To Altyn Arasan

Our day started with breakfast and a quick shopping trip to the market due to an adjustment in our plan. Snow and below freezing temps have caused another itinerary adjustment. Instead of heading south to Zety Oghuz and forest hiking, we will go north into the mountains and a hot spring resort. Heated dorms await our arrival.

But first we have to change vehicles. The road is "interesting" and only four wheel drive vehicles can make the pass. So...our guide arranged for us to use an army transport vehicle. Right out of post WWII Russia comes "Ursula." It took about
45 minutes to transfer our camping gear, food, and luggage. Then we all packed in, and headed out. Really exciting stuff.

It became immediately apparent why we were using the ATV. The mountain road was barely wide enough for the truck, dirt and mud, and full of boulders. We rocked and rolled for three hours up another 4,500 ft to an amazing alpine meadow above the evergreen treeline. Our accommodations for the next two nights and days are dorms in a mountain cabin. There are four hot spring pools just below the cabin each with temps varying from 94 to 105. Just like home. This is heaven!

Higher and even more majestic

A bright morning sun greeted us at 4:30 am shining down in between the canyon walls. The rushing river beside our campsite was a constant lullaby all night and everyone claimed an amazing restful night.

We breakfasted early and then climbed one of the canyon walks for views of the valley and gorge below.

Leaving mid morning we ascended higher into a valley full of high meadows and nomadic families migrating to summer grazing land. We stopped and purchased fermented horse milk to drink later. It was interesting watching a mare being milked. A first for me. The inside of the yurt was full of colorful weavings and a dozen small children.

We made the 10,400 summit around noon and stopped for pictures and snow for the coolers. The air was exhilarating and the altitude just "high" enough! These mountains are 17,000 to 25,000 ft tall.

We traversed a high alpine meadow for a couple of hours stopping often for photos. Along the way we purchased cheese balls made from, yep you guessed it...horse milk. Sharp and tangy with a curios undefinable taste. REALLY good. Best eaten with a beer and fresh Krygi bread.

Once again at the next summit we turned east toward the town of Aral and 100 km of dirt and gravel...yippee...Davey's favorite type road. We stopped next to a stream for lunch and then opened the roof seats for the rest of the drive.

The often one lane road ahead of us gave is a few challenges, especially sitting on the roof. We found a wonderful bush camp next to the river and below a scarlet and orange cliff. Complete with our own beach we settled in for a two night stay in paradise.

From mountain village into paradise

Last night's grouchiness was relieved by a good (albeit cold) sleep and breakfast by our host family. We woke to see ourselves surrounded my 10,000 ft snow-capped mountains and blue skies. As the lads readied the truck we wandered down through the village chatting with children and adults alike. We then drove to the town well below on the valley floor where we shopped the local market for the next four days supplies.

Fully stocked we headed west acros the Kyrgh Fergana valley and then north into the wilderness. Before reaching the foothills there was a long stretch of highway that we learned was the international border. No fences, markets or guards-just farmland on both sides of the road. And to think that just two years ago Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan were at war. Odd indeed! Photo shows the road as the border.

Reaching the foothills we found landscape that reminded me of the badlands of South Dakota. A magnificent maade lake and flooded river gorge with emerald green water greeted us. It was so invitong we decided to picnic on its shore and have a swim.

Our drive continued through one magnificent valley after another. We wound around colored cliffs of ocher, sienna, and verde (thats French); backdropped by massive snowcapped mountains. We were mesmerized by the stark beauty of the landscape.

We stopped alongside the road and bought some wildflower stalks. The flowers had not yet bloomed but the stalk looked a bit like rhubarb or water hyacinth and when peeled tasted like tart green apples. Yum!

We eventually traced the shoreline of the second largest reservoir in the world before climbing into a crayon gorge and our campsite for the night. Life is sublime!

Asalama ellekum Kyrgyzstan

With unbelievable charm and speed we were processed (in almost disbelief) out of Uzbekistan and into Kyrgyzstan. The Kyrgh was faster than the USA. They must really want us here. Even Sura got through in reasonable speed and with a bit of negotiating, the entry fees were reduced.

We met our local guide Erkin, pleasant and well spoken. I changed my last US dollars into the local currency. Yikes! Erkin promised that we would have no trouble at an ATM once we got to one in four days. In the meantime it is crackers and vodka.

