Entering Kazakhstan

With the Russian customs cleared we move within the same run down complex and make our way through the process of entering Kazakhstan, there is a different feel already, officials are all in army uniform and looked bored, disinterested and are very formal.

You kind of get used to these borders where you don’t speak the language, there is no explanation of what happens, you enter cautiously, until you are beckoned, then once each official has finished with you they point in the general direction of the next person in the process, these people are not highly paid and nor are they going to be rushed however important you might think you are! Best approach is to allow 4 hours minimum per customs transit and if you get through any quicker its a bonus. These days I try to relax, go with the chaotic flow, I remind myself, just enjoy it Dave you are unlikely to ever be here again!

Before we left the UK and even as we traveled we were warned about bribes and corrupt officials, we had prepared the usual “front of house” wallet containing a few dollars, we had a strategy, and that’s how it remained, not once were we hit on for cash, were we lucky or are the situations you read about exaggerated? Probably a bit of both, all I can tell you is it did not happen to us, quite the reverse, maybe we just smelt so bad and they wanted to keep us moving! 

The Kazakhstan border then, no real drama just not very friendly, quite quickly after an inspection of our luggage we are free to enter Kazakhstan, probably took less than an hour!

Our paperwork is all over the place, mine stuffed into my open backpack,  but we are told to move away, so we push the bikes into Kazakhstan past the final checkpoint, and at the side of the road start to get organised.

You just cant rush these things, lose your bike paperwork, temporary import documents or worse passport and you will regret it big time later on….after all these months everything has its place.

Ready now to head back onto the road, we have enough fuel which is lucky as there is nothing at this border, no guys selling currency, SIM cards, insurance fixers, food….nothing but the road ahead.

 Just as we are about to leave a car approaches the border, creeping forward towards us, three guys jump out and approach us, funny how physical appearances change, they have much more of a Asian appearance, shorter, stockier…we wait to see what will unfold………after a few introductions it turns out the three of them have brought a patch of scrub land right next to the border post, young entrepreneurs hoping to build some border services, they are taking measurements, making notes, good on them…….the border is still in sight but we take a chance and have a picture with them, they are amazed to see tourists here and before we leave one of the guys gives us 200 Tenge each, “please buy yourself a coffee, welcome to Kazakhstan”…..wow never judge appearances eh!!

Senby

Its a short 100km ride to the first town called Senby, the road is good and we are soon there, this place is much bigger than I expected…………..its a buzzing university city, we check into a really cool pre-booked hotel just around the corner with secure parking, the cost, well its 7000 t about £15 for both of us, the exchange rate is just crazy…….with the bikes unloaded, locked behind gates, we find a cafe with proper ground coffee, really cool place and busy…..civilization……when I get back to the Hotel I ask about a SIM card and an ATM, (usual priorities) the lady at reception says “10 minutes, wait in room” a short while later there is a knock at the door and the Hotel owner introduces this local guy to me, stood in the hotel room he delivers a SIM and sets it up on my Russian phone…he needs to be paid in cash so leads us around to the cash point machine, and with my debt paid he is gone, it all feels very black market but my phone is working,  data sorted, cash sorted, time to get out of these dusty clothes and shower.first impressions of Kazakhstan are good…

Heading for Almaty

Next day we are up early, no packing to do, just strap the luggage back onto the bikes, we have gone through another time zone as we head ever West, now there is only 6 hours difference between us and the UK.

Ready to go I hit the start button, the starter motor spins the engine but she does not fire into life, almost but not quite! I try repeatedly over the next few minutes, it is so so close but no luck dam it, normally my bike is the more reliable of the two and the engine fires into life instantly, but not today, we scratch our heads, what has changed, was it cold overnight, we move the bikes into the sun, warm them in the morning sun, its a bit of a long shot but worth a try while we get a coffee.

This turns out to be the start of Irene’s unreliability, little things at first and it started here just 100km inside the Kazakhstan border.   

The street is level, no slope to help us bump start the engine, this is not going to be easy, all of a sudden we see three strapping Kazakhstan lads jogging through the street, all in matching black tracksuits, probably army,  we ask for help and they get the idea, they help push the combined 300 Kg of bike and rider down the flat road, at maximum push speed I select 1st gear and drop the clutch, the engine grumbles and just when it looks like we have failed, used up all the momentum the engine fires into life, keeping the engine revs up we thank our jogging athletes as they wave and  disappear around the corner, they were only going to help once! 

Once the bikes have warmed up we head out of town, fuel up without stopping the engines (no one cares) and we are on our way south to Almaty.

The rough roads of East Kazakhstan

At first the roads are in good shape but after 100 Km its the usual melted roads we often see, with deep ruts carved out by the heavy trucks on the soft surface, we were warned the road is bad for 200 km but we have seen much worse on our travels in Siberia, so although you have to be careful we can still make good progress.

After a few hours we stop to check the maps and just as we are about to leave Gary notices my front tyre is almost flat, we check and can find nothing obvious, no nails or damage, I pump it up and it holds pressure, we leave and after a few kilometers I cautiously increase my speed….no problem how odd, increase a bit more still no problem…..we press on. 

About an hour later the road gets even rougher, and as I slow to climb a hill, avoid some monster pot holes down goes the front tyre again, much quicker this time….right that’s it, decision made for me, stop putting off the inevitable, off with the wheel and put in a new inner tube.

Incredibly this is only our fourth puncture between us in 60,000 km,  we are however getting quite good at this but by the time the tube is fitted any hope of reaching our target distance before dark now lost, we slip further behind.

The Altai mountains are long behind us now and the scenery since we left Senby is flat and uninspiring, the roads are straight and rough, raised above the surrounding sandy scrub land by a few meters, nothing much to look at which is no bad thing as you need to concentrate, some of these pot holes are ferkin huge, trucks coming the other way take the best surface, that could be in the middle, on your side or both if they are overtaking!

As the light starts to fade I am struggling to see the road surface, the contours hard to make out, I take some fairly hard hits, Irene’s suspension copes but it is a warning.  Just before dark we call it a day, we check into a truck stop and get a basic room, the cost £6 for the both of us including the bikes securely parked in a workshop, not somewhere I would rave about but a chance for a good nights sleep and an early start…..with my bike in a garage Irene will be warm and will hopefully start first time in the morning…

….And we’re off 

We are up at 6am, there is a knock on the door from the Garage owner but I am already getting dressed, using the outside loo the sunrise is superb, I take the above picture (other hand) no showers here just a outside sink with an electric water heater above, the owner proudly beckons, offers a grimy piece of soap with hairs in it!!! I pass up on the offer use some gel soap for my hands, the record in Siberia was I think 6 days without a shower and the same pants on, so one day is positively fresh baby! 

Stopping short yesterday means we have a big distance to cover today, over 800 km, as long as we leave early we should be fine, my bike starts on the button and we are off, I had hoped we were past the rough roads, if anything they get worse, the scenery continues flat and featureless, mile after mile of sandy flat plain, to keep me interested a start looking at stats, in the first hour we only covered 48Km, in the second its 88Km and we are set up for a similar distance on the third when 20 minutes in I feel a bit of a wobble, then again…..Ohhhh Noooooo, I slow and its that familiar feeling when a tyre goes down, it feels a bit like riding on Ice….the back end weaving, lurching around with all the weight, this time the rear tyre………tools out, the rear wheel is a bigger job, remove the top luggage, rear sprocket and place the pile of parts to one side, as I am getting the tyre off the rim Irene is blown off the stands so gets rested on the swing arm.

Tyre off lets find out what the problem is……..yep this time the cause is not hard to find, its a ruddy screw, and a big one…..….there is no chance of fixing this tube, nothing in my my repair kit can tackle a rip this large……….……..the new inner tube is in and the wheel back in position….……its all quite slick as it should be with two punctures in consecutive days, you start to think “who did I upset” two punctures and starting issues, the Kazakhstan biking gods are not happy with me it seems….

