Week 9 - More borders and bellyaches

Tashkent was our target for the day and fortunately it was a short drive.  Hotel was tucked away in the suburbs and quite comfortable for a couple of nights.  Tashkent did not seem at first viewing to have much to offer and the pub where we had lunch did not endear us to the place as we waited 55 minutes for a bowl of soup which proved to be quite expensive.  The hotel internet did not work at all so a visit to an internet cafe enabled me to pick up emails.  I then got rather lost in the suburbs trying to find the hotel again and when I saw Calypso I felt like running up and hugging her although that would have been rather difficult.

The following morning Wendy, Colin and I went to do shopping at market.  It was a lovely clean market and it was fun collecting what we needed for our cook group until I started getting awful stomach cramps.  It was decided I would take a taxi back with the shopping and that is when the fun started.  If I had not been in such a sorry state it would have been extremely funny (in fact in retrospect it was funny although not at the time),  The first taxi driver could not read so stared at the little map from every angle and eventually with a lot of hand waving and gesticulating we got him to understand which way to go but as we were prepared to roar off the taxi would not start so the whole operation started again with another taxi.  At this point Colin decided he had better come with me and the taxi driver took off at a rate of knots only to overshoot our turning.  Tangled up in the backstreets he kept asking directions and eventually we were on track only to find a cement mixer blocking the way.  I was nearly hysterical by now but we got to the hotel and I did the 100 metre dash in 10 seconds!

The afternoon was spent in the calming atmosphere of the lobby of the Grand Mer Hotel where we drank expensive tea and made use of their internet access.  Most of the group went to the Water Park and came back with varying degrees of sunburn.

Kazahkstan was our next destination and as we were only transitting we did not see much except the road and our bushcamps.  The border crossing was long mostly because the customs official processing Calypso went on a lunchbreak half way through the proceedings.  As one stage Calypso went through a huge X-Ray machine but of course we did not see that and I don't think they spotted my padlock which I am sure is rattling round the truck somewhere!  Eventually we were through and able to go and sit in a little cafe and drink tea and water while we waited for Calypso.  The new country brought a change in atmosphere.  The little cafe where we waited felt more Far Eastern than anywhere before and the faces were becoming more Chinese.  It really felt like we were in Asia.

It was getting late before we stopped.  The track we went down looked promising but ended up being right next to the railway line... and it was well used....and the train drivers liked to toot as they went past just in case we did not notice their train with its 20 carriages rattling by.

Camping by the railway tracks

We did have the entertainment though of a young boy on his rather lovely horse mustering cattle past the camp, shortly followed by an old man taking his sheep and goats home for the night.  They seemed bemused by our presence so told all their friends who came visiting the camp in the dead of night.  Of course I slept through it all.

Young boy mustering his cattle

Sheep and goats going through camp

After another night of bushcamping we headed to the border.

Jim on top of Stonhenge

The night sky

Evening camp with rainbow in background

 Leaving Kazahkstan was a lengthy process but entering Krygyzstan was easy.  Bishtek, our destination and capital of Krygyzstan, was reached by early afternoon and as we drove past the Osh market and along the broad avenues it looked like a good place to stay for a couple of nights.  Our hotel, the Asia Mountain Hotel, was rather nice set in lush gardens with a swimming pool, empty but being filled.  My bedroom was in the grounds of the hotel and was fine although some people's rooms seemed to be rather more luxurious.  The internet worked so all was well in my world as I was able to Skype everyone I wanted to speak to.

A short walk took us to the money changers and the most amazing department store called Zum.  The ground floor was packed with electronic equipment but we headed to the 5th floor which had a local crafts and tourist section where we were able to buy presents for Secret Santa as we are having Christmas in June at our next bushcamp.

The evening meal was in a very good Chinese restaurant where I drank two Manhattans (how Sex in the City), ate aubergine and garlic salad (still researching those aubergine dishes) and a sizzling chicken dish.  All delicious but far too much. 

Breakfast the following morning was an amazing mix of things - pancakes, eggs, salad, bread, jam, yoghurt, cereal and other things but ate up as it was going to be a long day exploring.  Headed off down Chui Avenue which appeared to be the main road.  Not a lot to see really but the vibe of the place was really good.  A young woman who spoke excellent English chatted to us and showed us the way to the theatre.  Unfortunately there was nothing on although Pomeo and Juliet (but spelt the Krygy way) was on in a couple of days.  That would have been good as we could have understood the plot!


Theatre in Bishtek



In park in Bishtek

The Krygy Flag

Outside Parliament Building

An impressive building in Bishtek

We continued along our way stopping for a chicken pastry and a drink and eventually came to the Osh market.  What a place - enormous and a complete rabbit warren.  Fortunately we kept getting spat out on to the street otherwise we would have got completely lost.  In the food hall, a woman kept pressing me to taste her delicious salads - spicy beancurd, fish with carrots, mushrooms.  I had to stop her eventually or I would have been completely full.  Having bought some things for nibbles round the pool in the evening we had the usual taxi farce to get back to the hotel.

So we are heading off to bushcamp for nine days up in the mountains and near a lake.  Should be great.  Till next time.