Into the mountains

Day 71 - Saturday 20th August - Sary Tash - 185 kms

The night before, we received an email from our friends Anna and Howard. When we left them the night before, they were planning to leave Osh friday morning... Howard, who had been suffering from an upset stomach since leaving Tajikistan, got worse overnight and had to go to hospital. He was put on a drip and given antibiotics. He had caught  some parasite while in the Pamir. 

Photo with Anna and Howrad last time w evade dinner in Osh:

That left us more determined to be careful with the food in the Pamir, and we bought some dried fruits  and nuts, few tins of Paté and biscuits. That would help us keep going if guest houses meals were looking not too good! 

Massive overland truck in Osh. 

We saw many participants of the Mongol Rally:

We left Osh soon after 9:30. It was slow going, as usual. We took our time as we only had 185 kms to the village of Sary Tash. Going from 1000 m to 3000 m altitude, was enough and we needed to spend one night at 3000m before going higher. 

On the way we met a couple from Estonia, on two DRZ400. They were having lunch at a cafe, so we stopped for tea with them.

As we were leaving, a Mongol Rally car was stopped near our bikes. It was being pulled by a truck! Not sure it will make it to Mongolia!

The road was very beautiful and taking us through few mountains passes.

We arrived at Sary Tash by 3pm. We stopped at the same home stay than two years ago. There are few more guest houses now, but all are pretty much the same in  term of facilities! 

Our room. Same than two years ago! 

Dining room:

The sink to wash hands, and only access to water, is the blue box you see next to the bikes in the left. The toilet is down the enclosure for the cows, the little grey hut bottom left. Yes the "hole on the ground " stuff! 

At least this time it was the guesthouse "private toilet"! Two Years ago, we had to use the village's public toilet! You don't want  to know! 

Going at night was funny, as, with the headlamp, I could see the glowing eyes of the cows looking at me! 

Both bikes had behaved very well at the highest pass of 3600m so we were confident that they would climb to the highest points in the Pamir at over 4600m.

After changing out of our motorcycle gear, we went for a walk, in search of a little shop. We found a small cafe instead. 2 cyclists from Poland were having lunch. The cafe only had one portion of  Plov left, so we took it and shared between both of us. 

Another couple, cyclists too, arrived and asked the cafe owner if they could change Tajik currency for Kyrgyz Soms. Banks don't change Tajik Somonis. We bought some from them as we would be going that way. 

After a chat with all the cyclists we left and finally found a little shop, in the usual shipping container that is used for everything in Kyrgyzstan! The shop was manned by two small kids. It had nothing we could possibly want so we walk next door, I.e. The next shipping container. It was empty but had a couple of things. Probably crisps :D.

A man was outside, I presume it was the owner. He came inside and told us to wait two minutes. He was so drunk he could barely stand and had to lean against the wall, while trying to talk. A kid came ( I presume his son!). 

After that we went back to the guesthouse. 

It ended up being a full house with several cars from the Mongol Rally. All had British number plates as it starts in the UK and many buy their car there. One car was driven by two young lads for  New York. 

Then a small van and a car arrived, ( also Mongol Rally people!)  with 8 people in total, with a  variety of nationalities. 

Dinner was boiled potatoes and buckwheat with a  fried egg and bread. We opted out of meat as it is usually rather vile. 

After that, it was an early night as, with no TV and no Wifi, there was not much to do but read. 

Day 72 - Sunday 21st August - about 60kms - lake Turpal-Kul yurt camp.

After breakfast we took our time to pack. We had plenty of time. 

We then rode to the nearbye fuel station to fill up on petrol. The place was run by children, once again! 

The little girl in charge looked very serious and efficient. 

After that we rode to Sary Mogul, further west, passing a police check point that did not bother with us. 

We had in mind to get to Lenin Peak base camp, at a round 3600m, it would be a good place to spend the night and get used to Altitude. 

In Sary Mogul, with no idea where to find the trail to the base camp. I spotted a sign for the local CBT ( Community Based Tourism) and found it passed the usually randomly located shipping containers. 

