Granny on the Steppes (Mongolia to Kyrgyzstan)

We stayed in Sarkand that night. The weather was getting really hot the further south we went

We stopped for lunch and had blinis I was a very happy girl

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The road was still really bad, and it was so hot and we had a lot of kms to do to get to Almaty.
There was a big lake over to the left, next thing Kev pulled off the main road, heading towards the lake. We still had 50 odd kms to go. We got close to the lake but you couldn’t get down to the lake, there were gates everywhere. Kev stopped and asked if we could go down to the lake and a guy nodded, so we went around the barrier and down to the lake. There was a beach, full of people sunbathing and swimming. We pulled up and decided we’d strip off and jump in for a swim.
Then a guy came up and told us we’d have to pay. It wasn’t a lot, and to be fair, we were desperate to cool down.
We paid the man, stripped down to undies, and ran to the lake. The sand was roasting, and then there was a big rocky bit, and it was roasting, so we were trying to get off the hits stones quickly but it hurt too much!!! Worse than LEGO!!

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This young fella came over to us and welcomed us to Kazakhstan he spoke good English. He’s 12 years old and so lovely and confident. He asked where we were from and why we there, then introduced us to his little brother and aunt.

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We were so refreshed after the swim we went back up to the bikes and got dressed again. As we were getting ready, another man came over with watermelon for us. He had no English but through charades and placenames, we told him where we were from, where we’d been and where we were going.

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He then wanted us to join him and his wife for a picnic, but we needed to crack on, so had to decline.
We hit the road again and soon came to Almaty. We were heading straight to the ktm shop. Kev wanted to get a master cylinder for his clutch. Also, both our brake lights were gone, so they needed fixing.
The traffic was awful, we were straight into rush hour. Fritz’s bike started over heating and then Kev’s bike started.
We made it just in time to the ktm shop. The mechanic had actually just left, we passed him at the gate and he turned around and came back in. He told us to come back in the morning
We found a hotel just over a km away. As always, the first question we ask is, have you availability? Followed by, is there safe/off street parking for the bikes? Followed by how much? And have you Wifi?
So a yes, yes, cheap and yes later, we paid and asked her where we could park. She pointed to the hallway we were standing in, basically, we’d to bring the bikes in the door, through the hallway, and out the 2nd door to the courtyard!

I brought my bike through first, it’s only little, so it was grand. Then Kev, he managed ok, but Fritz had hard panniers. He took one off but it was still tight.

We were doing a right angle in the main door off the footpath too!

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Almaty is a big city and there was a guy from Almaty staying in the hotel so we went for dinner with him and his Mrs. they live in Astana now.
We were back to dodgyish food again, dicky tummy next day

We went to a pub afterwards and had a few pints. All the locals we met were lovely.

Next day, we had to take the bikes out again!

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We dropped the bikes to the garage and the mechanic said he couldn’t work on my bike as it was a Honda. So he phoned the local Honda garage and booked it in there.
So Kev dropped my bike over there

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The guys in Agent Orange (ktm shop) told us that they offered winter storage for bikes. We had organised to leave them with a friend of a friend in Bishkek and fly from there, but we hadn’t booked flights yet.
We had a chat and decided we’d leave them in Almaty.
We wanted to go to Charon Canyon and then to Lake Issyk Kul in Kyrgyzstan first though.
So, we booked our flights out of Almaty for 4 days later and spent the rest of the day chilling out waiting for the bikes to be ready. Picked them up that evening. Neither of our brake lights were fixed. Parts needed to be ordered to fix Kev’s brake light and clutch.

We couldn’t face bringing them back into the courtyard and back out again next day so we locked them up outside.

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Cracking report & piccies Mide.
I know I've seen most of it on Facebook, but it nice to have it all together.

xxx
 
Next day, we got up and got packed up, had another dodgy pastry and meat breakfast and got on the road.
We had decided that we would come back to Almaty and leave the bikes in Agent Orange rather than leave them in Bishkek. So we were heading east towards Charyn Canyon. This was the canyon the Ewan and Charlie struggled to get the 1150’s out of.
The traffic in Almaty was still crap even though it wasn’t rush hour, it’s just a busy place.