We head off and I gradually increase my speed again as confidence builds on the rough worn out roads, another hour lost, this is going to be one long day!

We were told that the bad section was about 200 Km long but in my mind its rough all day, its around the 500 Km mark before things change, we enter the city of Taldy Korgan, now this is different, this place has an upmarket feel about it, I pass an airfield next to the road, a squadron of MIG fighters are lined up in a neat row to my right, wow! I am so temped to stop for a picture but think better of it and anyway its late, we need to press on not sure how long these roads will last.

Its quite often the case that as you arrive at the city limits the roads are great for a while,  only to return to rough roads at the other side of the city, but not this time at first they are smooth new tarmac roads then a super smooth dual carriageway, what a difference, we make the most of the power of our bikes, and press on at speed, the final 300 km to Almaty pass quicker.

Too close to stop now, we break my rule of night riding (again) and arrive in the dark at the European Backpacker Hostel, this is near the centre of Almaty, its late but we have made it, after 15 hours on the road, 1200 km in two days include the front and rear wheel puncture repairs, that was some distance on these 700cc bikes, ferkin awesome! We just make last orders at the Thai restaurant next door, no licence for beer, your kidding, ah well the food is great….

Agent Orange

But why the rush you ask, why push on so hard to get to Almaty, well the limitations of the Russian Visa and our extended time in Mongolia gave us little time in the Russian Altai before the visa ran out, which in hindsight was a shame, but you know unless you are without any time limits you will always miss something, the world is a big place!

Then once we were through the border into Kazakhstan there is not a lot there, you enter into the vast plains of nothingness so may as well push on, but that was not the main reason, bikes were starting to feel rough back in Mongolia, punctures aside there were little issues creeping in almost every day, especially Gary’s bike which had developed a cold start issue, the bikes needed to be checked over big time before we headed back into the desert regions to the west.

After the disappointment of Husqvarna Mongolia, we had great hopes for KTM Almaty. I had been speaking with Leonard for some time, his English was good and we explained the issues with cold starting. The bikes were booked in for the morning after we arrived weeks ago, in fact when we were still in Ulaanbaatar 

We head off from the Hostel early and arrive at KTM Almaty, first impressions are good, the dealership is impressive as was Leonard, he came out to the bikes and with a mechanic by his side we demonstrated the issues. The mechanic has a stethoscope and starts listening to the engines, moving from bike to bike, listening, slowly shaking his head, he talks in Russian with Leonard and the prognosis is not good. “Both bikes are bad” says Leonard, its could be the valves or the piston. we will do a leakdown compression test and let you know. A leakdown test, what the heck is that? Not wanting to show my ignorance I say “OK”. It does however seems to me they have come to this conclusion a little too quickly, Irene will be fine I think to myself, so it will be an interesting comparison between the two identical bikes. I am certain they are wrong but let them go through the motions!

We use a super cheap Yandex taxi back to the hostel, ….this is the first time we have seen the city in the light and its really cool, not the pollution we have seen in other cities, good road surfaces, no cows wandering or rubbish burning in the streets, clean, impressive buildings tower around us, a thoroughly modern looking City, now its us that looks out of place!

Later that day I get a phone call, news comes through from Leonard, both bikes have failed the leakdown test both showing a 95% leak rate!!!! Both, impossible I think, Leonard, makes a proposal, we leave the bikes with him for the winter, during this time they remove the engines and send them back to us in the UK where they are refurbished, then the engines would be returned to Almaty and we return next year to ride our bikes home, its a ridiculous suggestion, the more I think about it the more frustrated I get, this would involve an engine removal, getting the engine shipped to the UK, through UK customs, refurbished, tested outside of a motorcycle, shipped out again, through Kazakhstan customs and refitted, then the logistics of us  getting home, and back out again, extending our visas and and and….I am on a one off career break for Christs sake, its not going to happen.

We have put the feelers out for alternatives

Options

1. Ship the bikes home with Polish company other riders had used in Mongolia and buy an alternative form of transport.
2. Get someone else to look at the bikes, a second opinion, maybe a workaround to allow the trip to continue even if we limp home.
3. Ride the bikes to destruction, then dump them.

Gary is in favour of option 2. I favour option 1, one thing is clear, I am not leaving here until Gary’s cold start issue is fixed and my bike is either fixed or I have an alternative.

All in all a bit of a bummer I would say….I am still in total denial, my bike was fine how can this diagnosis be true……time for a beer I think.

We have promised Leonard we will meet up with him again tomorrow to discuss the outcome and options, he says he will leave the bikes as they are, connected to the test equipment, so he can demonstrate the failure.

I feel the need to be more pro-active, during the night I do some internet research about the test tool and the leakdown test, as I have seen brand name, find the exact model and now understand how it works…basically it injects air at 60 psi into the cylinder through the spark plug hole and then measures how much pressure is retained over a specific period, a healthy engine will leak 10% ours are supposedly both leaking 95% Mmmm really!

I then find some Chinese import bikes as replacements for about 550 GBP, so an option perhaps…

The following day we order a taxi after breakfast, we get to the KTM dealership (Agent Orange) and the leak test issue is demonstrated, sure enough the results are as explained. I am still doubting that the test has been carried out properly, Leonard assures us he has carried out this test many times before and to be fair what he says matches what I have read online.

Regardless we tell Leonard the engine out and sent back to the UK proposal is not an option and would be a customs nightmare.…if they were being honest the bottom line is they do not really want to do the job, they are making all sorts of justifying noises….. “we are not licenced to work on Husqvarna” Leonard tells us and and and…………..utter bullshit!

After some discussion and probably to get rid of us they agree to sell us the 701 parts they have, oil filters, fuel filters and a few other bits and pieces and will arrange for the bikes and hardware to be sent to a local mechanic called Bob on Monday…..well it’s a start however its taken 3 days to get here!

The rest of the day is quite uneventful, I cook dinner and we are off to bed early, I am certainly still recovering from the big miles and two punctures. But hey ho a plan is starting to develop and Bob moves centre stage.

Football update

in the middle of the night Bristol Rovers raise my spirits with a nice 3 – 1 win at home to Coventry, first win at home and a full 7 places up the table……Up the Gas!

Today is Sunday, a chill out day, a blog day, a wash my remaining three pairs of pants day, nothing happens to the bikes today so its a super relaxing day, kind of loving this hostel life though, very relaxed place, like a little hippy commune (the sound of a guitar being strummed in the background), peace man, I think I am turning into a fully fledged tree hugger .

Introducing the amazing Bob!

On Monday morning the  tracker app on my phone bursts into life, KTM call us to let us know that the bikes are on the move but we already know, they move the short distance to Bobs place, we get a Yandex taxi into town to settle our bill with KTM……. 

……bill paid at KTM its yet another a short taxi ride to Bobs workshop, we had already heard of Bob from other travelers, all good, we are looking forward to meeting him after the disappointment of KTM (again) basically a second opinion from someone independent.

The plan is to investigate the cold start issue and at the same time give us his view on the general state of the bikes. If we can get beyond that then there is a list of other stuff.

Bob listens to our issues and does not jump to any conclusions, I am  immediately impressed, he is quietly confident he can improve the situation with the poor starting and its clear to me he knows what he is talking about.

Bob and fellow mechanic Den start work on the bikes the following day, by the end of the first day we get a message from Bob that the starting issue is much improved, sends us a short video, service items have been replaced and valves adjusted, Bob has done a compression check and tells us the compression is OK, however he says he can see oil on the top of the piston and thinks the engines are very worn…my heart sinks but if I am honest I know something is not right….just in denial I guess

Impressed with his progress we pop around to see Bob, feel confident enough to discuss other work that needs to be done….Bob already has the cleaned bikes outside, and they are looking good, he demonstrates the perfect starting, OK that sorted lets get them in the best possible shape and then think about what to do next. 