The staff at the CBT office told us it was better for us to go the yurt camp near the lake, as the base camp, which is maintained and built by various climbing companies, would not expect us and have space or food for us! Or so we understood. 

While stopped in town I got talking with a lad. He was from Israel, and as all the kids over there, travelling after the end of his military service. He was planning with his friends to get to the yurt camp, but finding difficult to hitchhike from Sary  Mogul. 

For us it did not matter, they were all in the same direction  and higher.  The yurt camp location looked nice in the photos, so we decided to get there. Once given some vague directions, we left. 

Yaks : 

The trail to the camp was sandy and tricky. We finally found the bridge and some random trails. It was not obvious as there were trails and car tracks going to random places. We kept aiming at the mountains.

It took us a while but we finally managed to find the yurt camp, 25kms from the village.

The place was beautiful, but as night fell, it was bitterly cold. 

Sadly, Lenin Peak, that is 7200m high, was hidden by clouds! 

We had a small walk a round. The place was just few yurts and couple of tents. It was a harsh environment. 

In the camp, we met three Frenchs who left in a taxi that came from the village. There was also a family ( Deutschs?) who lived in Dushanbe ( capital of Tajikistan) and a German couple arrived later on as well. 

We all took refuge in the dining tent, as it had a stove, so it was warm inside. The staff also lit up the yurts' stoves, using the usual dried cow pat as fuel!

Dinner was a gruel of potatoes and cabbage, salad and bread! When we asked without meat, they just removed most of it, although we still found lumps of fat in it! 

It was also decision time. Stress, relief,  fear, tears, disappointment.... In the end, for reasons I will not specify here, we decided we had no choice and we had to turn back. The Pamir  would have to wait. We were gutted, but sometimes stuff happens and well...  that's life. We decided to ride back straight to Osh the next day.

Day 73 - Monday 22d August - Osh - 245kms

The trail back to Sary Mogul was great fun to ride. Our bikes, I must say, are perfect for this sort of terrain! Both of us have decided that our respective choice is the ultimate bike for trips like these! 

My XT is perfect and I love it. It takes a full new dimension on trails....Throw it through sand, mud, rivers, gravel, any stones, rocks etc... It just goes and I feel so confident riding it that nothing really scare me. 

Few pictures taken while riding:

Kyrgyzstan is a beautiful country! 

Sary Mogul: 

And then my helmet camera ran out of battery! 

On the trail we came across the Israeli kids. I stopped to give them some tips as it was no obvious to find the yurt camp.  They were carrying big bags. I hope they got a lift in the end! It is a long walk. Although, just out of the military, they  are probably superfit and I am sure they can make it easily. 

We stopped at Sary Tash to get some more fuel. The same kids were running the place. This time I managed few pictures of Fatima.  She was a bright sparkly kid. I felt sorry for her. With good education, given a chance,  her life could get so much better. 

I asked her if she was going to school, she said yes. I hope she won't get married off early and shackled with an army of kids,  and what is certainly a very harsh existence in this area. I hope she will be given a chance! 

We arrived in town by mid afternoon. 

We went straight to the Osh Nuru hotel. We like it there. 

We had a rest, we were both very tried. We had not had much sleep in the last two nights, 

For dinner we went back to the Aztec restaurant. They had descent food and an English menu. 

Day 72 - Tuesday 23rd August - Osh -0 km

We have done over 14,000 kms. Not bad on our 250cc bikes! 

After breakfast we walked across the street to the bank, to change back our unnecessary Tajik currency. Banks don't change them. We were advised to go to the bazar and find  the money changers there. The Turkish Airline office was also in that direction. We walked first to the Airline office to change the date of our flight. After that we crossed the bridge and found quickly the money changers. We had a good rate and got Kyrgyz Soms. 

We then walked across the bazar and bought some bread and cucumber. We still had few tins of Paté. So that would do for lunch. 

The local bread is very nice. 

After that we walked back to the hotel and had our lunch and a rest. We decided to ride to Patrick's house the next day. We had left all our camping gear at his house. We had to go to pick it up. 

