Epilogue

This trip was a great experience, yes - somehow a bit of an adventure. Travelling most part of the journey alone has brought me in contact with a lot of people. I had a lot of fun with that. Running into some difficulties and problems I've always tried to keep me in good mood. Maybe that's why I don't have to report any really bad experience.

Being in Mongolia with my friends was very nice and very helpful. Without the time pressure for arriving Barnaul in time, I might have already lost too much time in crossing Russia. So I had to push on and it was one of the most beautiful moments of the journey to join my friends in Barnaul. For the difficult ride through Mongolia, I was glad to be together with such experienced motorcycle travelers. Alone, I would have struggled much harder and would probably never ridden such carefree.

The return trip from Mongolia through Russia and the Stans was incredibly beautiful. Due to the numerous encounters on the way, I seldom had the feeling of being alone, even though I was mostly alone while riding and camping. Enjoying this kind of freedom was a fundamental experience for me on this journey.

At no point in my journey I did feel at risk or compromised in safety. Honestly, already been back home for two months, I have to admit, that home sometimes seems more dangerous to me than being abroad. Funnily, the locals I met on my journey often have the same perception of their own homeland. Could it be that travelers are more carefree in a foreign country than in their own country?

Everywhere I came across hospitality, joy over the visit of a foreigner and honest interest. I have often wondered about this friendly reception, because in general we are not so open to visitors from Russia, the Stans or other Eastern countries. There are rather negative prejudices in our heads. Experiencing so much friendliness and hospitality, I was often ashamed by my own prejudices. I hope I've managed to reduce this a decent piece. In any case, I have set myself the goal to be more opened up to people from these countries if they come to visit Germany.

I would like to answer a question that I asked myself in retrospect: What would I want to do differently?

• take much more time for this journey
• do much more camping. The landscapes are just phenomenal
• visit some more remote valleys or areas
• and again take much, much more time for this journey ...