Nothing to do now but enjoy Almaty, Bob will keep in touch with us via WhatsApp, during the following days, and true to his word every little bit of progress is reported, pictures sent, if there are any decisions to be made clear questions are asked, a ruddy brilliant service, Bob and Den work through our lists and in the following days I have my radiator fixed, rear rack straightened and on the way to be welded, missing bolts replaced ….nothing is too much trouble.

Bottom line, Bob is the best motorcycle mechanic in Almaty, probably Kazakhstan and he is also a decent and honest bloke, Adventure riders if your ever in need of help in Kazakhstan regardless of what bike you ride he is the “go to person” I would seek out.

Bob can be contacted on +7 701 357 5011 

Almaty is cool

During the time Bob and Den are working  on our bikes we spend time exploring the city, and what a city it is, Almaty is the largest city and it’s the financial centre of this oil rich country…..its a very cool city, with well tended parks, upmarket shopping malls, cafes and restaurants, expensive cars, some very wealthy people live here. Its frustrating to be without Irene but Almaty is not a bad place to be stuck in………..so different from anything we have seen for many months………….with lots of open spaces. Almaty was down to the last two cities bidding for the 2022 winter Olympics, money was spent in the preparations although in the end Beijing got the vote….

The Green market

This large, two-level market has a true flavour of Central Asia, and is worth putting on your itinerary even if you’re not really food shopping. It’s been somewhat sanitised in recent years, but its stalls are still piled with nuts, fresh and dried fruit, Georgian sweets, smoked fish, spices, ready-made Korean salads, vegetables, medicinal herbs, cheeses, sausages and enormous hunks of fresh meat. There’s an entire row dedicated to horsemeat(Lonelyplanet)Yep I would agree with that, my senses bombarded, the smell and colour of spices, is impressive, be careful though these guys are master salesmen and before I know it I have a kilo of expensive cashew nuts in my hand….must have seen me coming and of course they did, not many white Europeans around here!….downstairs there is a large area selling meat, all on open and  un-refrigerated racks…..Horse is very popular with a whole section….….I try horse and camel milk and cheese from one of the stands…..all I can say is It must be an acquired taste, I try to be polite but its ferkin disgusting, the taste of the horse milk in particular makes me want to throw up right there, long afterwards the taste still there, cant get rid of it! ..as darkness approaches people head out of the city…..this is the financial capital of Kazakhstan and its busy.….once dark buildings are transformed…….actual minders/bodyguards wait whilst wealthy young people hang out in cafes, chaperones keeping an eye on things as they sip soft drinks and coffee……….and families walk through the parks where stalls sell the usual tourist stuff…….all in all a good place to hang out whilst the bikes are worked on……..I have not seen wealth like this since we left north America

The European Backpackers hostel

Its funny how these hostels all have their own character and I guess a lot of the time its all down to the mix of people staying there, for the first few days we keep ourselves to ourselves, we are the only motorcyclists, as the days go by we get to know everyone, there is a real mixture of travelers, 4×4 Overlanders, backpackers and quite a few cyclists, predominantly Europeans but also from North America and Australasia, really interesting personalities, there is a strong community and we are welcomed in!

We end up staying longer than expected, firstly with KTM and then waiting for Bob to do his best on the bikes. This gives me time to catch up on things, repair stuff, maybe even dare to think about our onward journey, guys this is no hardship Almaty is certainly somewhere I will come back to in the future..

Bristol Banter “alrite my lover”

There is a constant turnover of people, before long its like we are the residential old blokes as people come and go, today an actual guy from Bristol turns up at the Hostel, hot and exhausted he is from Spain originally and has been working in Bristol for the last few years, there is a bit of Bristol banter which is good fun, he cycled in the opposite direction to us from Bristol to Barcelona then across to Almaty…amazing, the first person we have met from “Brisol”  in 5 months!

Masterchef backpacker style

The hostel is small enough that a lot of the time everyone comes together to prepare dinner, how cool is that, I have missed cooking and with such a mix of cultures its a chance to get back in the kitchen and maybe even learn some new skills….We have Kebab nights………everything is made from scratch…Hannes is a God in the kitchen, he spends time teaching us new recipes….I decide to call him “New Hannes”, not to be confused with Hannes from the Old Summer Road.….he is the master of delegation…over the week we make all sorts but the highlight is the now infamous “Schnitzel Sunday”….….making Schnitzel for 13 people is a major operation, everyone is involved……so tough this Hostel life, no wonder people stay here for weeks and even months, its so cheap compared to Western Europe even in this big city….the food is excellent, and we have a really cool evening with these Interesting young people, gosh I know that sounds old but you do feel it a bit….Hostel life eh, why did I discover this now, at first a little outside my comfort zone, most of the people here are around the same age in there late 20s, same age as my own family, as I get to know them I am encouraged about the future, they are bright and funny and mature beyond their years…….hope your not reading this dudes.

What the hell is that noise, a trapped wild animal perhaps

After Schnitzel Sunday we are up early, I have had a great nights sleep, slept right through, I stretch feeling quite please with myself pleasantly rested, however I gather I am the only one in our dormitory of eight, maybe the great food, or the bottle of red wine I polished off, whatever the cause I broke the golden rule and slept on my back, apparently my snoring was enough to set off nearby car alarms, nobody says a word to me but Gary tells me over breakfast, there were people coughing then when that did not work stomping out of the room, one kicking my bed, one sleeping on the landing, I slept on oblivious!   Gary is laughing uncontrollably as he tells me over breakfast,  Oh dear…..let me say here and now I am soooooo sorry people. The final straw is when I see one of my room mates setting up a tent in the garden and another small group stop talking when I enter a room, I ask our hostel owner about a single room  (preferably soundproof) by luck one will soon be available, maybe later that day, I pay the extra and ask to move as soon as possible before guests take actions into their own hands 🙂

New Hannes….a man of many talents

We are talking around the outside table (whilst my room mates probably catch up on their sleep) and “New Hannes” tells us he makes hunting and fishing knives, wow this guy is talented, prompted by me he brings a few out and one slightly larger and multiple colours catches my eye, “are they for sale” I ask? he is very precise and direct, “yes, but I can’t sell you this, there is a flaw in the handle, I will try to fix it” A few days pass, I am sat outside in the sun having breakfast “New Hannes” sits at the table, “here is the knife”, wow he has done a great job, in his straightforward way he says “the price of the knife is not negotiable, if you want it the price is 180 Euros or I will keep it”  I love the Germans, you cant be much clearer than that eh, well there is a difference of course between want and need, I appreciate the craftsmanship, but its the memory I am after and I like to buy things that are really authentic and have a story behind them, deal done, now need to get this home on the bike.

Big decisions to make

With the deal done on the knife I ask New Hannes which route he took from the west, from Georgia into Almaty, turns out he like many went north through Russia, back into Kazakhstan and then across the width of Kazakhstan, he tells me the roads were good all the way and that the road across to the port is not so good and as is common in these parts the ferry has no real timetable, its a much longer route, maybe 1500km longer, there are some high passes but with these bikes on the edge it might be a better option, I can tell Gary is not convinced.

We have a new arrival at the hostel a German guy called Manuel, a motorcyclist, he is on a Honda CRF250L, he needs some work done so will come with us to visit Bob tomorrow, that is if he cant fix it himself.

The Den

Breaking news, I have a room people, just been handed the keys my own room, its going to cost a little more, but I have some privacy and I can snore to my hearts content without fear of strangulation ….yee haaaaaa.We all chill out together in the Hostel, like a little family, just doing simple stuff, this jig saw puzzle an obsession for a few days, I have been forced to slow down, to abandon the timetable and I am kind of loving this life, so great to be taking things slower, but autumn is here already and we still have to cover over  10,000 km back to the UK.

I hear from Bob that the bikes will soon be ready, so we arrange to meet him the next day.

Today is the day

Now that was a great nights sleep, great night for all, I wake up, I can update my blog, nobody gets disturbed wonderful, we hear from Bob eventually that its going to be around 3pm before the bikes are ready, the job on the starter clutch being more involved.

