Russian and Uzbeks visas in the bag!

It's going to be a short one today folks as I'm setting off tomorrow and as usual have plenty to do.

I really do consider myself to be one of the luckiest people alive these days. Not only have I had the wonderful opportunity to travel by bicycle across China and part of Kazakhstan I’ve also been blessed with the people I’ve met and the experiences I’ve had. I cannot thank the host family enough here in Almaty who have taken unbelievable care of me since I arrived.

Today I received my passport back from the UK and it contained a lovely 30 day Russian tourist visa starting on the 20th of July, after which I went and collected my Uzbekistan visa. So I’m all done with visas now and have the right papers to complete my ride all the way back to the UK.

I cannot thank all those people who sent me good luck messages, best wishes and prayers along the way so far especially in this uncertain time of waiting for the correct papers to arrive. It means so much to me to know there are people all over the world giving their support.

Thanks also to those who have donated money. It’s really such a wonderful cause and hopefully the money will go some way to aiding research, providing support for the incredible people who care for sufferers of Parkinson’s and ultimately go in some small way to finding a cure.

If you haven’t donated I urge you to dip into your pocket to spare whatever it maybe whether that be 1 or 5 pounds…..every little bit helps and every time a donation is made it spurs me on a little further. I’m also very aware of the fact that economic times are hard so I really appreciate those donations when they come in.

My thoughts and prayers are with you all as I set off tomorrow for my ride to Uzbekistan. I will probably re-enter Kazakhstan around the 23rd and start the long ride north to Russia. Blogs and FB updates may become less frequent as I’m heading into some very remote land, so if you don’t hear from me don’t worry I’ll just be sleeping under some bush somewhere.