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Tim Vella

@tim_vella

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Merely passing through

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From our Sydney to London motorbike trip by @tim_vella

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9 months ago

Navigating the Noise

1. Blake and I - Skardu, Northern Pakistan
2. Doug and Alex- George Town, Malaysia
3. The day Doug’s pulse coil went- Cameron Highlands, Malaysia
4. An afternoon jumping off the pier - Natai Pier - Klok Khoi, Thailand
5. Alex and I - Fuark Motorcycles (actual name) Vientiane, Laos
6. Fixing a puncture- Tibet, China
7. Tiger leaping gorge- Yunnan, China
8. The day Peters fuel pump went- Xinjiang, China
9. The day Alex’s bike wouldn’t run at 4500m altitude- Tibet, China
10. Band-Amir National park Bamyan, Afghanistan
11. The day we rode 800kms to the wrong border- Khujand, Tajikistan
12. Song- Kul, Kyrgyzstan
13. Doug’s birthday with Jake and Vic- Song Kol lake, Kyrgyzstan by @tim_vella

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6

a year ago

From when life seemed carefree

1. Outside the house my mum grew up in Savannahkhet, Laos
2. Jump rock at Muang Khammouan Laos
3. First puncture of the trip Shangri-La, China
4. On the Pakse Loop, Laos
5. Island hopping - Don Det,Laos
6. The boys at Everest base camp Tibet, China
7. Near Everest base camp Tibet, China
8. The day Alex and I hiked up and down the Ala-kul pass in one day - Altyn- Arashan, Kyrgyzstan
9. Took this the day I got deported back to China- Sost, Northern Pakistan
10. At the ekranoplan, Dagestan, Russia
11. Near the Pakistan border Kizilisu Xinjiang, China by @tim_vella

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8

7 months ago

Hajigak Pass- Wardak, Afghanistan taken July last year taken in Hajigak Pass by @tim_vella

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1

2 months ago

Left my heart on this highway

1. Skardu-Pakistan
2. Pamir Highway- Tajikistan
3. Tibetan plateau- China
4. Haixi- China
5. Khujand- Tajikistan
6. Song- Kul lake Kyrgystan
7. Naryn-Pakistan
8. Song- Kul lake Kyrgystan
9. Tibetan plateau- China
10. Jalalabad- Afghanistan
11. Bamyan- Afghanistan by @tim_vella

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7

2 months ago

Around this time last year by @tim_vella

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11

4 months ago

In July 2025, we spent more than 10 days riding through Afghanistan as part of our Sydney-to-London journey.

Alongside the Tibetan Plateau, these were some of the toughest days of the entire trip. We battled ongoing food poisoning, extreme heat, hostile situations, stolen cameras, navigating the T*liban, and hundreds of kilometres of dusty highways.

Yet, between those challenges were some genuinely beautiful moments. We experienced incredible hospitality from complete strangers, explored Band-e Amir National Park, and gained valuable insights from locals who had lived through the war, the American presence, and the country’s current reality.

Although we’re all grateful to have experienced Afghanistan, there was an undeniable sense of relief the day we left. It’s difficult to explain, but it felt as though the air itself had changed. The constant weight of paranoia had finally lifted, and for the first time in days, we felt safe.

That same night, we rode into Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. Suddenly, we were back in the developed world—designer stores, Western fast-food chains, and high-rise buildings lining the streets. The contrast felt surreal. Just 12 hours earlier, we had been in the Afghan desert buying petrol from a man who disappeared into a tent and returned with a jerry can filled from a drum. Now we were surrounded by skyscrapers and neon lights.

I’m currently working on my photo book where I’ll be able to dive much deeper into the stories, experiences, and photos from this trip. taken in افغانستان - Afghanistan by @tim_vella

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4 months ago

Potala Palace, Lhasa, Tibet, China taken in June last year taken in Lhasa, Tibet by @tim_vella

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0

5 months ago

Kosci scenes from last weekend taken in Kosciuszko National Park by @tim_vella

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6

6 months ago

Doug’s birthday last year spent riding horses in Kyrgyzstan, what an absolute dream. taken in Song-Kul Lake, Krgyzstan by @tim_vella

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3

6 months ago

1. Road blocks Vahdat, Tajikistan (taken by Doug)
2. Following the worst night sleep of the trip Skardu, Pakistan
3. Alex at Band Amir National park, Afghanistan
4. Nursing our broken bikes through the desert Tibetan plateau Dunhuang, China
5. Riding horses on Doug’s birthday, Son-Kul, Kyrgystan
6. Simple man showers, Vahdat Tajikistan
7. Repairing a tyre tube in the desert, Dunhuang China
8. Alex, Bamyun Afghanistan
9. Band Amir, Afghanistan
10. The rigorous task of getting petrol, Xinjiang China
11. French Alex, Tibet by @tim_vella

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12

7 months ago