On the way to the Tajikistan border we first stopped at Sary Tash so Turat could have lunch. Mark had visited the place a few years ago and could see a few changes with more houses in the area.
Sary Tash
Lunch stop. Met a group of Dutch cyclist here too.
Climbing up with a view through the cracked windscreen.
At the top of the Kyzyl Pass were a couple of children all rugged up and picking flowers. They gave us some and posed for a photo for us. We were not sure what they were doing in such a cold windy place as there were no other adults about.
Our first overnight stop with Turat on our Pamir highway trip was Lake Karakul. It was created by a meteor impact over ten million years ago so has no outlet for the water. It is also pretty salty. There is an island in the middle of the lake.
We pulled up to a homestay and there were several other 4x4 vehicles there too.
We met a young Swedish lady and her male friend. They were training everyday to swim the lake and run the island as the lake is higher than Lake Titicaca. A few days later a sailing regatta was due to begin on the lake and they would do their run during that. They showed us a calendar promoting the regatta and there were photos of windsurfers on the lake. (PS: we never saw any news of how the regatta or run/swim went.)
We walked around the town but it was pretty deserted. Some houses had their windows boarded up and the front doors barricaded with huge rocks.
The families were probably away in the meadow lands with their animals and not returning until October.
Weather station
Mark, Turat John and I slept on mattresses in a huge room. In the morning Mark had left due to John and Turat's snoring! The room had a huge wooden cabinet with gold decorated plates and cups that looked like wedding presents. Each group of travellers had their own rooms and the drivers slept in the dining room.The house had electricity and and satellite TV. The toilet was outside and the shower in the courtyard.
Animal dung fuel drying
We had a hot breakfast of porridge made from rice and cooked in milk and caught up with all the other guests plans. An elderly French couple were heading out to Osh and we were heading in the opposite direction.
Lunch stop. Met a group of Dutch cyclist here too.
Climbing up with a view through the cracked windscreen.
At the top of the Kyzyl Pass were a couple of children all rugged up and picking flowers. They gave us some and posed for a photo for us. We were not sure what they were doing in such a cold windy place as there were no other adults about.
Our first overnight stop with Turat on our Pamir highway trip was Lake Karakul. It was created by a meteor impact over ten million years ago so has no outlet for the water. It is also pretty salty. There is an island in the middle of the lake.
We pulled up to a homestay and there were several other 4x4 vehicles there too.
We met a young Swedish lady and her male friend. They were training everyday to swim the lake and run the island as the lake is higher than Lake Titicaca. A few days later a sailing regatta was due to begin on the lake and they would do their run during that. They showed us a calendar promoting the regatta and there were photos of windsurfers on the lake. (PS: we never saw any news of how the regatta or run/swim went.)
Mechanical workshop
We walked around the town but it was pretty deserted. Some houses had their windows boarded up and the front doors barricaded with huge rocks.
The families were probably away in the meadow lands with their animals and not returning until October.
Mark, Turat John and I slept on mattresses in a huge room. In the morning Mark had left due to John and Turat's snoring! The room had a huge wooden cabinet with gold decorated plates and cups that looked like wedding presents. Each group of travellers had their own rooms and the drivers slept in the dining room.The house had electricity and and satellite TV. The toilet was outside and the shower in the courtyard.
We had a hot breakfast of porridge made from rice and cooked in milk and caught up with all the other guests plans. An elderly French couple were heading out to Osh and we were heading in the opposite direction.
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