Kyrgyzstan is the least visited country in the world. It's 5 million people are mostly nomadic. It is a country of high high mountains, forests and lakes. It is also home to the highest concentration of snow leopards in the world...fancy that! It's wealth lies in gold, water (that they sell to Uzbekistan) and natural wonders. For the next 15 days we will be camping, staying in yurts, hiking, rafting, horseback-riding and experiencing an amazing culture. A shower is assumed once every four days or so! :-)

Our drive from the border was pleasant with grand views of the snow capped mountains we would encounter tomorrow. The green rolling foothills were lush with grass and crops. The sunset was spectacular. We reached our homestay at midnight. It seems we have another local guide that misrepresents time and distance...and did not know where we were going. We were split up into three different private homes and served a lovely dinner. We are at 5,000 ft and it is rather cool. Tomorrow is an early morning hike before breakfast.

Adios Uzbekistan

Thanks to Dave and an extra $1,000 USD, Frenchy and Sura were released from no man's land and back in country after midnight. Ah, the power of the bribe!

We stopped at a handmade silk factory before leaving town. It was quite interesting and the prices were exceptional. However since I haven't been able to access my cash, no one gets a nice silk scarf. :-( , the purple ones were really pretty!

We headed for the Kyrgyzstan border excited to be leaving Uzbek and entering a new land. Before crossing and maybe standing in line for several hours, we stopped for a quick lunch of dolma and lagman. This was also a great way to get rid of the few soms left. Any cash leftover from lunch was put into a mutual kitty and we purchased a few bottles of vodka for the campfire tonight! Can't take the money across the border and its no good outside of Uzbekistan.

Update: When everyone was done filling the hat with their left over soms we had enough for eight bottles vodka ($2.80 eac) and 20+ liter bottles of beer ($1.20 each). The campfire will be raging well over the next seven days.

Over the pass and into the Fergana Valley

Our drive today took us east of Tashkent and into the mountain range that separates Uzbekistan from Kyrgyzstan. We enjoyed nice four-lane divided roads right up to the mountains.

We passed hundreds of acres of cotton fields and orchards, and of course loads of those amazing red poppies. Factories and smokestacks spewing crap into the air dotting the horizon all around.

We watched as the mountains grew closer and the valley floor higher. Soon we were in the mountains, the road still wide and divided. We began to wonder when the scarry part would begin. We passed several coal mines and security checkpoints. At one stop we noticed that our Daewoo sedan had 493,000 km on the odometer...:-).

At the summit we began to smell a scam as the road was still great, loads of big trucks and traffic, and NO TOUR BUSSES! We've seen this before where the government restricts major carriers in order to provide a market for local vendors...in this case, our pleasant drivers in their private cars!

Over the summit and quickly down to the Fergana Valley floor we found ourselves on the dry side of the mountain range and into sagebrush and rock. Not what we were expecting! And for the first, at the next checkpoint we were asked for our passports.

Continuing to descend we eventually crossed the Sidaryo River and on to the huge fertile plains-the food basket of Uzbekistan.

Just before lunch we visited the 1750 palace of Khudayarkhan. The painted plaster walls and ceiling were really cool. We had lunch at a local cafe and then drove on to Fergana City and our hotel for the night. Tomorrow we head into the wilderness and no wifi for almost a week. I hope we survive!

When I grow up I wanna be like Alex Dekker

We got up early, packed and met our drivers. Today we split up, three to a car, and prepared for our 350 km drive over Kamchik Pass. See www.dangerousroads.org!

As excited as we were to get started, I was also quite sad as it was time to say goodbye to Alex. Over the past 40 days I have grown so fond of him, his amazing energy and courage, and his contagious laugh. He has been a grand companion and a good friend. I wish I had a daughter to marry him! Ha-ha!

There's no doubt we will stay good friends for the times that come. So with a smile on my face and a few tears in my eyes I say goodbye to a really cool fellow and one hell of a grand traveler.

Postscript: If you go hiking with Alex make sure you have plenty of water and some food! You never know where you'll end up!

A change in the menu

We four Aussies ventured out on to the street for something different and settled on a Korean spot with yummy photos. A picture of local water wet our palettes followed by some beautiful dishes. We went next door and bought draft beer and brought it back to the restaurant. With Imodium at our bedsides we drifted off into blissful sleep with smiles on our faces and garlic on our breath.