2019-06-13 Day 259 Thu

A really nice quiet night but warming quickly in the morning, so we moved early and stopped beside the river to catch up on a few things and have lunch. A few guys had been swimming off the bridge and came to visit. We packed up, parked on the bridge and went swimming with them. At their encouragement we dove off the bridges support to their amazement. I had a swimming race with a lithe 17year old, certainly technique played more than it’s share of the part. It was a tie but I am so unfit…. John had an underwater race with him and JA won by 4 meters or so, until the reeds made him surface.

We moved on, arriving at Uchquduq (what a great name) to learn that there was no diesel but some at Zarafshan another 90km south East.

This is a nose Bolt!!

Just before Zarafshan the road was being resurfaced. We had never seen it done like this. Flat pools full with tar catching all the animals that moved in the night so sad to see.

We found a restaurant which was amazingly fancy gilded ceilings and flash seats. Had a good lunch and had enough for a doggy bag. Dinner!

We managed to buy diesel in Zarafshan - 60 litres at 600som or AU$1.20/litre.

These horses were magnificently "dressed"

We left the main road and wandered into a archeology site but recent history. The town had this great cemetery.
 
 

Continuing south we wanted to get to lake Ayakagytma but the roads all came in from the east which was to far for tonight.

I had the idea of following train tracks, it took us a while to find the beginning of the track but then we were off at speed. We took the better road and veered away from the tracks which deposited us nicely above but west of the lake. We sat outside in the gathering dusk enjoying the desert view and cooler breeze.

 

Upon hearing donkey snorts and footsteps we awaited the visitor. The guy and donkey came over the rise ahead of us, hobbled his untrusty steed, and came to talk to us. He chatted with John a while then took his leave. He comes from the house below.

 307km

Campsite

2019-06-12 Day 258 Wed

John went for a wonder to the other side of the salt lake and the water source while I was still snoozing.

It was going to be another hot day so needed to get driving early, we then have air conditioner if required.

We crossed a canal that was not on our map. Very different for us to have water flowing through a dessert. The water is flowing north to the Arial sea. We collected some water in our big bottles and put washing on to soak in the black tub, stowing it in the shower basin while we drove.

There were a few puffy clouds which made the desert have more interest.

The road had it’s good sections but were outweighed by the slower parts.

We were not going to make the next river so we found a track (we do not like to make our own) and headed into the sand dunes. 







EC did not get up a few, she had hard tires and I did not want to make a mess, I feel we could of with low tire pressure. We just went around. There are many tracks.

We settled in a swale almost invisible from the road. Very hot still.

 144km

Campsite

2019-06-11 Day 257 Tue

John’s tummy was still not 100%. We stayed in our camp till about 1400hrs. Then finally decided to move on. 
 

We stopped again at Berunly, to get our under seat support on passenger seat fixed, it had broken a few days ago, therefor the seat was uncomfortable. We asked one shoe repairer to glue a piece of vinyl to the break and to stitch it. It cost 5 minutes and 10,000 som,  AU$2 to fix. Bought a few apricots and tomatoes then headed back to the diesel guy.

We saw some very big  tanks being transported on low loaders with many axles, and police escort.

  Filled with black-market diesel, another 60 liters and filled 4 x 6 liters bottles of water. Tank not full but close enough.

 Back towards Nukus then north into the dessert. The road was good in places but only averaged about 50km/h.

 Turned off East towards Uchquduq and the road became a little more degraded. Our map indicated water to the north so headed to it. Drove down a little track and camped above a dry salt lake. There was a building on the far side.

I walked down and took some photos of salt crystals then came back up to open out the vehicle. It was very hot.

One very small car came back from across the other side. They stopped to say hi - 5 men and one goat in a very small car!

 John photographed, a few of the more interesting tracks made by little inhabitants.

I sat on the seat and the little camera bounced out the door leaving its cover on the top step and fell into the sand. I brushed it off carefully then turned it on. The lens would not open. Not sure if from the bounce of a grain of sand stuck somewhere. Not a good ending to the day.

A quiet night but it was after 10:30 by the time we climbed into bed.

 185km

Camp site

2019-06-10 Day 256 Mon

John was not feeling 100%. Spoke and text to Chris who was at Mt Moyhu trying to find his birth certificate. I just can't remember where I moved it too….

