Cycle Shorts: 1 Day of Your Trip: Vallu Heinilä - Tajikistan

Listen to Vallu Heinilä describe what it was like for one day of his trip, as he cycled through the Whakan Valley in Tajikistan.

Be on the lookout for a full feature episode to come featuring Vallu's bike tour from Helsinki to Singapore. In the meantime check out his film - Curious Pedals and follow him on instagram - @curiouspedals

Want to be featured for a mid week episode of Cycle Shorts? Then get in touch and send an email - podcast@seektravelride.com and let me know all about one day of your trip.

Are you following us on instagram? Check us out and see images from each of our guests - @seektravelride

Transcript

Copy Transcript Copied

SPEAKER_00 0:25

Hi everyone, it's Bella Malloy, host of Seek Travel Ride, and welcome to episode number five of Cycle Shorts, where we highlight what it was like during one day of your trip. This week's episode highlights the story from Valu Heinela when he took a journey all the way from Helsinki to Singapore. The day that he is going to mention occurred while going through the Wakan Valley in Tajikistan. And let's just say he and his friend had quite a few problems to solve that day. But again, no one tells the story like the person themselves, so without any further ado, let's listen to Valu recount what it was like for one day on that trip.

SPEAKER_01 1:10

We were in Wakan Valley in Tajikistan, and in the morning I was greeted to a familiar sight, an empty back tire. It failed to make me angry anymore, as it had become somewhat of a routine to start the day with fixing punctures. I had run out of patches and have to now resort to super glue to fill the tiny holes in the tube. We took off with just one bottle of water, as we figured there's a stream just a few kilometers ahead. Well, we make it to the stream and the water is dark brown. We realize we need to cycle to a lake 10 kilometers ahead to get water. I get a bit worried, as we have by now drank the small bottle we had, and the day is starting to get hot. Also, I had intense diarrhea from the previous day. Also, we were at 4,000 meters in elevation. A few kilometers before the lake, my friend's rack breaks, and we spend over an hour fixing it. By now the sun has gone way up and sucked our bodies dry. There's not a tree or shade in sight, and I lay under my bike to hide from the scorching sun. Eventually, we get going and with a pulsating headache, make it to the lake after eight hours of cycling. The lake ends up being a saltwater lake, and at my weakest moments I get a puncture that I can't fix, as I don't have the energy to remove the tire from the rim. Alvary, my friend, helps me and we get going towards our last hope, which is the Parmere Highway, 10 kilometers further. A bit before sunset, we make it to the road and stop the first truck that comes our way, and treat the driver like the Son of God sent to us with tanks full of liquid bliss. We learn not to cycle without water again.

SPEAKER_00 2:52

Far out, can you just imagine what that would have been like? Valu says that they welcomed that stranger who handed them the gift of water like the Son of God. I could just imagine. You would just be thankful doesn't even come close. I can only imagine what it was like to endure thirst like that, be in the beating sun, have all those mechanicals to get to the lake and find out that it's salty. But they did get through, and as is often the case on a bicycle tour, sometimes, as I've said so many times before, you are on a crash course of problem solving, you don't know what problems you need to solve with each and every day, but somehow there is always a way. Now if you liked listening to Valu's story there, you'll be happy to know that I have actually recorded an episode with him, so keep an eye out for that in the weeks to come and you will be able to hear about more of his experiences as well. Now if you'd like to share what it was like for one day of your trip, you can do so and get involved in these midweek episodes. All you need to do is get in touch with me, send me an email to podcast at seektravelride.com, send me an email, tell me all about one day of your trip, and we can see if we can get you featured during these midweek cycle shorts. If you're enjoying the show, make sure to help it grow by telling a member of your family or a close friend. Chances are you probably know people who would also enjoy hearing about the stories and experiences shared by others on their bicycle adventures. It's a surefire way of helping the show to grow as well because it's nothing like telling somebody about something you like for them to be intrigued to listen to it themselves. If you want to share the show, share an episode, tell them what you like about Seek Travel Ride, and let's see if we can help this community to grow even more. Until the next episode, I'm Bella Malloy. Thanks for listening.