Day: April 14, 2006

An early morning departure at 7H20.

His face is still serious and yes, as someone pointed out in a message, people would like to see a few photos of Serge smiling; however, he is still bothered by intestinal pain, which forced him to stop frequently and that took away his smile.  He is drinking more to prevent dehydration, especially since it was another hot day with a temperature of 35 degrees Celsius in the shade.

After crossing the city of Kattaqorghan at kilometre 41, Serge took route 46, which ran south of the main road.  At a fork where the two roads met a sign indicated that Samarkand was 65 kilometers away.  So tomorrow we will go through the jewel of Central Asia.

This small road is heavily travelled and is hilly like a roller coaster.  Serge is not surfing on waves but on a ribbon of asphalt, as he likes to call it.

Two large canals cross the city of Kattaqorghan and from these waterways there are a multitude of smaller canals which ensure the irrigation of all the crops that surround us.  It seems that in many small villages, men got to work in Russia because unemployment, which is not recorded in the country, seems to be a real scourge.  It must be the reason why in the early morning we see women and elderly men working in the fields.  All the fertile land is planted and there is no room for green pastures for cattle.  Therefore, cows are tied to a stake and graze on the grass of the banks at the roadside.

Serge, who is ever obstinate, is achieving his daily objective of 76 kilometres in order to reach the Irkestam Pass (the col situated at the border between Kirghistan and China).