The videos document my pilgrimage from Indonesia to the African continent by land (no airplane!). The route: 1.) Indonesia: Traveling through Sumatran Mountains and Prehistoric Sites 2.) Malaysia: Meeting with the Aborigines of the Malay Peninsula 3.) Thailand: Tracing the Southeast Asian Ancient Empires 4.) Laos: Experiencing the Lao-China Railway 5.) China: Backpacking the Tibetan Plateau to the Edge of the Silk Road 6.) Kazakhstan: First Contact with the Central Asians 7.) Uzbekistan: Pilgrimage in the Land of the Timurids 8.) Tajikistan: Lost in the Fenn Mountains 9.) Afghanistan: Visiting Afghanistan after the Taliban Takeover 10.) Iran: Surrounded by the Ancient Civilization of Persia 11.) UAE: Short Transit in Futuristic Cities 12.) Saudi Arabia: Pilgrimage in the Holy Land of the Muslims 13.) Jordan: Catching a Glimpse of Jerusalem 14.) Egypt: Ending in the Land of Pharaohs
Curated by: Bang Jago (174 videos)
On the 108th day, I visited the Aral Sea or more precisely what is left of the Aral Sea, the former 4th largest lake in the world, more than 90% of which has now dried up and turned into a desert. I visited the southern side of the Aral Sea, specifically Muynak, a port city that in the 1960s flourished with its fish canning factory. By now the Aral Sea had receded hundreds of kilometers to the north so that what was visible from the harbor was just desert to the end of the horizon. Now the harbor is a graveyard of rusting fishing boats on the edge of the desert. This is certainly an attraction for tourists like me who took photos with shipwrecks in the desert. But actually this is a tragedy for local residents who lost their livelihoods and for the local ecology. It is said that the Aral Sea is used as an example of the greatest disaster caused by human activities. Since the 1960s, the Aral Sea has begun to dry up because the flow of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya Rivers has been diverted for irrigation for cotton cultivation. The sea is shrinking rapidly, leaving behind salt that is carried by the wind and damages the land. This is made worse by the accumulation of fertilizer and pesticide residues which collect in the sea and seeped into groundwater. It is said that this area has a much higher infant and maternal mortality rate than the surrounding areas. Seeing the ship graveyard in Muynak reminds us of the glory of the city in the past, the current situation in Muynak, and even provides an idea of the future of human civilization if we don't take good care of nature. To reach Muynak, visitors can follow my route by using train from Tashkent which arrives in Nukus at 7 am, then continue by bus to Muynak which departs at 9 am from Nukus. The journey from Nukus is 3.5 hours along half-damaged roads and through hot wilderness . From Muynak you can return to Nukus the same day (3pm) like me. Tomorrow I plan to travel to Turtkul, to my new friend's house in Uzbekistan. From there I can visit the nearby cities of Urgench and Khiva. ___ Sumatra Stage 1 Route (DONE!): Jakarta - Bandar Lampung - Baturaja - Lahat - Pagar Alam - Bengkulu - Lebong Tandai - Kerinci - Jambi - Kuala Tungkal - Batam - Johor Bahru ASEAN Mainland Stage 2 Route (DONE!): Johor Bahru - Kuala Tahan - Kota Bharu - Su-Ngai Kolok - Nakhon Si Thammarat - Chaiya - Nakhon Pathom - Bangkok - Nakhon Ratchasima - Phimai - Nong Khai - Vientiane - Vang Vieng - Luang Prabang - Chiang Rai - Chiang Mai - Pai - Chiang Mai - Chiang Rai - Boten - Kunming, China China Stage 3 Route (DONE!): Kunming - Dali - Lijiang - Shangri-La - Shambala - Litang - Chengdu - Leshan - Chengdu - Xi'an - Zhangye - Jiayuguan - Dunhuang - Turpan - Urumqi - Almaty, Kazakhstan Stage 4 Central Asia Route: Almaty - Shymkent - Tashkent - Nukus - Muynak - Turtkul - Khiva - Bukhara - Samarkand - Tashkent - Khujand - Fann Mountains - Dushanbe - Kunduz, Afghanistan *Follow my Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/obeysianipar/) for direct messages **Message me for sponsorship --- Music Credits: And Awaken - Stings by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.