Forever Autumn

After 2 months Autumn has finally caught up with us in Khiva. We had the first signs of Autumn in Omsk (Russia) at the end of August but then escaped back into summer in Khazakhstan. Although the leaves have been turning brown ever since the temperatures have staid high. The last few days in Samarqand and Bukhara have been in the mid 30's with no wind and blue skies, but the drive across the desert to Khiva was very windy and today the skies are grey and much cooler.

At the last update we were in Dushanbe applying for our second Kazahk visa, we were told it would be ready on Monday and so we stayed over the weekend in a 'homestay', i.e a private home. Firts thing Monday morning the visa had not been approved so we returned at 11.00, still not approved (but they close at 12.30 and are not open again till Wednesday) so we sat and waited. 11.30 our visa is approved, but we now have to find the right bank to pay the fee. We find the square but are stopped by the police, we ask them for directions to the bank, they forget why they stopped us and give us directions. Still can't find the bank and are stopped by the police agian - same process ask for directions and they don't ask us for papers - good scheme. Eventually find a place to park and after more directions find the bank. and pay the fee.

Almost back to the truck and realise we don't have the passports, dash back to the bank and they are still sitting on the desk! We make the Embassy by 12.10 and have our visas 10 minutes later - phew! Two more days would have severley restricted our time in Uzbekistan.

One more night in the roof tent in a valley just before the border and then another 3 hour crossing, where at one stage they told us to take all our 'luggage' into the custome hall. After some discussion, which required the world map to show them our route they forgot about that and after another cursory look we were on our way.

Since then we have stayed in Hotels in Termez (£9.50 per night for a comfortable bed with en suite and best value Hotel we have staid in), Samarquand, Nukus (£10.00 per night, but by far the worst Hotel we have staid in), Bukhara (our new favourite City) and Khiva.

Tomorrow we head for Nukus and an art gallery of paintings rescued from the Russians which we are advised is quite special, and then Moynaq. Moynaq used to be a port on the Aral sea until the Russians diverted the water and it is now about 100 miles south of the shore, with dozens of boats left abandoned.

After that we had possibly the worst road we have travelled, across Kazakhastan back to Russia for a much needed service for the cruiser and to see whether we can get a boat to Turkey from Sochi before the 6th November (when our Russian visa runs out).

A typical fruit and veg market in Uzbekistan (a world away from Mongolia)


















Coloured fountains in Dushanbe
























Samarquand

Millionaires at last! 1,200,000 Som, £300.00. Bizarly the largest note in Uzbekistan is 1,000 som which is 25p!

The remains of a Fortess of Alfred the Graet above Nukus

Bukhara

Khiva

Still Smiling after aal these miles

Terrified for 18 minutes and 40 seconds

Day 155 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, still warm but very murky, not sure whether from dust or smog, but has covered the last 100 miles or so below 200 meters.

After leaving Fergana we spent another night in Uzbekistan (Kojand) as it was getting late and crossed to Tajikistan the next daay. A very relaxed affair with only a few other people crossing on foot, a young femail Uzbek customs officer filled our forms. We probably spent half the time showing them all our route on the world map. rms out for us and made another cursory search and on the Tajik side it was so relaxed the police at the exit gate had to send me back to fill out another form (whilst Chris sat drinking tea with 2 police men nursing Kalahnikovs).

That night we camped on the 'beach' of a reservoir, visited by a number of goat and cow herders and the world map had to coem out again. The following night we were in a mountainous area, getting dark, with no possibility of getting off the road and ended asking if we could camp at a fuel station. They were delighted, invited us in for tea and insisted on finding an English channel on their black and white TV (connected to a satelite dish).

Following day we drove down a valley towards the fan mountains, through thick smog . First driving up to Artush at 2450m, (where we met a group of 6 French walkers, supported by 6 Tajik men and 6 donkeys, on a 6 day walking holiday that sounded fantastic - note for the future). We then dropped back down to the valley and up to Half kul, the Seven Lakes and this was absolutely the highlight of the trip so far, about 30 miles up to the 7th Lake of the most challenging and scenic road we have undertaken so far. The Lonely Planet says you can 0nly drive up to lake 6, but we lost count and made it right up to Lake 7, where we found a helicopter landing pad. Apparantly the President visited a few weeks ago and they slightly improved the track for the visit (but was still a question of once started you had to continue as there was no-where to turn round.

After 2 nights at the 7 lakes we moved round to Iskander Kul (Lake), where we stayed in a former Soviet holiday camp (along with a dutch couple with their Tajik driver), somewhat basic, but the beds were the most comfortable we have slept in on the whole trip!

Once back on the main road we thought it would be an easy couple of hours to do the 65 miles to Dushanbe - wrong! The map says the road goes over 3,300m pass, but after 2 short (400 to 500m) tunnels we launched into a 3rd (at 2,700m) that went on forever. Pitch black and much of the road under water with HUGE craters in the road that you could drive in and out of. We first came across a truck with no rear lights, following 2 cars going at less than walking pace (and with Chris telling me we shouldn't overtake in a tunnel) we lumbered past, and the same with the next 3 cars we came across.