 John drove us to Khiva which is one of the towns on the silk route. We paid the AU$30 to enter the old town and wondered around. John lay down for a while. The old buildings and city wall had been renovated in the 70’s by the soviets.

Wonderful how all the rooms of the guest houses open on an inner courtyard probably where the camels and horses were kept - where the owner could see them. And locked in from the street.

 The engraving on an old door.

 The minaret towered over the other buildings and helped us to pin point our location

 Arabic script sewn on a sleeve

 Climbing the stairs in the minaret was interesting. Very high steps and well worn. A great view over the city and EC.

We were both very tired and John has still not eaten. We stopped again at the markets where I bought two more melons.

I drove us to the same river as two nights ago but this time camped on the SW of the bridge. We lay down for a rest and John slept and dozed. I managed to get the photos up to date and the blog first time in a while. Sadly I could not upload them to the internet.

John slept through.


 73km

Camp site

2019-06-09 Day 255 Sun

Spent the morning doing photos and blog. Finally finished May - catching up slowly.

Watched a guy wade across the first Chanel with his two cattle then he swam them across the next one to leave them on an island. 
 

We moved on about 1400hrs, realizing it was too late to vist Khiva so stopped in Urgench at a big market place and bought some more fruit and had a late lunch.

 I assume they cut the grass and cart it home to their animals.

 Boys swimming in a canal in the middle of a small town.

 Modern transport!

 

Many 3 wheeled tractors here Smaller turning circle??

We then needed a camp. Drove south to a lake which straddles the Turkmenistan border. We followed a ute out a bumpy road and it turned off onto a track heading to water. We followed and realized we were probably on private property. While John turned around I went to talk to the guys in the ute but couldn’t make myself understood. As I turned away another guy was walking toward the ute. As I climbed in with John the third guy hailed us. We stopped and chatted. He told us where to go about 5 times then bade us follow him. He took us around to another road that cut across the lake. We stopped by a small house and he unlocked and showed us around. The guy has 80 hectare of the lake to farm fish. He told us to camp and he’d be back soon.

He arrived back and took John for a drive down the road to their fish boat. We were invited to dinner and they’d be back in an hour. 

The guys our catching our dinner!

By 2130hrs we had given up on dinner and had our first glass of wine since arriving in Iran. Then around 2200hrs they all arrived back with a young guy, Steve, who spoke good English. An interesting night. We both had some vodka but John was pushed into a bit more than me. The fish was very good, a white strong flesh but with lots of Y shaped bones.

Although this is Steve’s hometown and our host and Steve’s father are friends, they now live in Tashkent, Maybe we’ll catch up there.

Crawled into bed just after midnight. So much for early nights.

 62km

Camp site

2019-06-08 Day 254 Sat

Feeling a little better after a good nights sleep. Our morning was interrupted by the ranger returning to say he wanted to lock the gates. So we packed and left to find the park office. Where the office is situated, and with no signposts, we would have missed it yesterday even if we had come in the front gate!.

 
A lady, Elana, was there from Urgench. She works with an German NGO to help with the training and management of protected areas. She had very good English so we learnt quiet a bit of the history and the struggles they are having with different government departments and others that feel they have a vested interest.

We also found out that if one of the other guys had found us first it would have been a US$400 fine. Ouch! Even though there are no signs indicating no entry.

We made use of the dried up fountains surrounds to stand on to replace the sticky tape under the roof seal rubber. It had let go in a couple of places.

We moved on and found diesel at a gas station listed on caravanistan. Took on board 50 litres. Mostly full. The guy ensured us that there was diesel available up at the end of the desert track so we may go that way in a few days.

I took this for Nevil and wondered when he last used a hay baler of this vintage.






At Beruniy we stopped and did a small fruit shop and had a good lunch in  a small restaurant.
 

I have been amazed that in these last few countries there are shops full of wedding gowns even in towns that seldom are big enough for other shops. Today I finally got to see one being worn! The bride had to walkover dirt to get to the grand registration building.

We drove towards Urgench and camped on the Amuadaryo River NE of the bridge. We did not have internet so finally shifted 100 up onto the break water. Good internet.

Some how it was after 11pm when we showered and climbed into bed.

 

69km

 

Camp site