I checked my map, looking which trails would be OK to do and where to stay that would not be too high, to spend the night. We should be able to ride some beautiful trails and dizzying passes,  before we go to Bishkek. 

That's all for now folks! 

The road to Osh

Day 67 - Tuesday 16th August - Toktogul - 290kms

Finally  we were able to leave Bishkek. Riding out of town on the main highway was slow going as it was town after town after town. The main road go right across each town, bazar, market, and the crazy traffic that goes with it.

We then stopped to pay 5$ each to use the highway. I use highway very loosely here!

We finally started to climb for our first mountain pass of the day. The road was twisty and steep. Up and up it went, hair pin bend after another... It was beautiful, if only the drivers had not been that crazy. It certainly kept us on edge as we tried to stay alive on that road.

We finally reached the highest point, over 2500m altitude. Our bikes were behaving fine. 

We then crossed a very long dark tunnel for several miles. The headlights on our bikes are pitiful! The tunnel was narrow, busy, with drivers all over the place. Although the highway is only a dual carriage way, they have no concept of lanes so they keep swerving all over the place. 

As Patrick told us, they drive like they ride horses! When you know that here you buy your driving licence, they have no idea how to drive! 

On the other side, we started descending, then crossing a stunning high valley. There were many yurts along the road, selling Kimiz (horse, well... mare, fermented milk) and balls of hard dried cheese, probably from horse milk too. 

There were many horses and some livestock roaming free for miles on end. There are no fences in Kyrgyzstan. It's a bit like Mongolia: wide open spaces. 

Population near the road meant aggressive dogs attacking the bikes. We tried our best to avoid running one over as they jumped toward our front wheels. 

The weather was very cold and then it started raining heavily. 

We climbed another pass and went slightly down. 

With so much traffic and trucks on the road, our progress was slow. We were planning to stop midway to Osh, in Kara-Kul, a non-descript town. However, we were so cold and rather tired, by mid afternoon, so we decided to stop for the night in Toktogul. 

We knew Toktogul well. About 30kms from there, 2 years ago, Alistair's bike decided to die and we had to hide it in a ditch ( it was very late) and  spend the night at an empty half built hotel in town! 

Riding around town for a guesthouse, I managed to find where the hotel was. It was now quite busy. Funny enough, we had the same room than two years ago. This time we had to share the bathroom  and toilet with lots of other people. The place was full at night! 

We had time to have  a walk in town but there was not much to it. We went to get some food at the same ( and only !) restaurant than two years ago. They had now a big garden and with the warm evening it was nice to get a small meal outdoor. 

Day 68 - Wednesday 17th August - Osh - 410kms

After a quick breakfast we were back on the road by 9:30.

Once again, the mountain road was very beautiful but slow going.

After crossing one town, we got stopped by the police. They are everywhere these days! Apparently, Alistair was speeding, going at 72km/h on a 60 zone. As there are rarely speed limit signs, we could not argue. Apparently, I was not speeding despite being just behind Alistair! 

They started taking the driving licence and bike's V5. The chief, fat ( police cops Chiefs are always fat and always sitting in the car while barking orders to his minions, we found!) ... Anyway, the chief told us it was 100 dollars and we would have to go to pay at the bank in Toktogul. I knew what was coming. 

We did not react much, waiting to be asked for cash. 

Then he said if we paid 1000 Soms with our credit card ( about 15 dollars) we could leave. 

Obviously, as you can imagine, none of our cards would work. What a surprise!  So he wanted cash.

Meanwhile, I had removed discreetly most of my cash from my dummy purse, leaving about 650 Soms. 

I showed him my purse with the cash. I gave him the purse... Maybe he felt embarrassed, but after a bit of a huff, he took 500 Soms (about 8 dollars) and we were able to go. We made sure to ride at 60km/h every time it looked like there was a house or anything that may be like a village! 