I’ve just remembered something about Ulaanbataar, there are so many cars on the road that they had to come up with a way to reduce the number of cars on the road each day. They came up with a rule, if you have a 4 in your reg you can’t drive on a Tuesday, if you’ve a 7 you can’t drive on a Wednesday etc. it’s very simple and works well.

The road was busy for a long way out. It was only 212 km but google maps gives over 3 hours to get there. The last 10km is off road but the rest is tarmac.

When we got to the gate, the man was telling us in broken English that we could ride up, but not down. We were nodding away, not really sure what he meant. How could you ride up if you didn’t ride down in the first place����*♀️

So, off we went.

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There was nothing here! We were expecting a shop/cafe/campsite! There were cars everywhere. Everyone was parking up and walking into the canyon. There didn’t seem to be any vehicles down there. We were quite disappointed to be honest.
We rode over to one side and came to the entrance into the canyon. There was a great big sign saying very clearly that only 4WD cars could go in and definitely not motorbikes. Needless to say, we completely ignored the sign and rode up to the entrance. Jaypers!!!!
It was very steep and very twisty! And very potholey!!
Fritz went first and slipped and slid every which way. I told Kev to go on and so he jumped on his bike and followed Fritz.
I stripped off my bike gear, as it was roasting and then had a little think about what had just happened. All we knew was that the canyon was 90km long. So, the boys were gone, possible for 90km, and then presumably another 90km back but up top somewhere, so maybe a longer journey? There was no food or drink(I had water in my camelbak) and if I went to find shelter, I don’t know how the boys would find me. Hmmmm, we really hadn’t thought this through

So I was there wondering what I should do and had a wander back to the top of the slope and wondered if I should follow them? But they’d go much quicker than me, wouldn’t know I was even behind them so figured I should stay put. Then I heard a bike. I looked down and saw Kev coming back, I have to say, I was very relieved

He makes everything look so easy on the bike! Up he popped, through the twists and potholes.

He said there was camping in the gorge and a restaurant, only 3km away. I was hungry so it was a no brainer ��

I brought my bike to the top of the gorge. I was very nervous, and couldn’t get my shit together at all. I decided to try, put the bike into first, went over the first lip and just couldn’t let the clutch out to use engine brakes!! I fell over(happily) quickly. Kev had to go past and find somewhere safe to stop and run back up the very steep hill.
He brought my bike down about 20 metres and I took it from there. The gorge was very impressive.

Fritz was waiting for us. We headed off together, there were many people walking in the gorge, they all waved and smiled next thing this guy in a bukanka (van) came towards us and blocked our path. He said we had to leave, we weren’t allowed down there on bikes. We argued that we were told we could go in, it was all pointless as they had no English and we had no Kazakh. We nodded and he left and then we carried on. There were a few vans down there bringing people in and out, like taxis. Most of the guys were fine, gave us a nod and a wave. We kept going in and eventually came to the end, where the camping was.

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Kev went left and me and Fritz right at the very end. This guy came up to me and Fritz and we asked if we could camp and he asked to see our passports. We took them out and gave them to him. He took them, then told us we couldn’t stay, that we had to bring the bikes back out of the gorge. He put our passports in his pocket and went to walk away. We asked for the passports and he wouldn’t give them to us. I was furious.

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Cheeky bugger can’t just take our passports. I would happily have left there and then, I’d no interest in giving them any of our hard earned, gimme the passports and we’ll go!
He walked off and went to get in a car. Another local intervened, and then the other guy came over to say if we have money, we could stay. Now, I’m a stroppy cow! I’ve no problem paying for anything, I’ve no problem with rules. I’ve a big problem with rules being glossed over if you pay a few bob! And even moreso when you then pay for accommodation and food, on top of the bribe! I had zero interest in staying there now, I was proper pissed off. But the boys, (who don’t cut off their noses to spite their faces) handed over the dosh!! And yer man gave us back the passports.
We had a choice of our tents, a chalet, a gur or the hotel. The boys chose the hotel, it was very little dearer than all other accommodation and had a balcony that looked onto the river.