So now I know the pick up time is later I have time to clean my tent, its full of bugs and dust, the sun is shining and with wet wipes and hot water I give my little MSR tent a spring clean, to be honest I am not sure when I will use it again but another job done.

My mind is kind of made up on the route, assuming both bikes are in a good state its seem sensible to follow the easier but longer route to me, Gary is determined to head across Uzbekistan, take his chances with the roads and ferry, and that’s cool, the really extreme riding in Siberia behind us now, our bikes bearing the scars of that brutal part of the world. Don’t get me wrong its not a decision I take likely, we have been together almost 24/7 for 5 months, the Ant and Dec of adventure riders.

Control freak

The route over the Caspian Sea is a much longer route, but I am in control of my own destiny and I would rather be riding at my pace, in the daylight than have the possibility of being stuck on a ferry for days 

The bookmarks copied from other travelers on MapsMe plot the route back into Russia, I say no drama mate if that’s what you want, we can just meet up again in Georgia, especially as our bikes cold starting issues are fixed. Probably the time apart will do us both some good.

What this does mean is that I will need to get another Russian Visa, now the rules are clear, you cannot obtain an extended visa outside you home country, however what you can get is a transit visa, and that is what I am going to try for, I book mark the Russian Consulate on my maps and once I get Irene back will visit them before they open on Tuesday, just to get my bearings.

I am speaking to the German Honda rider Manuel, turns out he is also applying for a Russian visa, also heading back into Europe via Russia and Georgia, he is on a different time line to me but it makes sense to work through the visa process together.

Got my girl back

Time for us to head off to meet Bob, I withdraw some cash so  I have enough local currency. The bill for the bike repair is 80,000 Tenge that’s £172 and the trip is potentially saved.

We pay our bill and drop around a crate of beer, another traveler has left a message on Bobs wall and we do the same…..

Bob tells us the bikes are in the best shape they can be without a major overhaul, he says we could leave the bikes with him and he will rebuild them over the winter, probably cost $1500, I trust Bob and I am very tempted but this trip is a one off, no second chances this far out,  I cant give up this easy! 

we ride away from Bobs workshop and our bikes look great, Irene feels a little fragile and its clear to me the rough terrain in Russia has taken its toll, but she starts on the button now, feels a lot better… 

If your in Kazakhstan and need help guys do not hesitate, call Bob and your troubles will start to evaporate!

Bob can be contacted on +7 701 357 5011 

The ride “home” back to the Hostel through the congested city streets is a good test, the engine gets very hot, fan on almost constantly but there are no issues to report, looks like I have a transport out of here!

Football update

During dinner I am keeping a watch on the Bristol Rovers at Brentford, hoping for an away win but it ends up 0 – 0, well its a point.

Snuff

“New Hannes” introduces us all to snuff, he has a ruddy box of the stuff, I proclaim I am a snuff virgin….….New Hannes educates me, turns out some of the best snuff comes from the UK…….another new experience, nice.

We eat an excellent dinner, a joint is passed around and I think to myself…..I love this hostel life, so much knowledge and information freely given, new people are embraced, even old buggers like us…..

Test ride to the Lakes

I wake up nice and early in my lovely private room, I  join the others for breakfast, its a beautiful morning, warm and sunny and the company is great.

After breakfast we both get our heavy bike clothes on and head off for the Lake that is above Almaty, the traffic is heavy but no match for our agile bikes, this trip for me is really about testing the bikes before we leave, however I am in for a surprise, the mountains and lake are stunning, an aqua blue colour, almost unnatural but we are told caused by an Algae bloom …amazing …and the bikes they look great, they go great, OK a little rattly, in fact very rattly, but its all slow speed stuff, cant wait to do some high speed roads to see how she goes…
I come back from the Lake determined to find the Russian Embassy, they open on Tuesday and we need to get all our paperwork ready for then, its  easy to find and is quite close to our hostel, another day over but another milestone,  I think the bike is viable to head west.

Time to head West

Yikes the 1st of October is here, got to get going but still over 10,000 km  from home, comfortable as it is here I need to get moving West and soon, I get up, not feeling totally fine today, bit of a cold and not really any appetite.

The first task of the day is passport photographs, we get to a place in the city, its just 5 km from the Hostel and its a proper studio type set up with background lighting and an expensive camera, 1600T later I have 6 passport size pictures, and you know what people, I am liking the beard, might be a keeper folks!

That afternoon I have a frustrating time trying to get my head around the Russian visa submission, I am getting nowhere fast, the windows that give you the choices are blank but I have all the data I need. I need a break, we take a walk over to the Shopping Mall for a decent coffee, talk for a while about our now different plans, back at the hostel I now seem to be getting somewhere with the form by using a different browser (Doh!) and spend the next two hours getting it filled in and finally printed. result!

ISS launch on route would you believe

Now by a funny coincidence there is a town on my route as I head north west, it is called Baikonur,

Now I had never heard of this place before but this place has serious history.

Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan has been the launch site for Soviet and Russian space missions since the beginning of space exploration in 1957. The first satellite and the first human Yuri Gagarin flew into space from there. Today, the site is heavily used for Soyuz astronaut launches to the International Space Station.

The site has mostly been used to launch Soviet Union and Russian cosmonauts, but after the Cold War cooled, some American and European astronauts started to launch there as well. After the space shuttle program retired in 2011, NASA shifted to having all of its astronauts fly from Baikonur until the new Commercial Crew Program is ready to launch astronauts. Test flights for the new program are currently expected in 2018 or 2019, so around the 2020s fewer American launches are expected from Baikonur. Russia has also built a new launch site, Vostochny, which is eventually expected to take over many of the launches of Baikonur.

Baikonur is on my route, ride right past it, and there is a launch to the ISS on the 11th of October, after reading the above I have just got to go, this place could be shut down in a few years, another ex soviet ghost town…..now if the visa comes through as I hope the timing could be very interesting. There is a new french guy at the Hostel and he is asking me excitedly about this.

Russian Consulate Almaty for real this time

Its up and early today as the Russian Consulate is only open on Tuesdays and Fridays, there is parking next to the Consulate, I try to enter by the grand front gates but I am directed back to the car park and a small side entrance, the gates open exactly at 10:00, through the entrance and there is an undercover area with a table and lockers.

First piece of advice, you will not be allowed into the building with a rucksack (rucksack and huge beard…obvious) so use the provided locker on arrival, its free, put everything in except your documents and take the key. Don’t do what I did and get to the security guy inside only to be turned away, losing my valuable place in the chaotic queue.
Second piece of advice is to clearly identify the last person in the queue and get them to acknowledge you on arrival, get eye contact, this is because there is not proper queuing here, well not by British standards and this is the best way it seems to have some order, this is especially important as people are let in one at a time, a speaker announces something and the door buzzes and is opened for a moment.
Once inside you turn left and go through a airport style security loop and present your passport, then you can proceed inside and when free I go to the big guy at window 3, he is helpful and speaks good English, he checks your documents, I presented and he accepted the following….

My passport, Kazakhstan immigration paper. (Original)
Downloaded and filled in Russian form, with picture attached (they provide the glue) the only pen entries allowed are the date and signature.

copies of the following…
My V5 (Bike Passport)
International Driving Licence
Medical Insurance document.
Copy of Passport main page

He checks it all and if they are OK retains it. He gives me a ticket to take to Window 5, UK citizens pay 50% more than other EU countries and I pay my 46,000 T, before I leave window 3 he tells me to return at 15:00 on Friday.
and that’s it, done by 10:30.