Funny enough, very late in the evening, in the parking of the Hotel Osh Nuru, we met a group of bikers from Poland, on brand new shiny BMWs, ( obviously transported there by Chris's company!) loaded with tons of luggage, plus a support vehicle, and all the unecessary kit you can imagine... Anyway, 3 of them got stopped also for speeding... They were asked 200 dollars each, to start with... They ended up paying 50 dollars each! Ouch! 

Eventually, by 6:30 we arrived in Osh. We went straight to hotel Osh Nuru. We had been staying there two years ago, after Alistair's bike blew up in Uzbekistan, and we replaced the engine by a Chinese copy, thanks to Kolia, Patrick's very talented mechanic.

Back in London, we had met few times with a young couple, Anna and Howard, who were planning to ride to Mongolia. They left in July and had a different itinerary than us, but they were in Osh for few days. They had just rode the Pamir. We arranged to meet that night at the California Cafe for a pizza and exchange some tips! 

Day 69 - Thursday 18th August - Osh - few miles

In the morning we rode to Patrick's house. Patrick is the business owner of Muztoo and runs motorcycle tours in Central Asia. He also provides services and occasionally spare parts, to travellers. He has a good workshop so you can also use the place to do repairs on your own vehicle. 

As we arrived, there was a massive custom made bike with an enormous sidecar attached to it! A German was working on it. Then his friends turned up, on two bikes and another "trike".

Kolia was busy in another job. So Alistair took out the carburettor. 

Long story short, 195 dollars laters, the TTR was fitted with a new more narrow jet and the needle dropped to its lowest setting to ensure the bike runs as lean as possible. 

My XT250 was fitted with a new back tyre, as the existing one was pretty much at the end of its life. I got the same tyre than two years ago, a Korean Shinko. They last forever.

We also bough another jet even more narrow, just in case! 

The TTR also was fitted a roller above the chain, to avoid the chain to flap and destroy the frame. In rough tracks, the chain was flapping a lot. 

Anyway, all that took most of the day as we also had to go back and forth to pick up some stuff from the hotel. 

In the evening we met with Anna and Howard for dinner. They were leaving the next morning. 

We also managed to do a lot of laundry. The hotel washing machine was broken so we had to do all in the bathroom's sink! Fortunately, the weather in Osh is super hot, so all was drying quickly in our small balcony! 

Day 70 - Friday 19th August - Osh - 

After some more laundry done, we walked to the main bazar. We bought a large bag. We had decided to leave all our camping gear in Osh, with Patrick, while we rode around Tajikistan, and pick it up on our way back. 

The bazar:

Traditional hat than local men wear:

The bazar was as enormous as before! We found  quickly what we needed and came back to the hotel. We filled the bag with all we could do without for a couple of weeks! Mainly the camping gear  and cooking pot, stove etc.... It was  a lot! 

Then, after a quick lunch of Plov at a  local cafe, Alistair took the bag to Patrick's house. 

We were planning to buy some food ( high energy bars, dried fruits, nuts etc...). We knew what to expect in term of food ( and food poisoning!) in Tajikistan, and I am determined to avoid any meal that may be of the " food poisoning " type! Hard to tell I know! 

Most places in the Pamir and the Wakhan corridor are home stay, and include usually all meals... 

Home stays are Just in people houses, in tiny villages, that have no running water, no toilets other that the hole in the ground type, no showers, no fridges, rarely electricity and probably not the same sense of hygiene, when preparing food, as we may expect in Europe! 

The principle to follow is the same than in Africa: if you can't peel it, cook it or boil it, forget it!

So departure tomorrow. We will be most certainly offline until we are back in Osh. Maybe 10 or 15 days.... I will report back when I can! Wish us good luck! :) 

Few days in Bishkek...

 We did not plan to go to Bishkek , the capital city of Kyrgyzstan, until the end of our trip.... But in the end we had to!

Some stuff came up that we had to sort out and go to Bishkek for that. Nothing major.

So on Thursday 11th August - day 61 - 320 kms

We arrived in town relatively early and found a hotel that had good ratings online. 