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We unpacked our stuff, left our bikes in a bit of a garage, and went to the restaurant. We were going to have shashlik and chips, but unfortunately, the heavens opened and it absolutely poured with rain, putting out the bbqs that they cook the shashliks on!
The rest of the menu was pretty crap, I can’t even remember what we had.
We met loads of people that night. There was a team of archaeologists, based in Germany, one was Romanian, one from UK, another from Greece. There was another group of Poles, they’d all been in college together and still went on a holiday together every 2 years. Then a big group came in from India. It’s great meeting so many different people from all over the world. Everyone has a story to tell.

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We got up in the morning to glorious sunshine. So got some lovely pics before we left.

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We got packed up

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I couldn’t eat that morning. My tummy was in a heap, worrying about getting back out of the canyon. It was only about 30 metres of hard stuff, and I prefer going up to coming down, but the hill was so steep, the twists were so twisty, they hill plateaued on every twist before going up again, but the plateaus has massively deep potholes in so you’re going up steep, plateauing into a foot deep pothole, pulling yourself out of the pothole to go up again but also go round the twist!
Anyway, we had all this loveliness to ride through first.

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So, this is the beginning of the slope up. The point of no return is just round the bend.

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Kev went first, I filmed him. Again, he made it look easy. The thing was, once you started you were committed, you couldn’t stop, and if you did, you were stuffed cos you’d never get going again. You needed to keep the momentum. Off I went, up and round and down and up, and round, holy god!! But of a wobble just at the top, but made it!!! Woo hoo!! The relief

Kev and I both filmed Fritz, he had a wobble at the same place I did.
We were all up in one piece

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I tried to get a photo to show the steepness, this is the best, but as ever, really doesn’t show depth.

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This one is taken by me from where I was in the pic above.

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It was well worth the trip there and I’m so happy the boys are less stroppy than me and didn’t leave the day before

We went back out to the main road and the road was lovely and twisty. We only had about 100km to the Kyrgyzstan border....
 
The road was really really bad coming up to the border to Kyrgyzstan. There was a new road being built so we had to ride off to the left or right of it, through mud and gravel and ruts and up onto the roads and down off the road again it was a very straightforward border crossing, again, no visa required.
There was asphalt from the border on.
The change in scenery was incredible! We went from sandy, gravelly terrain to beautiful alpine scenery. Green, rolling hills with fir trees, beautiful blue lakes. It was like being in Switzerland or Austria.

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We decided to ride the north side of the lake. It was nothing like we thought it would be. It was very touristy. We stopped a few times and tried to get down to the lake to see if we could find anywhere to camp.

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We tried several times and eventually found this place.

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That’s our yurt on the very left, the shop is next to us and restaurant and where yer mans family all live.
The next photo is taken from the same spot as the last one, just turned 180 degrees

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We ate some pretty dodgy food from the ‘restaurant’ then we finished off our dried food packs, and had tea and biscuits the guy who owned the yurt was very nice and helpful. The yurt wasn’t very clean though not sure if anyone had changed the sheets since the last people!!

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We were about 100km due south of Almaty. The road back to Almaty was approx 430km, going west almost to Bishkek, the turning north up over the border and north east to Almaty. These guys in the photo above told us that there was a road over the mountains, due north. We were thrilled! This would make our day so much shorter. These guys didn’t have much English so we were kinda relying on sign language. Another guy came along who spoke English and we asked him if there was a border control at the border. We needed a stamp in our passports. The men assured us that there was definitely a border control there. They assured us that our bikes should manage the road

Even though we’d probably ride slowly for some if it, it should still be quicker than going by road via Bishkek.
We stopped to get fuel and then turned off the main road up into the mountains.

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It was fairly rough going, looks like just gravel, but was very uneven. As we went up, the road got worse and worse. The stones got bigger.