Then we came across 2 cars side by side, with a huge digger diagonally across the tunnel, with other vehicles flashing and honking on the other side. I positioned the cruser in the middle of the road (so no other twit could try to come past) a few car lengths back, as it was clear that both cars in front would have to reverse in order for the digger to move out of the way. After a couple of minutes (that felt like hours, considering all the exhaust fumes) the digger moved and the second of the 2 cars in front managed to edge out the first, but moved to the centre of the road (possibly to avoid a crater) with the second right up its exhaust pipe and got stuck! We just trundled round them and continued banging, clanking and splashing through the tunnel, at times 100+ metres totally under water and it was quite some time before we saw any headlights behind us.

When we eventually emerged there was a line of trucks and cars changing tyres or looking underneath to see what they had damaged - how any car made it through is quite amazing.

For the next 40 miles the road was perfect and after trying an ex soviet budget Hotel we plumped for the Asia Grand, our most expensive yet at $150 per night, but we managed a 10% discount for one night, which we increased to 20% when we negotiated a second night.

We applied for our last (Kazahk) visa this morning, which we had hoped we would get today, but it won't be ready till Monday, so we have arranged a Homestay (room in a private home) for $30 a night (for Saturday and Sunday) all I need to do now is find somewhere to watch the Grand Prix on Sunday.

Assuming we do get the visa on Monday we will spend one more night in the roof tent before entering Uzbekistan where we will spend the next 12 nights or so in Hotels (due to registration requirements) visiting famous places such as Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva, after the most southerly point of the trip at Tremiz, across a river from Afganistan.

Overnight at a fuel station in the mountains.

Commuting - Tajik style

At 2,450m at Aktush

Camping by Lake 3 (one of the 7 lakes)

Driving past one of the lakes.

Main means of transport in the mountains

View from the path round Lake 7

Reminiscent of a rock I once saw in The Himalayas many years ago. I had hitched a lift with a logging truck, stood on sections of tree trunk in the back of the truck, trying to keep my feet and rucksak from getting jammed as everything bounced up and down. The truck accelerated as a rock like this slid gradually down the slope and sliced straight through the road and carried on down about 10 seconds behind us.

Isikander Kol, unfortunately, due to smog/dust and position of the sun this photo does not really do it justice.

A rather rickety platform above a waterfall.

Silk Weaving

Not sure how this will come out but this is an example of silk weaving the way they have done it for centuries

And Now for Something Completely Different

We are now in Fergana in Uzbekistan and will cross into Tajikistan tomorrow for about 8 days, and then back into Uzbekistan.

After leving Kazakhsatan we went straight to Bishkek (capital of Kyrgyzstan) to get our Tajik and Uzbek visas. The Tajik was easy, 30 minutes and done (once the taxi driver found the embassy). The Uzkek one took 8 days, not helped by the same taxi driver getting totally lost, making 3 phone calls and asking 3 pedestrians before he got us there.

Whilst we waited for the visa we went up into the hills, ripped a hole in a tyre on the cruiser and realised that the rear wheel of my bike was no longer with us! probably somewhere in Kazakhstan. The cruiser tyre was easy, 200 som (less than £4) to repair. We then went to a bike shop we had seen in Bishkek to source a back wheel for the bike. I don't think I mentioned that the bike was damaged in Mongolia when I reversed into what I thought was a bush, but turned out to be a bit more solid and bent the rear forks. As it happened the bike shop had a sale and the owner offered to buy what was left of my bike so turned out a better option to buy a new one. He also arranged an appartment for us for £17.00 per night (instead of £50.00 in the Hotel) and also let us park the cruiser in the workshop to keep it secure.

After finally obtaining the Uzbek visa we set off on our travels once more, stopping at Issyk Kul lake and then up to Song Kol lake at just over 3,000m over a 3,400m pass and staying in a Yurt. Turned out we would have been better off sleeping in the roof tent as the wind howled all night and blew through the gaps in the fabric so it was freezing. Next day I couldn't resist jumping on the new bike to ride from 3,100m down to 1,700m, but felt just a little guilty when we met an English guy cycling up with full packs, still at least we topped him up with filtered water.

The next few days the weather was amazing and the scenery absolutely stunning, there is no need to go to Mongolia it is all here and we found the people much more freindly and helpfull than the Mongolians and the food is better, but we found it better to try and drop below 1500m to camp or it becomes rather chilly and Chris has to have her hot water bottle.

Over the Fergana Mountains into the Fregana Valley and although technically still Kyrgyzstan has a very different look and feel, but this is the area that the Foreign Office still advises essential travel only due to troubles betteen Uzbeks and Kyrgyz in this area. This is a legacy of Stalin who carved bits of Uzbekistan off to enlarge Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan and whilst in the main everyhere is peacefull the Kyrgyz part of the Fergana Valley is still somewhat in turmoil. Having said that nobody bothered us and we passed through without problem.

