We woke to a great breakfast with fresh apricots and grapes, vegetable omelette and yoghurt. What a treat!
The next stop was the ATM but they were still switched off but managed to change some US dollars for somoni inside the bank before heading off to a supermarket at the far end of town. The road to get there was jammed with vehicles going to the bazaar with people and produce so Turat did not want to try the bazaar as there would be no parking. It didn't help that we were quite late leaving town as Turat had to pick up his new number plates from the police. Having new plates will make no difference to him being stopped as they always stop all land cruisers regardless and make them pay a bribe.
We drove about an hour with Afghanistan only a stone's throw across the river from our road. Turned into Bartang Valley where we had a picnic in the shade near a creek.
We headed off with a change of clothes and sleeping bags in our day bags to walk to Jizeu village and the lakes there. Turat was going to sleep in the car and be ready to pick us up in the morning. The river used to have a cage on a cable to get across the river but now has a footbridge.
We headed up the valley but it was stinking hot as we had left so late and the sun had heated up the rocks on the trail and was still blazing overhead.
Mountain water meets river water.
I had to wet my hat to cool down but still fell hot and Mark headed back to see if Turat was still about.
John was worried I couldn't make the last hour and a half of the walk. Turat had left, so we decided to stay by the river and sleep out and let Mark go on to the village.
There was a lot of clean water and we had enough nibbles with us to eat. I found a spot under a huge poplar tree where there was a pile of dead leaves. We moved the rocks and picked some grass bushes that the donkey's obviously don't eat as they were quite big and fresh. This made a place big enough for our two sleeping bags.
The locals use the donkeys to carry supplies up the valley to the villages and we could see where they had made fires and cooked up and where their favourite vodka drinking spots were from all the litter left behind. There were even a couple of old steel radiators lying about but we couldn't work out if they floated down in a storm or if they were carried here for some other purpose.
The river was warm enough on the edges to wash in before bed. This all kept us busy enough until the sun went down. We covered up from the mosquitoes and soon the warm air from the rocks blew the mossies away and kept us warm in the night and free from any damp air. We did not have to worry about being eaten by snow leopards or any other creatures and had a surprisingly comfortable sleep. The mattresses in some places have been harder. It was very peaceful next to the stream.
We spotted Turat across the river and packed up and headed back to the car for breakfast. He was most surprised to hear that we had camped out. Another driver told him not to camp overnight by the river as it often rose above the road over night so he headed into the nearby village to a home stay there.
Mark had a great night in the valley at a home stay. He said the people were very friendly. One of the home stay owner's came down the valley to meet a taxi he had called for his home stay guests. The driver had come from the far end of the river road. Turat asked the home stay owner where he went during the winter. He said they stayed in the village. Turat then asked him what he did when they were snowed in. He said the valley had electricity so they smoked, watched television, and slept all winter. What a life!
The next stop was the ATM but they were still switched off but managed to change some US dollars for somoni inside the bank before heading off to a supermarket at the far end of town. The road to get there was jammed with vehicles going to the bazaar with people and produce so Turat did not want to try the bazaar as there would be no parking. It didn't help that we were quite late leaving town as Turat had to pick up his new number plates from the police. Having new plates will make no difference to him being stopped as they always stop all land cruisers regardless and make them pay a bribe.
We headed off with a change of clothes and sleeping bags in our day bags to walk to Jizeu village and the lakes there. Turat was going to sleep in the car and be ready to pick us up in the morning. The river used to have a cage on a cable to get across the river but now has a footbridge.
We headed up the valley but it was stinking hot as we had left so late and the sun had heated up the rocks on the trail and was still blazing overhead.
Mountain water meets river water.
I had to wet my hat to cool down but still fell hot and Mark headed back to see if Turat was still about.
John was worried I couldn't make the last hour and a half of the walk. Turat had left, so we decided to stay by the river and sleep out and let Mark go on to the village.
There was a lot of clean water and we had enough nibbles with us to eat. I found a spot under a huge poplar tree where there was a pile of dead leaves. We moved the rocks and picked some grass bushes that the donkey's obviously don't eat as they were quite big and fresh. This made a place big enough for our two sleeping bags.
The locals use the donkeys to carry supplies up the valley to the villages and we could see where they had made fires and cooked up and where their favourite vodka drinking spots were from all the litter left behind. There were even a couple of old steel radiators lying about but we couldn't work out if they floated down in a storm or if they were carried here for some other purpose.
The river was warm enough on the edges to wash in before bed. This all kept us busy enough until the sun went down. We covered up from the mosquitoes and soon the warm air from the rocks blew the mossies away and kept us warm in the night and free from any damp air. We did not have to worry about being eaten by snow leopards or any other creatures and had a surprisingly comfortable sleep. The mattresses in some places have been harder. It was very peaceful next to the stream.
We spotted Turat across the river and packed up and headed back to the car for breakfast. He was most surprised to hear that we had camped out. Another driver told him not to camp overnight by the river as it often rose above the road over night so he headed into the nearby village to a home stay there.
Mark had a great night in the valley at a home stay. He said the people were very friendly. One of the home stay owner's came down the valley to meet a taxi he had called for his home stay guests. The driver had come from the far end of the river road. Turat asked the home stay owner where he went during the winter. He said they stayed in the village. Turat then asked him what he did when they were snowed in. He said the valley had electricity so they smoked, watched television, and slept all winter. What a life!
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