Not too difficult, really. Kyrgystan and Tajikistan especially are very popular with bicycle travelers, there's an established tourist infrastructure in the form of guest houses and homestays.
Border crossings into Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan are a nightmare (on some crossings they will demand your unlocked phone to rifle through and have you unpack ALL you luggage onto a blanket). Once you're in the countries it's usually just the odd corrupt official, but I was able to out-wait and charm my way out of those situations.
Biggest headache imho: Almost every Westerner I met had some kind of digestive problem. I suffered from diarrhea coming and going for about two months.
There's motorcycle rentals and guided tours out of Osh, Kyrgyzstan, that will also tour the Pamir Highway and Wakhan Valley in Tajikistan. Highly recommend you check out photos from the area around the Issyk Kil Lake on Google Maps. It's just stunning up there.
I found their map of border crossings in Central Asia the best source for current and accurate information and very helpful as a shared Google Maps map.
All else being the same, Iranian aircraft will actually be likelier to be involved in accidents than aircraft in similar countries, due to the unavailability of spare parts caused by western sanctions.
But, circling back to 9/11, I often do wonder how the world would look like today, if America had found it within itself to not react with war to the attacks. There was such a broad outpouring of sympathy and support across the world: enough political capital for all kinds of projects.
If only a few of those hanging chads in Florida had hung differently, or if Gore had further pressed the issue...
Clubs don't forbid alcohol. That was misleading hyperbole. Being visibly drunk at the door might reduce chances to get in, but clubs make a lot of money with drinks and the majority of people will buy drinks, even in clubs where illicit drugs are consumed.
There's SatStat[1] and GPSTest[2] on F-Droid. Simple little apps that show information about the satellites your phone is currently receiving signals from.
German (and most other?) passports feature the name of the issuing authority and place of birth, no other location, and remain valid irregardless of your current registered address.
Side note: It seems like many African ID cards list the profession and I've had to explain to several suspicious border guards why my passport doesn't.
EDIT: I've always wondered about this and apparently the body that sets passport specifications is ICAO, the International Civil Aviation Organization, as mandated by the UN. Specifically through ICAO document 9303.[1]
Border crossings into Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan are a nightmare (on some crossings they will demand your unlocked phone to rifle through and have you unpack ALL you luggage onto a blanket). Once you're in the countries it's usually just the odd corrupt official, but I was able to out-wait and charm my way out of those situations.
Biggest headache imho: Almost every Westerner I met had some kind of digestive problem. I suffered from diarrhea coming and going for about two months.
There's motorcycle rentals and guided tours out of Osh, Kyrgyzstan, that will also tour the Pamir Highway and Wakhan Valley in Tajikistan. Highly recommend you check out photos from the area around the Issyk Kil Lake on Google Maps. It's just stunning up there.