I hope we can leave Tuesday morning (16th August) . Small delay but we still have a full 4 weeks so should be plenty enough.

So my itinerary had changed slightly.

From Bishkek we will go to Osh. Then from there, after getting ready for Tajikistan and riding the Pamir (I.e. Buying some food!) we will ride to Sary Mogul ( sounds like a name out of Lord Of The Rings! ) to adapt to altitude.

 Going straight from an elevation of 600m ( in Osh) to a border pass of 4,300 metres, and towns at 4000m, we need a couple of days acclimatisation... Altitude sickness is very bad and dangerous! Sary Mogul, above 3000m, is not a village, merely  few yurts near a  lake. One or two night there should do the trick.

Then we will cross into Tajikistan. Once we leave Osh it will be wilderness! Hardly any electricity, no running water, toilets, showers or anything for the duration of the trip in the Pamir, with the exception, I hope, of a couple of bigger villages. 

I expect to spend up to two weeks in Tajikistan. 

Then back to Osh as this is the only way. From there, I will take few mountain trails across Kyrgyzstan to few nice places and lakes. 

We have to be back in Bishkek on the 13th of September latest, as we need to repack and take our bikes to the compound where they will be crated and trucked back to England on the 15th.  

By luck, Chris, our friend from Warsaw, if you follow my blog ( the same whose shipping company is transporting our bikes back to the UK) was in Bishkek. He does guided tours and had finished one that same day. So, as he was staying in a guesthouse near our hotel, we walked over to say hello. The next day he was off to India to guide another motorcycle tour around the Himalayas. His flight had been cancelled and he would face a very windy way to get to India in time! 

He gave me some advice and tips for some trails and places to visit. He showed us pictures of his latest tour. It looked awesome. I am quite tempted to do the Himalayas with him or with his partner Ola next year! 

I leave you with few pictures of Bishkek.

This might be the Opera house?

Cows and dogs are a dangerous combination!

Issyk Kul lake. 

Day 59 - Tuesday 9th August - Naryn - 120kms

The road to Naryn was fairly good, with the exception of many road works. 

We arrived at Naryn rather early and rode to the hotel recommended by Chris, the Khan Tengri. Unfortunately, despite huge grounds and probably lots of rooms, it was full! 

So we looked into the GPS and rode to the Celestial Mountains hotel and yurt camp. We managed to get a room with bathroom . The place was simple but  clean. 

It was a very hot day. We had a walk into town to change some money and buy some food for a late lunch. There were not many palcd to eat at all. We arranged with the hotel to have dinner there.

Naryn had nothing of interest other than as a stop over. 

Day 60 - weds. 10th August - Naryn - about 40kms

The idea for the day was to ride first to the a beautiful valley, east of Naryn, then ride back and go toTash  Rabat, a very ancient caravanserai, about 120 kms West of Naryn, going toward the border with China. 

Unfortunately, the combination of cows grazing on the road, as they alway do, and a dog coming out of nowhere barking like mad and scaring the cows, sent the cows charging toward me. With nowhere to go, I hit one and fell off the bike in the Tarmac. 

No damage to the bike, but I fell on my right shoulder, the same than  got injured lasted December, while off-road riding. Nothing major, but I am in too much pain to ride today. So we rode back to the Celestial Mountains. I took an anti-inflammatory and some paracetamol/codeine mix.

I should be able to ride tomorrow. I really don't want to be stuck in Naryn any more! 

However, riding dirt roads, requiring standing on the foot pegs, might be tricky for me, few days. 

I won't let that change my plans though.

Tomorrow we will still be going to Tash Rabat and staying in a yurt locally.

Then ride up to lake Song Kul. Not sure about the itinerary. My initial itinerary was the most straight road but all in rough surface. I shall see how I feel in a couple of days. 

Still within my schedule! So no worries, all is fine! 

Bloody Dogs though, I narrowly ran few down in the last few days, are they go crazy when they hear the motorbikes, and run after Alistair, ahead of me, then turn to my front wheel! We will seriously slow down near yurt camps etc... From now on.