stray: July 2019

2019-07-23 Day 299 Tue

The roads are so bad here that they have rattled Johns fillings out!!!

John holding the broken bit of side mirror in his mouth, allowed me to photograph his top back tooth that is slowly falling apart. He will send the photo off to his Australian dentist asking what he should do?

There are some beautiful dragonflies around but they don’t settle for long.

Back onto the road at Koilyk where we stopped to buy some apples. One lady had good English and I showed her on the map where we had been. She invited us for tea but I declined then she grabbed me buy the arm and marched me across the street to her lovely house and garden.

We picked some apples out of the trees… and she gave me some cheese a big piece frozen and some fresh. Such generosity.

Kazakhstan apple picker

Then I returned to the truck for the camera and John. We looked at her huge veggie garden and about 5 huge apple trees.

Tamara's husband died 15 years ago she has 5 kids 10 grand-kids and 2 great-grand-kids. Her children are in US, Russia, Kyrgyzstan and one in this village.

We agreed to tea with bread, home made cheese, raspberry jam and cream from her cows. Haven't had such yummy cream for a long time…..

She had learnt her English by hosting foreign peace corp English teachers in the village, for 6 years, but in the proceeding two years had forgotten a lot…

I went to buy some black currents from the stall we were stopped by but the lady gave them to me.

On up to Usharal and the national park. There was a police car lined up for fuel so went and asked them about the park. Finally got my message through and they said "wait here for 5 mins and a park guy will come".

We waited and two young fellows turned up, Sadly the park is closed to tourists even though I read on google that it is the second best place to see water birds. A major stopping point for migrating water birds. We are not having much luck with the parks here.

The road degraded….

They have started a new road so we swap from side to side on temporary roads or back on the original, very slow and rough with lots of other traffic.

We spotted on the map some tracks that would take us along a lake which will be the plan for tomorrow. Just need to get off these roads.

It is sunflower season and many paddocks have these beautiful sunny flowers.

Looked for a river camp but the little track we were on headed into the hills. A real pretty camp in the dry hills with lush green valleys where the springs flow

288km Campsite 680m alt.

2019-07-22 Day 298 Mon

Decided not to go into the dessert as we couldn’t find a ring road on the "witch", or google earth. By-passing Taldykorgan then we turned off onto a yellow hoping it would be better than the red. The surface of the red is good quality seal but every 10 feet there is a 6 inch dip which is just not suitable to EC so we have a very uncomfortable slow ride.

There was a paddock (crop) full of a strange plants. The color of the flower was a bit like saffron but google indicated that it was not.

We decided on taking a yellow road even though it was a bit longer as we were not enjoying the main road.

The yellow was a better road and our speed increased and as usually is the case, much more to see.

We pulled off by a small creek and had lunch sitting outside and enjoying the cooler air near the stream.

The road changed to a good dirt road and we were able to barrel along until after one town it started to be less road like. Up into the hills and dropping down the other side into Zhansugurov. It had been a very pretty drive and no worse than the main road.

The grave yards are amazing with their building like tomb… Quite astonishing really the tombs seem better built than the houses in the surrounding area.

Back onto the red and further East heading for some lakes and another national park.

Where else do you unload a truck of road material with a fork lift? In the middle of the road. I must give them credit they did at least have a witches hat and a 20km/hr sign.

Met a couple of English cyclists who were raising money to buy a solar system for a Mongolian school.

Rising Sun Cycle

Pulling off at a small river we drove for a few km’s on tracks trying to find a nice clean spot, for the night. Although the country generally seems to be very clean there are a few spots where the locals are prone to litter.

On dusk about 20:30 found a nice spot on the river bank. No internet so left around 10ish.

264km Campsite 709m alt.

2019-07-21 Day 297 Sun

Good internet connection, so we did a few jobs then headed east along the lake aiming for the Altyn Eel National park.

We pulled two separate cars out of the sand at a very popular bathing area, then continued.

We traveled in some soft sand and the tires performed for us. They were a little low about 36psi so had lots in reserve.

We are not sure which road is the main road into the park. Drove on one dirt road following the power-poles to enter the park on the Western boundary. Came across a gate to the park and discovered that we could not enter as one needs a ticket from Almaty some 300km south. Very disappointing so headed back out the same road.

The Graves/tombstones are becoming very large and ornate.

We then eyed off the Saresuj-Atyray desert which is south of Lake Balkhash thinking to see some sand dunes.

The service ramps on the road sides are now big enough for us.