Next on my list is 3rd party insurance, I used Nomad Insurance,  Insurance starts from 15 days and this suits me perfectly. I tell Gary and we head off together, they need to see your driving licence, V5 and passport, the driving licence and V5 is no problem but my passport is at the Russian Consulate, eventually we get around this as I have a spare photocopy…phew….I am all ways impressed how the Russians and Kazakhstan Russians are so diligent about their work, I am presented with a nice certificate in a plastic folder signed with an official looking stamp….at that is it,3rd party insurance arranged for £8

When we leave I head off in a different direction to Gary, I am going another 11Km across town to Car City. Its kind of a department store for cars, I am going there to get some replacement tools, as I will be on my own for a while I need to be sure I have all the tools to work on the bike independently and I lost quite a few on the Old Summer Road. 

The 11km is painful, the traffic is heavy and you have to concentrate hard as some car drivers are reckless, they accelerate into the smallest of gaps and brake at the last moment. I use other vehicles, mostly trucks and buses to shield me and get there eventually. Car City..wow, its clearly very popular and they are restricting access, there is even a film crew there, I find a place to park and clearly this is where solo travel starts to bite, you don’t have a buddy to look after your bike, I park between two cars but a lady selling soft drinks indicates a better spot over the pavement, that’s easy and I park the bike and reward her for keeping an eye on things by buying a drink from her shop.

Inside Car City its so busy, guys selling music systems, things to pimp up your car, new light assemblies, bumpers and tools, I pay a premium because of my appearance but get a wrench, 5 sockets and 3 spanners for £6 probably double what the locals pay.

I have to admit to felling really low today, I am supper happy to be avoiding the Ferry and having my own space but I guess if you have been travelling with a friend for this long there is a sense of loss, I know I could have just gone along with Gary’s plan and avoided this, I am surprised how much it hurts but I think with the bikes in such a fragile state it is the right decision, look its going to take time to adjust I tell myself….

Cheesecake to die for 

I ride back to the Hostel and go for a coffee and the now famous Cheese Cake run with Gary and the rest of the Hostel regulars. afterwards I go to get some draft beer on my own, I return heavily loaded with beer and take a shower.

Tonight we have a Thai curry, now one anomaly of this hostel is that there is a Thai restaurant next door, they give you a 10% discount if you take your own plate (bizarre) and deliver the food into the hostel restaurant style….how cool is that.

So another very full day is nearly over, I do even manage to find time to apply for the Turkish Visa before I sleep, its easy and costs just 20 dollars, its in my inbox as a e-visa in seconds.

Football update

Despite the time difference I follow the football,  Rovers get a draw away to Rotherham even though they are down to 10 men….we have chances just could not press home the advantage, I am even wearing my shirt in bed, now that is  commitment, or maybe plain weird!

Restless

OK well that was a odd night, spent most of it trying to sleep unsuccessfully and then falling into a deep sleep as everyone was getting up!
Anyway by the time I have a little breakfast and some coffee its 11:00, I think part of the sleepless night was related to being unprepared, I have an actual nightmare about not having any spare inner tubes, its all sounds ridiculous now as it did then in the light of day, am I the first person to lose sleep over heavy duty inner tubes FFS? I know I could make it all the way home but when you have two punctures in two days and use up all your spares that is not good.

I give Bob a call and explain (missing out the nightmare bit) at first Bob suggests someone then says , come to my shop I will help you, we arrange to meet at 12:00 at his workshop.

Bob is waiting for me, he hops on his Honda trials bike and we are off, he is a good rider and I struggle to keep up, we end up at a place I would never have found and soon I have two tins of chain lube, two inner tubes and some rim tape…result.

Today has cemented my opinion about the remainder of this trip, there are good people everywhere and they go out of their way to help us, something I will never forget when I get back to Europe!

Thanks again Bob for your kindness, I owe you!

I return to the Hostel give Irene a proper Dave Fletch clean, do a few jobs that need doing and then start to look at my horn, all tests fail, its buggered I think, as a last resort I bash it on the ground to see if that will dislodge anything….nothing appears but I must have done something, once reconnected as the horn fired into life. By the end of the day Irene looks fabulous.We go up to the top of Almaty via cable car, the city looks great from up here and the paving all looks spectacular but its all mostly tacky fairground ground rides….

Back to the hostel New Hannes teaches me how to make German hamburgers……….its a real hands on affair with mincemeat seasoning just under 1 egg per person all mixed together and then made into patties, the best method is to squish them flat really hard, then the edges are nice and firm and away we go, trust me they taste better then they look…
Nice relaxing day spent sorting out my luggage, we wait for John and Teagan to leave, these guys are from Australia and travelling the world on bicycles, they are heading for Iran next, they are big personalities ((Typical Australians)joking)  and its very quite once they have gone I have to say….

Planning to leave Hostel California

I make contact with Rushmore Motors in Georgia and they come back within the hour, it seems there should be no problem getting us 2 sets of tyres, Graham is the English owner and promises to check stock and get back to me in the morning.

I start my final packing, I have gained quite a lot of stuff but it all seems to work out and anyway a lot of it will be used as I travel, I hope by the time I arrive in Georgia the oil and chain lube will be used, funny as in some ways I hope I end up carrying the oil and that means the engine has used less but until we get going I will not know…
I get lots of things done that need to be done, wash clothes, exchange contact details with new friends, this place is sooo comfortable I call it Hostel California and it really is a hard place to leave….easier now as some of the big personalities have left,heading for their winter destinations

Getting my passport back

I guess everything today is about visiting the Russian console and the time has nearly come. I get my bill for the Hostel, been here 16 days and the bill £130 and that is why is going to be hard to leave as its super cheap here,  my costs are going to escalate now….I head off with Manuel in a Taxi and we arrive at the console just a few minutes before 15:00

The are a lot of people waiting around the locked side door, it swings open and we are into a courtyard, there is an announcement in Russian from a guy with a clipboard, he disappears back into the building and we are left to wonder what that’s about, whats next, it turns out there are two types of people here, people wanting Visas and everyone else….

A message comes out of the wall speaker, and a lady in the queue shouts Visa…a few people wanting visas enter, and so it goes on until we are next, once in you show your slip of paper to the security guy, he logs this by hand in a book and then your buzzed through to the next section.

We are told to wait for good old window 3, good because this is our large English speaking Russian man, its our turn and within a few minutes we have our passports back complete with Russian transit visas…………calmly I exit the premises and then once in the car park give it “YA FERKIN WHOOOOOOOOOO”…….so happy to get this visa as it opens up the easier route into Georgia, easier but significantly longer…..

We are both hungry and visit the sports bar just down the road, a few beers and some bar snacks to celebrate our route west…just a pity Manuel chose different dates to me or we could have traveled together right into Georgia, a little drunk I return to the Hostel by taxi, no enthusiasm for cooking so its a take away Pizza, and an early night…all packed, heavy bike gear hanging ready to go….everything prepared, tomorrow I head West baby….well South then North as well but definitely no east.

Gentlemen fasten your seatbelts

I am up at 5:45, showered, dressed, bike packed and I am still late to leave, I look at my watch and its 7.05, Gary takes a picture before we leave, its a slightly awkward man hug between us but we promise to catch up in Georgia. 

We head out of town, its a bit slow at first as Manuel has the wrong end point programmed, then we need to get the right fuel for his bike, I must admit after seeing the state of my fuel filters I would rather stick with a good brand..
We slowly head out of the city, it seems to take forever, as the traffic starts to build, there are some quite wild scenes on the edge of town, a bit like India with lots of men in crowds,  between  50 or 100 hanging around in the street, I assume waiting to be hired for the day, no time to stop for a picture and probably best not to attract attention to yourself, quite a site though!

Soon we are beyond the City and the suburbs and the pace starts to increase, its a good quality single carriageway all the way to the Bishkek turning, after that the road transforms into a fabulous concrete dual carriageway with central reservation barriers and a great surface, I think how long will this last….….well all day actually, carving its way through the countryside, this is why I came this way, Irene is purring along at a steady speed and we cover good distances, OK its flat and there is not much to look at but we are making good progress.

Not many fuel stations with 95 Ron so things get a little tense when there is 90 Km to the next fuel station go and my reserve light comes on, I could kick myself for not topping up the front tank, just two litres in there and its all I have left, I watch the kilometers go down and make it with fumes to spare….