This is one of my favourite photos of the trip

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We continued for another while and the road was getting narrower and stonier. We met a lada coming towards us with 3 old boys in. Kev chatted to them, in sign language. He asked if the was a border control as we were seriously doubting it at this point. The men said no. They indicated that there wasn’t even road further on, so we decided to turn back. We had only gone 9km. It was only as we came back down that we realized how much the road had actually deteriorated.

Turns out that it was the Kok Airyk Pass, apparently one of the worlds most dangerous roads!

So, after an hour on the road, we still had 427km to go there was nothing for it but to crack on

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This food was shit! Doesn’t look to bad, but it was. Food in Kyrgyzstan wasn’t the best.

We went back over the border into Kazakhstan, and back to Almaty. We decided to get a hotel that didn’t involve riding through the lobby🤣

We arrived into the hotel car park, and there were a couple of cars there doing the Mongol Rally.

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We had a great night with the guys doing the rally. They told us what the roads were like where we were going next year, and we told them what the roads were like where they were going.

We got a taxi the next day to the shopping centre as we had to buy suitcases to bring our luggage home.

See how the windows are kept up

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The last pic of the hols was Fritzy enjoying our company on the last night

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So, the bikes are in the KTM shop in Almaty, where we hope to pick them up next April/May.

We’re in discussions as to where our trip will take us then.

As for me and Kev, our next adventure starts in just under 5 weeks time, when we get married


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Well, let's hope the next adventure is less rocky and has fewer potholes than the above. :)
Great ride report, Mide. :thumby:
 
What a trip - and an amazing read too - thanks for sharing Mide :thumb2 And best wishes to you both for the future! :beerjug:
 
Great story Mide.
And a happy ending to go with it.
 
......So, the bikes are in the KTM shop in Almaty, where we hope to pick them up next April/May.

We’re in discussions as to where our trip will take us then.

As for me and Kev, our next adventure starts in just under 5 weeks time, when we get married




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Good story & well told. May many additional blessings be showered upon you both in the weeks, months & years ahead.
 
Thank you very much for that. And congrats if it is in order :D
 
Mide, that was an inspiring read.

Thanks for sharing and I hope you and Kev are still adventuring for the next 50 years at least.

Congratulations!
 
What an amazing trip and photos and write up ... great adventures. Thank you for sharing it all. I think a week down in Spain is being "adventurous" .. you chaps are brilliant. Well done !:thumb:thumb
 
Well, let's hope the next adventure is less rocky and has fewer potholes than the above. :)
Great ride report, Mide. :thumby:

Wow a superb read thanks and all the best for the future.

What a trip - and an amazing read too - thanks for sharing Mide :thumb2 And best wishes to you both for the future! :beerjug:

Great story Mide.
And a happy ending to go with it.

Thanks for the write up, absolutely brilliant. Good luck Take care.

Barry G

Good story & well told. May many additional blessings be showered upon you both in the weeks, months & years ahead.

Thank you very much for that. And congrats if it is in order :D

Mide, that was an inspiring read.

Thanks for sharing and I hope you and Kev are still adventuring for the next 50 years at least.

Congratulations!

What an amazing trip and photos and write up ... great adventures. Thank you for sharing it all. I think a week down in Spain is being "adventurous" .. you chaps are brilliant. Well done !:thumb:thumb

Thanks guys! We've been lucky to do the trips we've done:) Our last 4 trips have been offroad, and while we'll go back to Almaty next year to do the Pamir highway, I really want to do a road trip. I've a new 1200 rallye and am determined to do road trip in south east Europe next year:thumb watch this space:bounce1
 
Thanks guys! We've been lucky to do the trips we've done:) Our last 4 trips have been offroad, and while we'll go back to Almaty next year to do the Pamir highway, I really want to do a road trip. I've a new 1200 rallye and am determined to do road trip in south east Europe next year:thumb watch this space:bounce1

Then we have another excellent Ride Report to look forward to :thumb

Best regards to you and Kev ... and thank you again

:beerjug:
 


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