by Spencer Neal

There is something very remarkable about this story. Not the fact that it covers part of the ancient Silk Road route from Xian in China to Islamabad in Pakistan. It's not the fact that we crossed desserts, remote wilderness and the highest border crossing in the world. Nor is it because we explored the world's greatest market in Kashgar or stayed with Kazakhs in traditional yurts during a blizzard. These are all special in their own right but what made this such a memorable trip was the group I travelled with. Four girls and you'll have to wait until the end to find out why they where so remarkable.