Its 16:00 and we have made some great progress after a slow start, this time I fill up everything….at this point I part company with Manuel, it would have been good if we could have worked something out but you know I am also looking forward to my own company for a few days and no point rushing as I have plenty of time before the planned space launch at Baikonur…

Me myself I

We say our goodbyes and are joined by a local for a picture, I head off for my pre booked hotel, just 24 km away, as you head off the ring road its the usual town hectic traffic and dodgy driving, you really have to be super vigilant as drivers think nothing of veering across two lanes to take a last minute exit, I am  sure my headlight has saved me on occasions as its brighter than just about anything around here…OK the sun is brighter!

I follow the MapsMe route, this part of the town at first looks grim but as I turn into the street things change and the small hotel is superb, I park in a secure courtyard and am shown into my ridiculous triple bedroom, with private bathroom and even a small kitchen area very nice first night on my own for many months, I  need security and the convenience of booking ahead via a English App on my phone,  if that means spending a little more on accommodation then so be it, I am done with driving around towns looking for the perfect place.

Its funny but spending 17,000 T seems expensive here, like for Christ sake Dave that is 17,000 are you mad…well the choice was just one hotel, this one and actually in the scheme of things that is about £38 pound including breakfast….OK it is a little expensive, very expensive in this part of the world, I will have to make savings in Tbilisi.

I have traveled 500 km in the first day, after so much time in Almaty its great to be back on the road again, that constant moving becomes quite addictive and I have missed it.I spend the evening planning my route around the launch date of the 11th of October, Its a lunchtime launch and I think I can see the launch and make it to the border for the morning of the 14th, this plan will develop over the next few days but it looks promising…

So how are you Dave? I hear you ask, well actually not bad thanks, I have not had a chance to feel lonely so far, too much to keep me occupied, I am sure I will long for English speaking company at some point but there is of course a flip side, without being selfish I can eat what I want, stop when I want, take pictures, I am not one for traveling in the dark, much prefer to start early and finish early and that is exactly what I do…guess it is a little selfish 🙂

I head off from Taraz after a mighty fine breakfast delivered to my room, the route out of town is straightforward enough but the driving is suicidal, there is little regard for motorcyclists here, it  seems to be common practice here to hitch a ride for a small fee, people stand at the road side with there arm out indicating they want a lift, drivers pull over and if they are going the same way and the price is right then job done! sounds so civilized right? well actually its chaotic with drivers veering across lanes to pick up passengers, at any of these gatherings I hang back then to be berated with a barrage of horns from the cars behind for leaving a  micro space….
Thankfully once you are out of the towns the traffic levels drop dramatically almost to nothing, just you and the truck drivers and I start to climb away from the town, the temperature drops and as I head southwest towards Shymkent…

…the heavens open, after an hour I am frozen, stopping at one of the very few cafes here, there are no customers and a woman is on her mobile phone looking totally disinterested, I ask if I can have a coffee and get told an abrupt no in Russian….she points to an old chiller, its soft drinks or nothing baby….that’s a first then a cafe that does not sell coffee!

The rain is really coming down now, I am not wet as my Klim suit is amazing but I am cold….no idea how far to the next cafe, its onesei time but that means getting down to my pants to put this base layer on. Hmmmm to the left of the cafe is a covered area, I have seen quite a few of these areas now, large flat areas covered and carpeted, day beds where I guess people lay in the summer and are served food and drinks, anyway nobody here today so its off with my boot, socks and trousers, down to my ropey pants so I can get the bottom of the onesei on then with trousers just up to the knees and boots back on I do the top half…smart eh! I am now up to five layers and my jacket, as I pull back into the rain boy that is so much more comfortable!

After about 100 km you start to descend, drop down to just 300m above sea level and it gets warmer, then the rain stops and then there is a chink of blue sky ahead, by the the time I arrive in Turkestan its sunny and warm.

I check into my Hotel, wow this is posh………quick shower change into shorts and visit the beautiful ancient mosque just a few 100 meters away…………..the building is beautiful an unusual design, I have seen nothing like it before…..….the mosque is vast….…and the atmosphere is special…..below the cask, I spot some English text..I sit in the sun enjoying the warmth, and take many pictures, the only western face……onward journey planned for tomorrow I start to think about Georgia and Turkey, I have been given some recommendations and I think the character of my journey will change, become more mainstream, its going to be an interesting month as I transition out of the vast Soviet areas I have been travelling through for the last 3 months.

Next morning I head for breakfast, this is more like it, a full buffet and darn I forgot my rucksack….
I eat well, take a few apples for the day and then start to load up Irene, I must say this is one of the nicest settings she has had, a large enclosed courtyard with a Yurt in the middle, I know how to spoil a girl eh….Manuel is keeping me informed about the road ahead, bike loaded, oil checked, Hmm hardly any used that’s good, one final check of the room and key handed back, now for the big moment, I hit the start button and yes she springs into life first time, I start the day with at least 4 layers below my jacket and I am cooking, need to get going, get some speed and to cool down.

Heading through town keeping my wits about me, as usual driving is shocking, fortunately this is a small town and I am soon back on the main route north west.

Traveling the world on foot

There is hardly any traffic using these roads, larges truck, a few buses and even fewer cars, I have only been going for an hour and I spot someone walking towards me as I approach a bridge, at the last moment I realise its someone I know, I hit the brakes hard, stopping some 100 meters past him…Ben is a Swiss guy walking the world, just him his trolley and a big smile, I saw him in Almaty so I am a little confused that I now see him heading back in that direction. It turns out he was on a Visa run when I last saw him, he left his trolley, got the Visa and returned to the exact spot where he left off, we talk for a while, I ask if he needs anything but his trolley is bursting with supplies, people are kind to travelers and he is having to refuse stuff, trying to keep the weight down, we have a quick picture together (quite ironic that the only picture I take has a car passing us)…and we head off in opposite directions.

I think about Ben for the next few miles, I am amazed at his resilience, he is exposed to the world around him in every sense of the word, traffic, people, animals weather, does he every get lonely?  I can’t imagine what he does when the packs of dogs (that regularly chase me at speed) approach, as I power up the road this keeps me thinking for some time…probably just smiles or he has mystic powers they are under his spell. Anyway back to reality, this lad has character with a smile to match and is truly inspiring for me….The perfect road continues across the flat plain, I am less than 300 meters above sea level its bright but the sun is weaker now and it takes most of the day to heat up, after 90 km a strong cross wind  hits me, sometime Irene is pushed left by gusts and you have to lean to counteract the force…I wonder, will the Rocket launch in high winds….
I stop for a coffee and add another layer, its very cold in that wind…I hear from Gary, his bike is back at the workshop having his timing chain worked on…..I don’t know the details, his bike was fine for a week so hopefully its was something pro-active
The plains are flat, you can see for miles, just the black ribbon of the highway giving some perspective as it crosses to the horizon. it feels like you can almost see the curve of the earth, this is remote!

I am only doing 300Km today, I aim to stay at Kyzlorda, 200km from the launch site, Manuel continues to give me updates on the road ahead, he is already 500km up the road from me, it just shows that you don’t need a huge motorcycle for this kind of travel, his Honda CRF250l more than adequate, in fact I envy his superior Japanese reliability, with his up to date information I can then make a final decision on if I have time to watch the launch and make it to the border.

Fight or flight

Now I really rate Maps.Me, its free and mostly very good, two issues, it runs your battery down like crazy and is sometimes inaccurate as users can enter information which never gets deleted. 99% of the time this is not an issue but not today, the Hotel I am heading for is marked 5Km from where it actually is. When I find the correct location its still nowhere to be seen, I ask a young woman, she then asks some local women and their is a lot of pointing around the corner, she speaks no English but says beckons me to follow, still nowhere to be found, she asks four local lads, and they seem to know where it is, I stay with them and she heads off, “follow us” one says…..we head around the corner and where can we go….the lads disappear into the bushes down a small path, they beckon me and I follow on my bike at a short distance, two go ahead the other two just in front of me, the path gets narrower and narrower, wooded, there is now a drop off to the right into a dried up stream, no chance to turn, I am committed now….if they wanted to rob me things are set up perfectly, I stay calm an await their next move, its a real fight or flight moment…..…of course nothing happens, the path opens out after 100m and directly in front is the Hotel, I shake hands with these kind young men and head for the small hotel….paranoia David? 