We made it most of the way to Taldykergan then headed out on the yellow which ran parallel to the highway, probably the old one. A much better road surface and very little traffic.

A nice looking hillock made a wonderful camp. with views down down into the valleys. A very quiet camp.

226km Campsite 884m alt.

2019-07-20 Day 296 Sat

Needed to be in Almaty before 2pm to pick up our passports from DHL.

Left about 08:30 I walked out ahead but was taking too many photos of flowers to get much distance walked.

John met me at a stream and I suggested we fill the tanks. We fill 6 litre water bottles and empty them into the tank. Doesn't take to long to put 80litres in. We try to fill while both tanks are around the half full mark.

A beautiful quiet view

A lovely drive.

This plant looks very similar to rhubarb.

Wild flowers everywhere.

On we went on a very slow road up to the pass of 3010m. One of the switchbacks was quite wished out but EC just crawled up. I got out to take some photos but missed her when when lifted her front left off the ground. (hard to show the actual roughness)

Paused at the summit for a photo.

I started to drive down and a big bird flew over to land on a hill above us followed by two more then another two flew over the ridge.

John got out and crested the ridge to try and photograph them.

The road was a bit washed out in places but not too bad. Down we went onto open plains and yurts.

A new observatory had been built across the plains on a hill top.

We started to see some cars then some more, then more, and little 12 seaters.

Back in tourist country.

We entered the top of a gorge with a few cars which grew and grew. People were parked picnicking or camping on every spare bit of flat ground. Quite amazing how many brand new 4x4 there were. A lot of Prados but also a lot of Mercedes. Must be money here somewhere. So different to the last 4 or 5 countries.

By the time we exited the narrow gorge their were bus’s and people everywhere.

On into Almati, not too bad a drive but on red. Traffic was behaved. Arrived at DHL and john went to get the parcel. That all went well and we have Russian visa’s.

We wondered down the street and got a bite to eat. It was very hot and I was not interested in walking very far.

We headed north out of town. Town seemed to extend along way. Got on the red and exited just north of Kapchagay reservoir. Drove out on a white and parked off the road on a sand hill overlooking the lake. A lot of peopled own on the lakes edge swimming and picnicking.

Sat on the chairs at the edge of slope to water (12m down) and read and shared a large can of beer. Still 40℃.

Just as dinner was ready, 2 guys came by to ask John to get them out of the sand. He took a shovel and 2 max trax. After freeing the vehicles, john washed himself outside and we sat and ate over looking the lake. A balmy night.

226km Campsite 496m alt.

2019-07-19 Day 295 Fri

Did as many updates and downloads as we could before 0800 to use the night time GB we had. Although we had 10GB, 5GB of those could only be used between 0100 and 07:59hrs. Then we had a chat to Chris and caught up on his trip to south America and his plans for 2^nd term uni. He is very busy with his social committee role and only doing three subjects.

Next we caught up with John who had a successful interview with a new cellar door and will start there in a couple of weeks. He is enjoying learning about and using his mirror less camera that his brother bought him.

Left shortly after 10 and drove further around the peninsular lots of cattle and sheep but all in all a lovely area.

The stacks of dried manure from the corral where the cattle spend the night. This is dried and burnt through winter.

Filled with diesel and then at a market bought some fruit and vege. Melons, spuds, beetroot, lettuce (first I have seen in weeks) tomatoes, carrots.

There was a hair dresser and although we stood outside for 10mins, with a family of 5 blond kids, Not sure if they were waiting their turn or not... we didn’t get in or have any indication how long it’d be so left. Still had some money left.

An easy drive to the border. Cleared out of Kyrgyzstan and into Kazakhstan with minimal fuss, and search. A very quick crossing.

The last of the “Stans” for us. It has been wonderful driving through and learning a bit about these countries that we never hear about in Australia.

North to the town of Kegen, here we managed a lunch, then the hostess's son took me to buy a SIM card. He was a very bright eyed lad of about 8.

SIM successfully purchased for about AU$9 with 8GB for one month.

John had managed to find some new wiper blades for us in the other direction.

Nothing really changes on the land between the countries, there are numerous graveyards, animals still roam over the roads , statues of heroes stand proudly in the towns

I guess they were all the same country for awhile.

John discovered a back road through to Almaty. A small white road then onto a track however we thought we’d give it a go.

East we headed on a good sealed white road then to good gravel but the further we went the more it became track" like. Driving through the last little village we thought we’d found the end of the road but persevered through the village and mud onto a better track.