After two weeks, the trip gets intense: on the Abano Pass in the Great Caucasus mountains- one of the most dangerous routes in the world- the two adventurers must master their first real test, only to be stranded shortly afterward at the Caspian Sea in over 100-degree sun. Caught in a nerve-racking test of patience behind barbed wire, will they make it across the largest lake on Earth?
After finally arriving in Kazakhstan, Erik and Alain take on the endless pothole-ridden slopes of the notorious Hunger Steppe. Not even a complicated breakdown can stop these two for long. They learn what true happiness means from Kyrgyz nomads, and before entering Pakistan via the world's highest border crossing, China shows the two adventurers its less congenial side.
In the wild Karakoram Mountains, Erik and Alain need to get creative: a flat tire far from any civilization has them fuming, despite the icy cold. Their route takes them further through Kashmir, along bottomless abysses, and up to the Indian Himalayas, to the highest passes in the world. Caught in a snowstorm at below-freezing temperatures, the adventurers are faced with an important decision.
No sooner have the two travelers left the ice and snow behind them than they are suddenly faced with entirely different dangers lurking in the jungles of the Terai. After a detour to the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu, their journey takes them to the crown jewel of India: Rajasthan, Land of Kings. Boldly, they plunge into the chaotic traffic and make their way to the Indian Ocean.