2019-07-30 Day 306 Tue

Did our damnedest to use all the GB left on our SIM. Downloaded contour lines for Russia and a few movie series.

At Shemonaikha we filled with diesel then went back to a small shop where I managed to spend the rest of our Kazakhstan money. Two bottles of dry red some smoked chicken and the remainder spent on some black sultana’s. Last time I had spent every penny in Uruguay we needed to pay a road toll just before the border.

 

On to the border. A bit of a look in EC and had passports stamped. All out - then for Russia. A few cars and a truck in front of us, but we all got let through into the compound together. Passport check a wee problem as I did not hand over both passports. We are using our concurrent passport only valid for 3 years but which holds our Russian visa. Showed him old passport and through. I went to car as driver and showed customs through. I could not open back right locker we are having issues with the lock. But that was OK.

Into Russia, I was exited to see what it was like.

Our map showed an ATM in Zmeinogorsk, 55 km within Russia, at a supermarket, we pulled in there. John stayed in the car and I went in to get some money out. Was successful and came out with 7500Rubles. Got my phone and went back for a SIM. 100 rubles for unlimited GB A$2.50. 
 

Back in the car we found that we could not share the internet. John had a similar message with the BeeLine SIM in Kazakhstan. Another 98 rubles to share but can only share 5GB. Back to the shop. Another option for 200 can get 20GB to share only good for in town. So bought that from one of the helpers at another shop. Cant sell to foreigners so the guy used his ID. 
 

A small veggie market and we got some fruit. Now we were good to go.

Our first impression of Russia “Big”. Paddocks here are Australian big the equipment is big they are serious farmers. Wheat ,oats, sunflowers, hay and and unidentified crop with small white flowers.

Green everywhere except where the chocolate mud soil shows through. 
 

Some paddocks are being harvested, hay and the grain and others are being ploughed maybe for the winter crop or to sleep seeded?

Once again we are seeing churches instead of mosques.

John as usual had a wonderful campsite chosen it just took a little bush bashing to get there. The beach was not so good so returned up and camped above the river Charysh.

A quiet night although some fisher folk drove past early am.

178km  Campsite  243m alt.

2019-07-29 Day 305 Mon

Left camp and drove back into town for johns Dentist appointment. The dentist lady was very efficient and had the tooth filled very quickly. She had no English and even had some smiles at the end. Cost AU$40.

Out to the shop where John had seen some snow chains and where he had bought the leaf springs. 
 

Chains only for trucks upstairs and cars downstairs. The one young guy Mikhail with English showed us a place that is a market for auto parts (yes back near the dentist). We decided not to go and while outside the guy from upstairs bought out some small chains and fitted them. They are only a ¼ chain. So we bought 4 @ AU$42each If they work they will be able to be fitted once we are already stuck…

We said our goodbyes to Oskemen. A great town that had supplied all we needed and more. Dentist, new springs, and the chains as an extra bonus.

We turned off the main road onto a track which meandered between the river and the farmers paddocks. Several paddocks had guys and machinery busily picking up the hay bales and loading onto tractor trailers.

Found a little spot but two kids swimming drove quite a bit further but could not get down to the river. Turned back and camped where the kids had been swimming. We both had a quick dip. A nice quite spot. Seems easy to find camps here.

146km  Camp site   299m alt.

2019-07-28 Day 304 Sun

Left our big room after a basic breakfast, but better than dinner. A taxi back to the workshop.

We discovered that while we had had a relaxing night our mechanics had spent his at the lathe creating two new bushes. He was a bit stuffed.

While the guys worked on the outside I made a chocolate cake and then after john had removed the left hand mirror I inserted the broken bit and then sacrificing our old very thin plastic sheet chopping board. I cut out the size of mirror and contact cemented it on the back of the mirror.

I made John a sandwich for lunch and the mechanic ate half so made another for him. He was very hungry and wolfed down 2 in quick succession. 
 

John had to take a taxi back into town to buy two spring leafs for the front.

All back together by about 4pm.

A piece of chocolate cake for mechanic – not sure whether he liked it or not.

We paid the AU$240 and a 20% tip for all of his extra work enthusiasm and care.

This time we drove towards the west and another river camp. In 20km’s we turned of the main road and after a small tributary crossing found a nice spot by some trees looking down on the river Irtysh

22km Camp site  272m alt.

2019-07-27 Day 303 Sat

Back into town and a carwash. The lady’s did the job for us for us  for AU$8. Soap and all, nearly washed off our track…. They allowed us to fill with water from their hose and I gave them a Roo. They had loosened up and become quite friendly.

EC is drawing a little attention although not many people actually stop to speak to us.

We rolled a bit further down the road to Royal Auto which was kind of a warehouse full of toys, from many different shaped skidoos to rubber duckies, tents to runabouts and outboards to camo lifejackets(?) . An interesting shop.

A young guy Artem with good English helped us. They could not do the work today or Monday as the workshop was booked out., however after a few phone calls he found someone who could.

Address in hand we turned into a large graveled yard that had a heap of scrap metal in the corner and a Truck with wheels off. We were concerned we had the wrong place but no!  A guy came out all excited with big smiles but no English he did mention Royal Auto though. We parked in the indicated spot just outside the workshop.

A piece of cardboard and under he went.

He would need the vehicle for the rest of today and tomorrow. He said we could sleep here, but we decided on a hotel room.

The guy seemed enthusiastic and great at his job. He was careful with our truck and very thorough.

