la tàªte dans le ciel
camion surchargé
notre guide : Bakyt et notre chauffeur : Shafhat
montée du col, des yaks en arrière plan
virages serrés
arrivée en haut du col
pause photo et interview
Ça descend
proche des sommets
yourte
dernier village avant la frontière
coucou
on admire le panorama
infiniment grand
que du bonheur
D130 – 70.4Km
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26
N39 52.415 E73 21.857 (2474m) – N39 39.497 E73 35.354 (3443m)
70.4 km – 12H11′
This morning the road climbed very gently. Shafhat, the driver, was able to run 8 kilometers, matching Serge’s rhythm. Then things got serious: Serge reached the Taldik pass, at the 21st kilometer. Till the end of the stage, he was never below an altitude of 3000 meters.
The anecdotes of the day:
For the camper, it became real sport. The slope was steep, the hairpin curves and sheer banks dangerous, especially because the road was made of gravel, stones and sand. In the midst of the climb the camper was balanced on 3 wheels. It took a passing truck to get us out of the predicament.
To get a closer look at the marmots, Serge went down the twisting path. He couldn’t get back up on the road and fell flat. Jean-Marc threw him a rope to hoist him up.
What a relief, we reached the summit of the pass and thought that the most difficult part was over. It wasn’t. After the village of Sary-Tash, the trail deteriorated little by little until it was only snow-covered passages and deep ruts The only thing to do was to go on. We held our breaths, said a prayer and got past. It took us one hour to drive 12 kilometers, at which point the camper became stubborn at a snow-edged passage. After three unsuccessful tries we had to give in and tow once more. Many thanks to the Kirghiz tuckers for their help. The result: an hour spent and four soaked feet.
It was 20H00 when the vehicles finally found a small place to stop. Night was falling and Serge arrived at the same time we did. He was frozen and completely worn out because the road and the ruts were equally uncomfortable for someone on foot.
It was a tough but beautiful day, in an immaculate site with a 3D panoramic view. Even the marmots were beautiuful in their flame colored fur.
At 22H00 everyone was in bed after a meal of bouillon with angel hair pasta, enhanced by sausages and meat. We realized how lucky we were to have arrived without more damage.
We are still lost in these mountains but we will continue our route in the direction of the border. Will we be in China tomorrow? Watch this space…