Apr 26

Journey to the East|Unsolicited detour非预期的绕道

Unsolicited detour非预期的绕道

When I arrived in Tehran, I knew already I would have to face the hurdle of applying for a transit visa through Turkmenistan. I had gathered many rumors about it already: the suspension of issuing transit visa; it would take three weeks to get your passport back; the only place to apply for such visa is Yerevan, not Tehran; you better go to Mashad close to the Turkmen border first… etcetera. Right then the looming antagonism between Israel and Iran, in itself very much a clash between East and West, suddenly came to a burst, after an Israeli attack on the Iranian embassy complex in Damascus and the subsequent retaliation with a failed rocket shower on military targets in Israel. Tensions were high, with the pressing question whether Israel would strike again?

当我到达德黑兰时，我已经知道自己需要面对申请通过土库曼斯坦的过境签证的障碍。关于这一点，我已经听说了许多传言：过境签证暂停发放；拿回护照需要三周时间；唯一可以申请此类签证的地点是埃里温而非德黑兰；最好先前往靠近土库曼边境的马什哈德等等。就在这时，以色列与伊朗之间的敌对关系突然爆发，本质上这是一场东西方的冲突，起因是以色列对大马士革的伊朗大使馆的袭击及其后对以色列军事目标的未遂火箭反击。紧张局势升温，人们迫切关注以色列是否会再次发动攻击。

Clearly, this was not the time to hand over my passport to Turkmen authorities for the sake of a laissez passer for an undetermined amount of time with an equally undetermined outcome. This was the moment to break my journey to the east in two, booking a flight to Uzbekistan at the other side, and continue cycling towards China.

显然，这不是递交护照给土库曼斯坦官方以获取不确定期限通行证的适当时机。这正是我将东行之旅分为两段的时刻，我预订了前往乌兹别克斯坦的机票，并将继续自行车前往中国的旅程。

However, the only available route was via Dubai, right before it experienced its historic, cataclysmic rainstorm. A further delay in Tehran, just before an Israeli counterattack would closed the airspace, and the subsequent chaos in Dubai, where thousands were stranded, added to my woes.

然而，唯一的可行路线是经过迪拜，不巧的是，该地区正经历着历史性的大暴雨。我在德黑兰因以色列关闭领空的反击而进一步延误。以及随后在迪拜发生的混乱——数千人滞留，都让我的处境更加困难。

After nearly two days stuck at the airport, worrying over my missing bicycle—essential for my travels—I finally flew to Tashkent. Arriving without luggage or clarity on my belongings, the relief of being reunited with my bike four days later was immense.

在机场滞留了近两天后，焦虑地担心着我那不见了的自行车——这是我旅行中不可或缺的工具，我终于飞往了塔什干。到达时没有行李，也不清楚我的行李情况。四天后，终于与我的自行车重聚，那一刻的安心感难以言喻。

Now, with approximately 6,500 km still ahead towards Shanghai, I feel a mix of relief and regret but remain driven by a deep connection to history as I resume my Silk Road route. I've spent some time reflecting on these experiences in Tashkent, details of which I'll share in an upcoming blog post.

现在，前往上海的路程仍有大约6500公里，我感到一种既轻松又遗憾的复杂情绪，但对历史的深刻感情仍驱使我继续沿着丝绸之路前行。我在塔什干花了一些时间反思这些经历，将在接下来的博客中分享这些细节。