August 14, 2016
to Kochkor: Let's get there; the call of a warm shower and any food but pasta
There is a tremendous amount of dew on our tent and the tall grass around it. We eat our cereal and get back on the road. It will be a long day with one pass, depending how things go we aim to get to Kochkor.
The road parallels the river, but about a kilometer away from it, right on the separation of farmland and arid desert. We think they built it there as not to waste good farmland, but also to connect all the cemeteries along the way. Each town has at least one, sometimes several on both sides of the town, but always up in the hills and away from the nearest houses. Some of the cemeteries are huge; you could almost call them a necropolis, with old and new buildings rivaling each other in size and decorations. They make a nice foreground for the snow covered mountains rising up on both sides of the valley.
In one small town we take a break for an ice-cream. When we leave Rachel is ahead a little and two little boys try to block her, and then throw rocks. Patrick explodes and chases the kids on his bike, jumps off and runs them down. The kids are pretty terrified by then; the culprit cries up a storm, has snot coming from his nose and probably soiled himself. The shop owner where we bought the ice-cream has seen the whole thing happen and gestures he knows where they live and will make sure they are punished some more.
This is the first time the stone throwing happened in Kyrgyzstan, but we have noticed a change in attitude from the average person. In Tajikistan just about everybody was friendly and you just had to ignore the invitations for chai or you’d never get anywhere. Here we get a lot of “hello’s” but also a lot of laughing (good or bad?) and people just plainly ignoring you.
The climb isn’t too bad, we need to gain about 700 meters, but it is a gradual climb. The last 10 km or so are on gravel which makes it tougher. It is about lunchtime when we reach the summit, an un-inspiring place full of empty vodka bottles, a grand monument that is falling apart and the saddest public toilet building on the continent.
The monument is a large steel structure that was cobbled together by a novice welder. Actually, Patrick doesn't think he has seen one good weld in this country, every steel fence, bench or whatever structure is baked together with large globs of welding material, even the grand monuments to the honor and glory of the Proletarian State. Anyway, that’s the last you’ll hear about welders in Central Asia.
After we finish the last of our stale bread we start the downhill. The surface deteriorates, but we are determined to go for it and try to reach Kochkor, or more importantly a hot shower and a meal that does not consist of pasta. The bouncing over washboard ruts does take its toll though, but finally the asphalt reappears and we start to believe it might happen.
We reach Kochkor at about five and with the help from a tourist information booth find the Tumar Guesthouse with hot showers, inside toilets and Wi-Fi. A little more expensive at 800 COM per person (about US $13), but we like the amenities it brings. Plus it includes breakfast. There is a decent restaurant in town with cold beer, but the “burger” is a mystery patty and a version of a “Happy Meal” with a smiley face in ketchup on the rice.
Don’t come to Central Asia for the cuisine.
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Today's ride: 107 km (66 miles)
Total: 20,560 km (12,768 miles)
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