Bondi to the Baltic by John McCombe

Author:John McCombe
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wild Dingo Press
Published: 2020-03-16T05:46:16+00:00

7

Kyrgyzstan retraced

We had opted for the long way into Uzbekistan, driving from Bishkek in the north of Kyrgyzstan to Osh in the south, and through the border from Osh into the Fergana Valley. The shortest route from Bishkek to the Uzbek capital of Tashkent would have meant re-entering Kazakhstan to the Kazak cities of Taraz and Shymkent to the west, and then south into Uzbekistan. But Kyrgyzstan had become a favourite after the experience of the previous year, and what’s an extra couple of days? Besides, once out of Kazakhstan, why push your luck?

The cars rolled out of Bishkek’s cosy little Asia Mountain Hotel in late May, not quite Spring, heading south into snow-covered, storm-clouded mountains, and no certain accommodation options. There was a brief hiccup in outer city traffic when the Dodge stopped. Out of fuel? Ian was quick to find a blockage and get the fuel pump working again, with plenty of suggestions from the usual curious local crowd.

The convoy stopped on the climbing road a few times for the vintage car drivers to put on more layers of warm clothing as more snow appeared on the nearing peaks. The wind whipped against and through the curtains on the Dodge and Whippet, while inside the Toyota it was warm and dry. Occasionally the cars slowed to weave through mobs of horses with foals, cattle, sheep and goats being driven to the mountain pastures that would emerge from the melting snow. Bill had tried yet another solution to the Whippet’s fuel problems by installing a fuel regulator. But Stan still wasn’t pulling properly, keeping the other cars to a laboured pace, and was using a lot of fuel.

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