Torugart Pass

A very cold 6am wake up was followed by a quick breakfast and departure to the border. The mountain range surrounding the first checkpoint was impressive. The photo shows the vast plains of Kyrgyzstan (12,000ft) and the northern edge of the Himalayas in the distance. This is the Chinese border in the distance. 

The Silk Route had many different physical barriers to overcome, none more difficult that the vast Tian Shan mountains, the northern extension of the Himalayas, that separate the kingdoms of the Kyrgs, now Kyrgyzstan, and the land of the Turkic speaking Uyghurs, Chinese Turkestan. The main route through these mountains was and still is through the 13.000 ft. Torugart Pass. This journey is not for the faint- hearted as roads are poor but passable. The route is through stunning mountains and is one of the most exciting overland routes in the area. 

The first checkpoint was painless. A pleasant Krygyi office took a quick look inside the truck and our passports were verified. We were then released to go on to the next point. 

Three hours of dirt road with deep ruts and potholes, slow-going at best, got us to the next checkpoint where we went through customs and immigration. The Chinese border,as identified by a double six ft high barbed wire fence, was to outright for the last twenty miles. 

The process was simple and quick. They did a short compulsory inspection of the truck and we were allowed to pass through to the summit of the pass five  miles further down the road.  There was another checkpoint before the summit. 

It was still really cold, warmer in the bright, cloudless sunshine. We'd been traveling at 12-13,000 ft for quite some time already so crossing over wasn't as dramatic as we had been imagining.

At the official Chinese border we said goodbye to our guides, Anton and Makbarat. They boarded  their private transport back to Bishkek. The border had an impressive iron gate and a welcome sign. Sorry, no photos at the border other thus one taken a few hundred yards past the gate.  There was no Ted tape. We simply drove through. Hmmmm?

It was noticeably drier on the China side and there were more magnificent mountains in the distance.  The road was now marginally paved...amen!

The first checkpoint was three miles past the border.  There we met our Chinese border agent (Ahmed and not "Chinese") to help us through the process. We and the truck were thoroughly searched, our passports reviewed, and we were passed through to the next checkpoint 35 miles further down the road. We made a rolling lunch of sandwiches and fruit and prepared ourselves for immigration. 

The road condition improved significantlyand  the drive through the Kasgar highway gorge was spectacular with high rocky peaks on both sides of the river. Felt yurts were replaced by those made of mud and there was little livestock to be seen on the barren slopes.  Motorcycles and scooters were plentiful. There was a light haze that smacked of smog but there were no industrial plants in sight. Our guide said it was simply a high dust storm from the desert around Kashgar. 

Being in the Uyghur district we thought we would not change our clocks to China time. However that was not yhe case it will be intetesting havong the sun risr two hours later than it did 100 miles to the west...smile.

We reached the final checkpoint at 4:00 pm. Nine hours into the crossing, this is where our passports and visas were processed. We met our official guide here as well. His name is Tao, which means "wave" in Chinese. Dave and Frenchy's new passports have one blank white page which has created all kinds of questions and delays. Today was no different.  Then there was the truck paperwork. We departed the immigration station at 7:30 pm. Nihao China!

Our drive on to Kashgar was under two hours. With the time change we were checked in to our hotel, fed, and asleep by midnight.  Just another typical border crossing. 

PS:  Check out our pretty glittered hotel room!

 

Hello Bobbie again, I've decided to leave the image place holders in place, again I will repost if I can get the imagery--B

Tash Rabat

We did our shopping for the next two days and set off toward the towering mountains we have been watching grow for the last two days.  They ate so high and still so far away cameras just can't capture their grandeur.

We entered Tash Rabat canyon and checked into our yurt camp. 

Then we rented horses and went fir a two hour ride. 

We are camped at the foot of an ancient caravanserai built in the 900's. very cool. 

Chech out the natural rock fortress above the ancient one!

We had dinner in the yurt and went to sleep early. 

China tomorrow and we need to get to the border by 9am and then the pass. 

Hello Readers

Bobbie here, I am posting for Tom as his access is blocked by China.  There were pictures for each of the above captions, but they failed to transmit--I will repost if I can get them.  ---B

And then there were five

Today marked the beginning of my third month of travel. Gosh, have I really already been gone nine weeks!  This now marks the longest vacation I have ever been on and I'm not quite halfway finished!

With the departures of our other traveling companions there are five of us left in the family and going on to China-John, my British roommate; Enid, our gal from Yorkshire county, UK; Joe, our last remaining Aussie; and Sheena, from BC, Canada. 

Erkin, our wonderful guide had a family emergency and was replaced by Anton, a nice Russian lad, and a trainee Makbarrat, a really lovely gal-both in their early twenties and a bit shy-funny, they being tour guides and all!

We stopped at an ATM for one last injection of cash, our final opportunity in Kyrgyzstan, and then headed east out of Bishkek with the massive Tian Shan mountain range to the south. It was a beautiful sunny day full of excitement to be starting the next leg of our adventure. 

We traveled back through the Chong Kemin river valley to the western tip of Lske Ysyk-kol and then south toward Naryn, our destination today. 

Once in the valley we were surrounded by lush grassy mountains changing to high desert sage and scrub after the summit.  Along the way we stopped for a glass of that wonderful fermented mare's milk.  The taste is smokey and lemony with a tart tang that lasts a while in your mouth...interesting and unforgetable!

Our guides didn't know the road well and we side-stepped our lunch stop in Kochkor. I was following the whole thing on my GPS but got mystified by the landscape and forgot to say something. The next "town" was a few more miles down the highway-under full construction (dirt, gravel and slow going). A couple of hours later we found a two horse town and a cute restaurant full of travelers. Noodles and fried fresh trout filled our tummies and prepared us for the next three hours of "massage" highway. It was only 45 miles and took that long. 

Naryn is a river town nestled in a deep gorge below staggering snow covered peaks. Our guest house was in an old Russian style apartment building. Quite nice actually with a great included dinner and breakfast. No wifi now for at least two days.