After all we heard about the problems of getting into Uzbekistan and vehicles being searched from top to bottom, it turned out to be no more difficult than any other. The only problem was that the forms were all in Russian and we came to a bit of a stalemate when the customs official spoke no English and simply shrugged, but we eventually found someone in another office to help fill them in and after they were typed into a computer in one office, stamped in another, hand written into a ledger by security I think even they had got bored and after a cursory look in the back we were on our way. I must say though that the clear plastic Staples boxes everything is packed in has worked out very well as they can see what is in them and so far not one has opened any of them.

Uzbekistan is different again. The money is ridiculous! The largest note is 1,000 som which is worth 40p. The official rate is 1,750 som to $1, but you can get 2,500 som to $1 on the black market. The Hotel we are staying in was quoted at $100 per night, which is 175,00 som which you can aquire for $70 just down the road!!!

The people here though are the friendliest we have ever met. As we drove into the first City (Andijon) we asked a driver at traffic lights in which direction we would find a Hotel, he waved his finger for us to follow him and after an unbelievable u turn across 3 lanes of traffic in each direction he led us straight to the Andijon Hotel - and wanted nothing for it. Three times now we have stopped to ask directions from pedestrians and they have got in and taken us there.

On our first morning in Andijon we headed for the bazzar to get some fruit and met up with Baha, a University student who spoke exceptional English and who adopted us for the rest of the day, introducing us to the art of changing money and also helping us to get car insurance (which we failed to manage in Kyrgyzstan). When we asked him for directions to Fergana he took us to the main taxi rank and arranged for us to follow a taxi all the way here (45 miles) and in fact turned out to be a tag team as the first taxi handed us over to another after a few miles and after he had dropped off his passengers led us right to the (Asia) Hotel. (We unfortunately have to stay in Hotels here in order to register).

The Andijon Hotel was a real dump (but only cost £11 per night). The Asia Hotel is quite the opposite and so nice we have stopped for 2 nights as we have an exec room for £43. There are no registration issues in Tajikistan so will be in the roof tent again for the next 8 nights, but the following 10 or 11 we will be in Uzbekistan again and Hotels again, hopefully with internet so we can update the blog.

A beer in the sun on Lake Isyk Kul (though a little chilly at 1500m)

A storm heading towards us but amazingly split in two and went either side of us.

Over the pass to Song Kol at 3,409m

Couldn't resist jumping on the new bike for the ride down.

We decided to cross the river rather than this bridge.

And finally dropping down into the Fergana Valley

Fortunately so far this is the only police we have seen waving their battons in Uzbekistan.

Having tea with Baha before changing money and arranging car insurance.

This is Samsa, bread filled with meat and onions and cooked in an oven, delicious.

The Buny's got the money! 500,000 som, worth £125

A visit to the silk factory in Margilon where they still make and weave silk as they did 3,ooo years ago. This has been the heart of silk manufacture for centuries and from which the Silk Road derives its name. For one month a year huge numbers fo Uzbec households devote a month, vertually 24/7 growing silk worms for use in the silk factories. But if these households decide to produce their own silk they pay no tax on the proceeds as the Uzbec government wants to encourage original trades.

Back to The Future

Kazakhastan! Certainly a land of surprises.

We headed west from Omsk into Kazakhastan and for the first 100 miles the scenery was the same, flat, grass/crops and lined with trees, but then we turned south and went across 1,000 miles of flat, brown, empty scrub land, with Astana plonked in the middle and is the most amazing city I have seen (images below). We then skirted round a lake for about 200 miles and on to Almaty. 60 miles before Almaty the ground started to undulate slightly and crops and trees returned. 50 miles from Almaty the mountains appeared in front of us like a vision across the horizon, the smog of Almaty obscurring all but the snow capped peaks that seemed unreally high.

Almaty is a huge contrast to Astana and is a huge bustling, vibrant city that basically never stops. We struck lucky with a low cost Hotel with secure parking and a restaurant next door that has excellent food and always something going on. First night, at 10pm the curtains opened on the stage and a rather attractive young lady started cavourting about, eventually down to her G string! Closely followed by a rather muscular bloke that did the same! They then went on to involve some of the audience and the bloke ended up with a young lady (?) clinging round his waist by her legs, stripped to the waist and skirt up round her waist! and this is kazakhstan!

As expected, we did get hassled by the police!

This was at a service station just outside of Astana, difficult to show on a picture but basically a time trial where 2 cars go off at intervals round a course laid out in the lorry parking area.

Some of the amazing structures in the centre of Astana

And this 'tent' is designed to stay at +30 degrees even when it is -30 outside, is a shopping centre inside with a beach resort and water park in the top, a mono rail running round inside and all sorts of rides and simulators, including a full F1 car with screens for front and mirrorr views and do 3 laps of an F1 circuit.