Next day is a chill-out day, a catch up with this blog day, a check my bike day….I deliberately start the bike at 8am when there is a chill in the air, she starts first time, was that a slight hesitation though, I will test again tomorrow.

The hotel is pleasant enough, I am one of three guests, its very quiet which is nice, I start at updating the blog, for some reason today is just not flowing, a little mechanical, I persevere but its a bit of a slog. 

I do some research on hotels and hostels further up the road and a plan seems to be emerging with the exception of Aral where there is very little there and what there is are very basic, a little suspicious when most of the 5 star reviews are from “local guides”

Once the next few days accommodation is booked I am more than a little proud of the hand written route planner for my tank bag…next stop, fuel stations, hotel names, distances, all to be highlighted each day on completion with a good old green highlight pen, (a gift from reception), nice work Dave!

feeling proud I have a nice lunch at what looks like a nightclub next to the Hotel, return to my huge room and continue with the blog whilst listening to Radio Bristol to catch up with the football via BBC iPlayer, for a brief moment as I feel a little homesick….its strange that most of your adult life you are so so busy you crave for some down time, thing is that when you have time on your hands it takes some getting used to…..I love this freedom but of course there is no safety net now, so feeling slightly more vulnerable, but come on…..think back to Ben, OK reality check, put things in perspective Dave, get a grip and move on.

I was so blown away with Netfix I became a account holder today, brilliant for travelers, I download a load of stuff until the SD card is full, I will save some for later, for some of the rougher no internet hotels ahead!

Football update

Rovers had a good game, I am yet to hear the usual blow by blow match update from Chris but they beat Yeovil Town 2 0 in the cup, lets hope that spurs them on in the league on the weekend.

Launch day -1

Today I am preparing to leave, there is little point moving up to the launch site to early, I get the impression there is nothing much there and deliberately so…
I pack, it always amazes me how much mess you can make in a room in such a short time, I try to have a don’t open bag unless you close it policy, but it fails every time…
I go to the local fuel station, have some pictures with the customers intrigued at one so old traveling the world (cheeky blighters)

I fill up my bike, there is a bit of an issue with the lower fuel tank leaking which I try to fix and once done I get all tanks full, there are some long jumps between fuel stations ahead and I need to be prepared, you do not want to run out of fuel here….back at the hotel, chain lubed, oil checked and we are looking good….

Launch day – 11th October 2018

I am at Breakfast bang on 7am and away by 8am, and we are off, its only 200 Km to the launch site but I leave early, just in case I get a puncture or something, it would be such a shame  or just plain bad planning if after all this waiting to miss the launch.

It is getting colder, I start with all my layers on but boy my hands and chest are cold, I stop for a coffee to warm up and get some more layers on, now up to 6 under my Jacket, the sun gets stronger as I approach the launch site the temperature is rising fast, with about 40 Km to go a white car overtakes and for once its a friendly overtake with the occupants waving, they look European, they are ahead of me now and I adjust my speed to keep them in sight. We all stop at the view point and two guys get out Steve is from Manchester only the third British guy I have seen in Asia and two of them from Manchester! We discuss the view point and spot a vehicle same 200 meters off the road, not sure if it is military, I need to get some fuel for my onward journey, we swap numbers and will hopefully meet back here in a short while.
The fuel station is 16Km, you travel past the Cosmodrome set back from the road….I stop on my way back and take a sneaky picture, I am not sure if anyone cares but can you imagine doing this in other parts of the world on a launch day!

With full tanks I am back at the launch site and notice that Steve is down with the military vehicle, I work my way across the sand road and not the army at all but a good old Land Rover Defender, nice, in this world of Land Cruisers it looks super cool… I say hello but don’t approach, the weather has changed the wind gone and I am roasting now, can hardly breath with all these layers on, takes a good 10 minutes to cool down and repack, and then I wander over to introduce myself.

Turns out the defender belongs to Christian and his Girlfriend both from Norway, they were travelling towards Bishkek and like me did not know about the launch when they planned this route.We are all invited to have lunch in the shade of his super cool Defender, Steve sets up a live stream of the commentary from mission control and it could not be more perfect.
I message Alex, the french guy, where are you…..Turns out he is here, the taxi driver dropped him off 4Km from town and said “here is good!” I tell him to try and get over to us and send him a picture! A little while later we see a lone figure walking across the plains like Lawrence of Arabia, the ever resourceful Alex has hitched a lift.
We all sit together this chaotic mix of Europeans speaking English with a splash of french, all excited!Well all except this Kazakhstan guy who I guess has seen it all before and is more interested in chasing a hare just before launch.

We know exactly where to look as the last 30 minutes approaches. The 4G signal strength is very weak here, I am amazed we pick up any signal at all, Steve tries a few things but eventually the live stream is a distraction and he gives up.

We look towards the launch site and in perfect silence the rocket lifts off, unlike the above picture we are further away, see a bright ball of light even in the bright sunshine, the ship arcs to our right as it climbs and very quickly is just a small dot in the sky, it takes two minutes for the sound to arrive by which time the rocket is high above us, there is a shift in the shape as I assume the second stage kicks in and the ship disappears from our view….

….OK so it was not until I arrived in the next town 3 hours later that I discovered the launch was aborted at that point, for me it does not matter, this was in itself a historic moment, only the 3rd time in over 40 years a Russian ship has failed to get into Orbit and I was there!

From Space.com

A Russian Soyuz rocket carrying a new U.S.-Russian crew to the International Space Station failed during its ascent Thursday (Oct. 11), sending its crew capsule falling back toward Earth in a ballistic re-entry, NASA officials said.

A search-and-rescue team has reached the landing site, both crewmembers are in good condition and have left the Soyuz capsule as of 6:10 a.m. EDT, NASA spokesperson Brandi Dean said during live television commentary. Russian space agency Roscosmos has released photographs of both astronauts being checked over after their abrupt landing.

they look pretty relaxed, very Russian with a CRT screen on the table, is it even plugged in?

Of course at this point I was oblivious, we all were, if only that live stream had stayed up, I ride back to the road and head northwest again. 

Two Brits in one day

My routine these days is to start early with a full tank and finish early, fuel up for the next day and and have some time to relax in the evening, that way I miss the worst of the morning traffic and with winter approaching don’t risk travelling in the dark…so far this is working well.

As I approach the fuel station that afternoon I am passing a Mitsubishi camper and hang on is that a UK number plate…..the first I have seen since I left the UK in May…..my god this person is a long way from home overland. The van in moving and I beep my horn and circle back.
I say hello to a guy called Lee he is from Luton and we have a brief chat in the middle of the road before I fill up, he says he likes to wild camp but will follow me to my hostel. On arrival he likes the look of the place decides to stay for one night and I unpack. We have a really great evening together, one of those people I really click with, Lee has Muscular Dystrophy, incredibly this has not stopped him traveling the world solo, such a strength of character to do this with his challenges, always laughing I am inspired by this guy (again)…..funny how the days work out, funny how random life is eh! We get very drunk, hang on a minute is she sitting on his lap!So how is solo travel for me, well its a funny mixture really, with my bike issues there is a massive insecurity, I am constantly listening, hoping Irene will start after a stop, maybe after some more Kilometers this will fade but we are nowhere near that yet. But I love the total freedom.Another big distance to travel today, in total 1656Km since I left Almaty.