He took the back leaf spring stack off first, and discovered that the bushes were worn out and bolt and bush needed replacing. As well as the big U bolts that hold the leaf stack to the axle should be replaced. We all grabbed a taxi. I was dropped at the hotel and the others went to buy the leaf spring and the bush. John was delivered back and they spoke to the receptionist about getting a taxi in the morning. John was to be back at the work shop at 0900hrs. 
 

I had booked us an expensive room(s) AU$90 two bedroom and huge lounge with an 8 seat table. I had assumed we would be here all afternoon and tomorrow morning. But not to be. 
 

I cannot even stay and do my computer stuff as my 240v charger is not working. 
 

A long hot shower (I think we used both EC tanks) felt good.

Dinner in the hotel was very ordinary, borch, a soup, was OK but the reheated chicken fillet was a bit ho hum…

A movie and into nice clean crisp sheets.

21km Camp site  280m alt.

2019-07-26 Day 302 Fri

John braved the mozzies and walked half way up the rocks for a camp photo. A car came in but stopped at the mud hole we had stopped at last night. They got out for 5 mins back into their car and they left. Maybe the water underfoot or the mozzies?

We were interested in having a drive down to the other lakes but once on the road again and around the corner it was all built out. Yurts and huts then as we continued a town perched on the sides of the lakes. We chose the best camp site last night….

Needless to say the road out was sealed and quite fast.

Arriving in Oskemen we went to a dental hospital to be told they could not help and sent us somewhere else. I found another dentist on google, we stopped by. The reception had no English, but a dentist did. Oh and by the way go back to the door and put on little plastic covers over your shoes!!!

The young dentist in fashionably ripped jeans was apologetic as he was away on holidays for a week. He had a quick look at the remains of johns tooth. He booked john in to an associate for Monday 11th. Now for springs.

Asked at one mechanic shop who directed us to a place to buy springs. Yes they had springs and a whole lot of other parts for trucks and cars. From fan belts to drive shafts and everything in between.

The mechanic next door would not fit them so the young guy with a bit of English made some phone calls for us. So he directed us to a Royal Auto shop down the road. 
 

It was now after 6pm - so tomorrow.

East out of town towards the Kamennyj rock quarry. Found a small track and followed it. Yes to the river and another lovely spot.

It is very smoky and the sun is just a red ball. Feels a bit like China…..Not sure where to smog is coming from but it is just hanging around.

 104km Campsite  209m alt.

2019-07-25 Day 301 Thu

John braved the mozzies and set out to find the lake. He returned in half an hour with no lake. Although he had his phone and the osmand map to track his path he should of taken my phone and had google maps do he could see the tracks through the reeds on "satellite view".

 

Decided that we could not easily get through to our white road this way we would drive back to the main road. 

Just before arriving we had a downpour of rain and the track was getting a little slippery, Glad we did not push through to the water. 

Another track went through - a track on the map and in fact. Once to the small town, a good white road headed us back towards the elusive lake. 

 The road became a track 

 

the track just faint wheel tracks the wheel tracks became ….

 

 

nothing.

We had to make our own track straight towards the other track on our map.

We were reunited with our lost tracks and continued.

 

We did not see the lake at all. 
 

Nice to be out again just on tracks picking which looks the smoothest. 
 

Slowly back into farming and better tracks. Then popping out on a sealed road.

We met a police car who flashed their lights at us so stopped for a chat. They obviously thought we were lost. They even rang an english speaker to help us. All good we knew where we were going.

Into a small village a good circuit around it looking for the way out. A large flock of hawks flying about and standing on the ground must be something dead but it is in the middle of the town????

Finally found the road or rather wheel tracks across to the next village. Was just a rough 2 wheel track no wonder the cops were curious…..

Finally a small river crossing then a left turn onto a good dirt road. On the corner was a bus stop that is used more by the sheep than people I think...

Saw these two big birds, more graves and lots of sunflowers again.

 

Turned off onto a very rough track to a small park called Sibinskiie Oziora which has 5 lakes. The first track into the park we turned into it. The hill outcrops of inclined eroded granite slabs Dwarfed EC.

Another camp invaded by mosquitos...


 272km Campsite  869m alt.

2019-07-24 Day 300 Wed

A motor bike went past and back but did not stop to talk.

They seem to respect privacy here.








Off onto a yellow road from Ayagoz heading east to lake Zaysan. The land is opening up into large golden areas.

The road is better than the main one. Numerous graveyards blot the landscape with their huge "buildings", back dropped by the frequent storms patrolling the horizon.

A fox crossed the road in front of us with an amazing tail…

The road was sometimes a bit rough and yet at others a really good dirt road.

Graves could be clustered together  with no fences or in a fenced grave yard.

At the crossroads at Boghas, google satellite showed a track into the lake. John did mention that it gets a bit faint in the middle.

Well I drove in on the muddy track just after a shower… It was all good but in the back of my mind I remembered the salt flats in South Australia….

We followed one set of recent tracks but stopped when they turned around and we were confronted with 2m high reeds. John walked in a little and it was all hard. So with trepidation I followed into the reeds. John climbed onto the bullbar and I drove some more, but the reeds joined ranks and grew taller. I called it quits and we turned around and drove out. 
 

In the clearing among the wild flowers we made camp. The mozzies were humming outside the netting trying to enter. When I opened the screen to close the window a cloud of angry mozzies entered. It took me a while to track them all down to squash them. 
 

Then of course the other windows. This time the fly spray came to hand and I blasted most as they entered. Next time I’ll spray before I open the fly screen. 
 

The mozzie don’t seem to bite much.

My genocide of the mozzies must have been sufficient as we slept without the annoyance of a mozzie dive bombing in the night.

 304km  Campsite  390m alt.