28 – Aralkum Wüste…
Central Asia – Photos
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Information: The original language of this blog is German. Any other language is translated using DEEPL's machine translation (www.deepl.com), without proofreading.
Central Asia
Russia Part 1 – Altai
During the last two days, the very friendly Kazakhs once again did their utmost to make sure that we would remember them and their country in the best possible way. On the way out of Oskemen, two policemen asked us (out of curiosity) where we were coming from, where we were going, etc… A few minutes after we had resumed our journey, a police Lada followed us and it blared via megaphone “…Velosipedistji…, Velosipedistji…”. Slightly perplexed we stopped… the two policemen had forgotten the selfie with us😊.
Back to Kazakhstan
The rough road, strong headwind and dark clouds did not make our departure from Karakol easy. Fortunately, the thunderstorms blew past us at the last pass of Kyrgyzstan, so we were dry and could stop for a snack in a small container. Here we finally took the opportunity to try the Central Asian specialty Kumis (fermented mare’s milk). The drink tasted less bad than feared and the predicted toilet trip as an immediate consequence did not occur😊.
Trekking in the Eastern Thien Shan Mountains
To top off our stay in Karakol, we wanted to explore the local hiking trails. Three roommates in our guesthouse came back excited about the popular tour to Ala-Kol Lake and assured us that the three-day hike was doable despite snowfields.
Across Kyrgystan
As soon as Arslanbob was behind us, we had reconciled with Kyrgyzstan. We enjoyed Shoro (a barley-wheat-corn drink) at the roadside and were surprised by the scenic diversity! Green, fertile valleys alternated with barren and eroded lands. The choice of route was made easier by the stormy weather and closed pass roads.