat or Skinny, and Why? (Overland Expertise Pool)
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So what's the story, fat or skinny tires? In this blog post we share 13 opinions from experienced overlanders. From the beginning of our journey, 17,5 years ago, we’ve had a number of experiences with overland tires. Before our departure, we didn’t really know anything about tires let alone what the impact could be on your driving or vehicle. Our …
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Land Rover or Land Cruiser, and Why? Part 2: The Land Cruiser Aficionados (Overland Expertise Pool)
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I remember from our planning phase, in 2003, that Coen was much charmed by a Land Rover Series—one of the earlier models. I, on the other hand, had no clue what a Land Rover or a Land Cruiser looked like and I set my own priorities for our home on wheels: no black car. What to Buy - Land Rover …
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Land Rover or Land Cruiser, and Why? Part 1: The Land Rover Aficionados (Overland Expertise Pool)
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A typical campfire discussion: Land Rover vs Land Cruiser. The pros and cons, jokes about the other and the passion for your own. The stories are never ending, including the well-known tongue-in-cheek remarks such as: Do you want a car that looks good on the picture, or one that will always bring you back? If you go to the desert, …
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If you’ve enjoyed our blogs, you have our patrons to thank – at least in part. Patreon helps us to stay freelancing and create more website stories for everyone to enjoy!
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Thank you for supporting us on Patreon:
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Aeron, Amanda, Barbara, Bordan, Chris, Craig, Den, Gregg, Jack, Jan, Joost, Judith, Katja, Lena en Peter, Marieke, Mathias, Monique, Pauline and Wim, Peter and Michelle, Rob, Tamar, Travis, Ylona, Victor, Yolanda, and Zuraima
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Of course we have a tier system with unique benefits, but we also publish content specifically for our patreons. Curious to see how many gates you have to open and close when traversing the interior of the Pantanal wetlands in Brazil? Become a patreon and check it out!
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What's Next?
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We hope you are doing well. Keep in touch, we love to hear from you.
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Best, Karin-Marijke & Coen
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