I say my goodbyes to our hosts and set off early, Lee is going to hang around today, stay another night and get some long overdue washing done, Hmmmm 

As I head out away from the town there is hardly anyone on the road, as the sun comes up its quite beautiful…I stop in the middle of nowhere, capture this moment,  stopping the engine there is absolute silence, the vastness, emptiness just incredible, the plains stretching to the horizon in all directions. 

After taking some pictures Irene starts fine and we are off again..620 km to travel today up to Aktobe, a long day but an uneventful one, I stop briefly for some food and then off again, getting into a nice rhythm, this great little bike keeps going and going….I arrive late afternoon in Aktobe, unload the bike with the help of a kind security guard, he shows me where to go, helps me with my luggage just makes things easy for me. I am right in the city and there is no parking onsite so no choice but to  move Irene to a secure car park around the corner, not great but I can see my bike from my 4th floor room.nothing much to inspire me here so a classic wholesome meal a beer and to bed.

Well that was the plan, the night had been interesting due to a nite club that started at 3am and shook the foundations of the room until 7am….just in time for breakfast.

Before I leave I check the bike oil level, bit low but at least I get rid of the big oil can I put even more layers on today, got my trousers on under my Klim trousers so that’s layers 3 downstairs and 6 on top! I am so hot in the Hotel its uncomfortable, I cannot wait to leave…but not before I have a picture with my man from security he asks for nothing but I tip him anyway…

I make my way out of the city and after 20Km on its a different story, as the altitude increases back on the open plains I am so cold, the coldest I have been on the entire trip, my hands are the worst, dam I should have thought about the broken Klim gloves and tried to fix them last night, I was up for most of it anyway….Grrr
The next cafe is at 100Km and there is just nothing in between, I do all sorts of daft mental challenges to make it bearable, its not I can’t feel anything in my fingers, my left hand the worst I can hardly pull the clutch in….finally I get to the cafe and I am in agony, as you enter the warm the pain actually gets worse, I stand there breathing heavily hands under my armpits, its a good 5 minutes before my hands will even move in the gloves,  stood there I must have looked such a sight to these tough Kazakh truck drivers, motorcyclists are so rare here and it’s not often when one stands motionless in the middle of a road cafe while your have your having breakfast….what a tart!

Finally my fingers move, enough to take my gloves off then a few minutes later my Helmet….I slowly come back to life and order a coffee, just sit with the hot drink until the pain goes away.

My brian reboots. right lets sort this out once and for all, back outside I unpack the bike enough to get the Klim gloves out from the bottom of my luggage, back in the cafe, knife out the surgery begins an hour later I have removed the defective Gortex liner and can now get my hands in..and a spare pair of thermal gloves fit nicely inside,…another coffee some hot food and I am off. Man what a difference, OK the day has warmed up a little but my hands are toasty and stay warm all day, I start to enjoy the ride again, the speed creeps up a little.…the route across the steppe and the landscape is still the same, a grey ribbon of tarmac forever heading towards the flat horizon but the roads are OK and Irene feels great, I am warm, comfortable on track for my transit visa, things are on the whole very OK.

As so often happens on this trip just when your on a high, waving at policemen, them waving back, feeling the spirit of the adventure, the freedom, when you least expect it something comes along to challenge you, to bring you crashing back to reality,  the fuel light and the oil light come on almost at the same time…must be an electrical glitch I think, giving the lights a bash, sure enough the red light oil light goes out, but then a few kilometers down the road it comes on again……No,  I stop in a bus lay-by, stop the engine and jump off the bike!

I am fully expecting to see a pool of oil from somewhere kicking myself for being a pratt and leaving the filler cap off or something, but nothing, well nothing obvious anyway. OK next lets  check the oil level then, now as is common on many bikes there is no dip stick to check the oil level but a sight glass with an upper and lower level when the bike is upright, the oil level should be towards the top of these two lines. NOTHING!!! I start to lean Irene over further and further, still nothing, oh crap this is not good!just as I am about to start filling her up the two guys in the Police car I had passed earlier pull over, they have noticed the unusual number plate and really just stopped to see if I am OK, they ask if I need any help and I say “no its fine” as a distraction “lets have a picture”, as they disappear down the road I think well that was smart Dave what if you can go no further.

Using some cardboard to make a funnel and in goes the oil, and more and more and more, 1 litre has gone in now and fresh looking oil appears on the sight glass, this bike has a total capacity of 1.7 litres so over half has literally disappeared since this morning some 500 km ago.

I start Irene, the red light goes straight out and stays out, with the engine running I quickly pack my bags, on with the crash helmet, jump on and we are off, at a reduced speed sure but Irene feels sweet, smooth and powerful, no smoke it just does not make any sense.

I keep my speed down to just 80 km/ph but I am so intent on watching the oil lamp and thinking about the issue that I don’t really notice, I find the Hotel easy enough and very nice it is too…(and super cheap)…after unloading the bike, a shower and nice meal I check the oil again, empty again after just 100km….surly not, she starts easy enough and sounds OK. I put my hand on the exhaust gases and my hand is slightly black and greasy …is this just because the bike is cold….I will check tomorrow but I think I now know where the problem is…I could honestly cry, its not a case of if the engine fails its when I think!

Overnight is a little sleepless, but a plan starts to emerge, the first stage is to see if I can get to the Russian boarder, I have to make use of that transit visa or things start to get more complicated. I send out messages to fellow travelers, only Bob from Almaty replies, almost  instantly, we are in different time zones now so it’s the early hours of the morning for him, but he gets out of bed to talk with me, he tells me of a contact in Russia that might be able to help, but it’s good to just talk, to run ideas past someone, very publically I thank you Bob, you are a true friend

All I can do now is brake my trip down into chunks, no safety net, (well I knew that),  little mini projects, it’s going to be an interesting few days, anyone know a good Project Manager?

No interest in breakfast… are you kidding me?

Those of you who know me will know I like my breakfasts, know that I often get up earlier than the agreed time so I can enjoy mine in peace, not be rushed. Of all the days to have an amazing full buffet breakfast then on a day when I have no appetite, there is the cloud of my bike situation hanging over me..just fruit and Muesli and toast and two cups of coffee then…ashamed! 

I pull away from the hotel not knowing what to expect, but I am organised fuel in all the tanks, it takes 0.5 litres of oil to get me back to full so not exactly empty, I spend most of my remaining Kazakhstan money on synthetic Oil and we are off. The kilometres go by slowly at the reduced pace today, I need to assess if I can control the amount of oil being burned so its a 90 km/hr limit with me sitting around 80 Km/hr most of the time, the road is quite good, lots of construction going on, I keep an eye on the oil lamp but start to relax a little as the kilometers go by.I am amazed by why all these large black birds hang around the road ahead of me, there are thousands of them, something is attracting them, insects maybe, as you ride towards them they fly off circle around and land behind you, this goes on for several kilometers, I would have liked to investigate why, set up my GoPro, it’s an incredible site but I have other priorities today.I make it to the border, just 115 km from Oral, and this border one of the easier ones, I am through both border controls in under an hour, I am still in the customs union so they don’t care about Irene, just check me, my luggage, passport and transit visa and I am through, the border guard says “don’t stop for 5 km” I nod and I am off.

That is just under 3000 km under my belt since I left the comfort of Almaty and I am back in Russia for the 3^rd time on this trip, Kazakhstan that was one heck of an adventure, I have no idea what lies ahead in Russia but there something about the Russians, they make stuff happen, with some 2500 Km to Tbilisi all I can do now is take this day by day,  keep heading west.

I really liked Kazakhstan, as I look at a map of the world now it’s not much smaller than Australia with just 18 million people, most of them in the cities, I could have explored so much more of this country had we not spent so much time in Almaty with the bikes, but this is what happens when you squeeze 5 years riding into 6 months, stuff breaks, boots, gloves, rucksacks, airbeds and now Irene, incredibly in spite of Husqvarna’s best attempts this old fart is still heading west baby!

Out comes the green highlight pen, next stop Satatov