2017/09/02

Day 35: Djety Oguz Valley - Issyk Kul - Bishkek - Issyk Kul

It was a chilly night, I had to wear my warm underwear, socks. Despite the valley we were probably on an altitude of more than 2,000m. And my sleeping bag is only designed for medium temperatures.

I prepare everything for leaving and make hot water. Three campers nearby are from Bishkek and I ask them, where I can buy a camera there. We mark the place of the store in the satnav.

395 km Distance to buy a new camera. Very annoying. It is the road of (radar) controls. A profitable business for the police. Once me and the car ahead of me are waved to the roadside from a police officer. The local car driver is obviously paying immediately at the police car. The policeman pretends, that I was to fast, and he wants to see my driving license and I hand over a copy. He wants the original, which I will not give him. So finally he let me go without returning the copy, so the first of the copies is gone. I've seen 6 or 7 controls all over the day. The route is really interesting, but I do not stop anywhere.

Exciting, how the climate is changing, at the lake it was quite chilly, than passing through the mountain it has become increasingly warmer until I#m sweating heavily.

Not far from Bishkek at a red traffic light a car stops next to me (right-hand drive) and the driver in German asks if I am from Hanover.

Bishkek is a quite busy and I do not really know where to park the bike. Two taxi drivers coming aware of me and offer me to park at the entrance of their parking lane. Very nice! Next moment two Germans (father and son) come over to me and we have some talk. They just came from China.

In the store I immediately find the successor model of my old camera. I am bargaining a small discount for paying cash in dollars. Price is ok, it's even a bit less than what Brigitte researched for me in the morning.

I do not feel like staying in the "big city" and decide to go back to the lake again, even if I will not meet the others, I will not get so far. I can make it to the south-west shore just before dark.

Pitching up the tent and cooking with forehead lamp and moonlight, it works well. Of course it's late again, just another long day.

Insertion: I had seen a terrible accident on the way back, a frontal collision between an SUV and a smaller car. Most of the people do not use seat belts here and therefore there were two dead people, bodies just covered on the roadside.

In the middle of the night a few people swimming, but maybe they did not even see me. And now - the next morning - I hear the sounds of sheep outside.

Today (Day 36) the distance I have to go is not very far, so I'm not in a hurry and still will take a bath in the lake.