2019-06-26 Day 272 Wed

Time to install the stove, After John had made tea outside on the camp stove hopefully for the last time. Installation did not take all that long but we decided not to change the cables to the control panel. As they are attached underneath of the bench top and other cables.

Test run and it works.

 

 

We have seen these Storks and/or their nests for the last 8 months, but now we can see them full. This nest had 3 little ones.

 

 U turns are used instead of lights and intersections. Sometimes 3 of 4 lanes will be choked with cars wanting to turn. Which slows down the road a lot. Sometimes they will line up 4 wide ready to turn. Often there is not a dedicated lane.....

 Now finally off for the border of Tajikistan. It took a while to get out of Uzbekistan. We were separated and John went and did the vehicle then came to do his passport and joined me in the queues. The guy did ask about our registration book and I just replied that we had not stayed anywhere for 3 days we move on every day. He accepted that.

Tajikistan was easy, but slow as well. We paid the US$28 road tax and we were through. Just a cursory glance inside. He did ask what was in there and my flippant reply was everything one needs in a house. We were welcomed and through.

A full ute in Tajikistan. 

The land was flat but the mountains were visible - real mountains with snow. Very hazy though.

We arrived in Khujund about 6pm. Banks were closed. I tried my card in one but did not work. We stopped at another bank and a young guy asked if we needed help and I said trying to get money from visa or master card. He was not sure which bank so rang a friend who told him the bank to use - Kozcom. He also said tourists cannot get SIM…..

We got money out 2000 somonie 7 to the $1.

We were not able to stop but these Horns made a lovely sound

 Then drove out of town to the lake and camped on the southern edge. We filled with diesel on the way and with water. Nice to be able to just fill up at a bowser.

I went to start the stove and same error Glow Plug….. and the stove fan ran when the altitude button was pressed.

 

So although late we decided to put the new cables in from the stove control to the stove. What a job. The original were nicely held in place and the extra tied up with other cables but soooo hard to get to from the rubbish bin hole. Really need to take the bench top off. But we got them changed out and all good.

I then cooked the salmon for dinner. Finding out that under the lovely looking fillet was the head nicely cut in half, back bone fins etc. what a ripoff but still was not too expensive, and nice for a change.

 158km

 

Campsite

2019-06-25 Day 271 Tue

Back into the Turkish embassy to meet the interpreter Indira. No go, supposedly we were booked in for 3 o’clock and yes they will accept Indira provided she writes a letter for us to sign to say she takes the responsibility of the translation. Organised to meet back at 2:30.

We had noticed a supermarket so went and spent most of our local money buying provisions. A sandwich for lunch and then back to the embassy. Missed a phone call and called back to find out that it was Fedex our stove would be delivered today Yippee.

It took a lot of sitting around and waiting in which time we had some interesting discussions with Indira. She is a modern lady and had studied Environmental Management in the Turkish half of Cyprus. Jobs were not well paid so she earns more interpreting for business and government in her 4 languages. Russian Ubek, English and Turkish.

US$28 paid to embassy and 3 hrs to Indira and we were done.

Drove to FedEx which took some finding, and picked up the stove no hassles at all.

 Rather busy intersection by the main bazaar.

 

Now off towards Tajekistan.

NE of city above some fish ponds and opposite a gravel in the river bed. One of our worst camps. The gravel pit worked late into the night loading trucks and the view was uninteresting.

A local who farmed the fish came with his 10yr old son to check us out. All OK.

 90km

Campsite

2019-06-24 Day 270 Mon

 Before getting to Tashkent we saw some wildlife.

 Any shaped bread a long as it is round and flat, and stales with in 2 hours.

 Sometimes a bigger jack is needed!

 Tashkent is a clean city with lots of trees and statues.

Into Tashkent and the Turkish Embassy. No they could not help us as we did not have the Turkish language or were residents of Uzbekistan. We got to see the consul who said if we got it interpreted by one of the people on the list of numbers on the wall they would stamp the POA.

We rang every number and sent an email and no luck. I found a site online that had professional interpreters and one had Turkish so booked her for 10am the following day.

Notice the little boy standing on the seat with his head out the window!!!

By now it was 3pm. We needed fuel. Went to the spot where someone had posted on caravanastan that there was diesel but none. The guys were trying to be helpful but couldn’t read a map. One guy jumped in - so I sat in the back, and after one hours drive we got 50 litres - then the hour back. A long hot afternoon.

Now 6 pm and a camp was pressing. Found a little spot by the river after getting lost in a village with 5 roads!! mind you it had a new freeway cut through the middle.

211km 

Campsite

2019-06-23 Day 269 Sun

This farmer came by with his son and a mob of cattle. While he spoke to us his son watched the cattle and with the occasional instruction from his dad kept the cattle in the correct place away from the cropped paddocks.

 

This other farmer  came by with his flock of fat tailed sheep and chatted also.

Continued our drive towards the national park. The road was still very rough and slow, a black car with special plates stopped beside us. An Azerbaijan family working in the embassy in Tashkent. The son spoke good English and hopes to attend uni in Australia in another few years.

The road in was very rough from this end.  As we traveled closer we were passed by a few cars then realised that the park is a good day trip for Tashkentians wanting relief from city and heat.

There were these occasional warnings Stop, Border of Government! One was not allowed off the road towards the border of Tajikistan.

It was now only 19℃. We stopped to look at one of the canyons. John went back to EC to make us a sandwich while I photographed some flowers. But where was lunch? I went back to a surrounded EC of uni students. John was of course talking to them all.

A very beautiful spot.  We  will soon be on the other side of these mountains when traveling south in Tajikistan

 Fire fighting equipment. bottles of water and "brushes" of branches.

The northern side was far more visited with life size bear statues and picnic areas. A lot of people out enjoying the sites. The road was also better.

We continued north on good roads and and found a little camp by a river within 100km’s of Tashkent Some fishermen joined us after dark with amazingly long rods. Not sure if they caught anything, we went to bed before they left.

 248km

Campsite

2019-06-22 Day 268 Sat

We did not see our farmer friend so drove north again.

Samarkand is another town of the famed Silk Road. We parked in a carpark at the end of the old town and then found a place to eat. 

Disappointing food at tourist prices. We did share a beer which was enjoyable in the heat.

A wander around the three remaining Madrasa (Islam schools). These have had an enormous amount of restoration work on them. The old photos show that very few of the walls were remaining. The works started in the 1930’s.

We were told that each scholar had a room each and that the teacher would give one to one education to them in their rooms.

Little boys are the same everywhere!!!

 

 
Onto a bumpy slow road to find a camp. 



In the late afternoon the animals are brought back home.

Water is collected from the local well or tap.
 

Not one of our better camps. A couple of guys came past in the dark and shone there torches in. John went and spoke to them but just a couple of interested lads walking home.

I emailed Heatso about whether our stove had shipped and received a tracking number in return.

Sad thing is it is due on Friday! A week away.

 162km

Campsite