224, 334, 650 kilometri. De obicei, asta discutam inainte de fiecare etapa, cati kilometri avem de parcurs. Ei bine, de cateva zile discutam numai in altitudine, cat urcam, cat coboram, atat de tare ne-a afectat Pamir Highway. Cu toate ca a fost o aventura extraordinara, altitudinea mare ne sperie si mai ales da batai de cap masinilor, mai mult Suzuki-ului (e in calduri
). Oprim din 15 in 15 kilometri sa o adapam, Sandel inca rezista. Urmarim altimetrul mai mult decat fetele frumoase de pe strada
si masinile de pe contrasens.
Am intrat in Kirgistan ieri, prin cea mai prietenoasa vama de pana acuma, cu un “no man’s land” lung si infiorator de vreo 20 de kilometri, unde locuiau oameni, in niste conditii mizere (ma intreb oare ce nationalitate au kirgiza sau tajika).
Dar, sa revenim. Dupa toata extraordinara nebunie cu Pamirul, am ajuns pe asfaltul kirgiz, curcubeu pentru masini, nu e cel mai bun din lume, dar e cel mai bun de cateva mii de kilometri. Nu am intrat bine in Kirgistan, ca Ministerul Afacerilor Externe ne si trimite un SMS de avertizare de calatorie si indicatiile catre ambasada din Kazahstan
. Intram repede pe mae.ro si ceea ce citim ne face sa luam rapid decizia de a tranzita fulger tara, dar nu ne prea iasa, Suzuki se pune contra. Ei nu ii pasa ca exact pe traseul nostru activează grupuri extremist-teroriste, precum: Mişcarea Islamică a Uzbekistanului, Uniunea Jihadului Islamic, Al-Qaeda şi Mişcarea Islamică a Turkistanului de Est, sau ca exista incidente de violente asupra strainilor, sau ca acuma doi ani niste suparati protestau inarmati cu AK47. Pe strada am vazut un civil cu un pistol la brau, iar intr-o alimentara din Tajikistan, vanzatorul isi tinea pistolul pe raftul de ciocolata.
Dar nu ne mai speriem, suntem aici si o luam zi cu zi. Nu prea am interactionat cu localnicii, dar, cei cu care am facut-o au fost calzi si primitori.
De la Sary-tash, orasul de granita, unde am dormit pe o placa de lemn cu o patura, pe post de saltea, si pana la Osh, un oras mai mare, am intalnit pe drum foarte multe cirezi de vaci si herghelii de cai, pe strada; oamenii astia chiar iubesc caii si in secolul asta, inca ii folosesc pentru transport personal.
De o ora am ajuns la un hostel in Toktogul, unde avem paturi adevarate, o cina gustoasa si o gradina foarte frumoasa. Suntem in vecinatatea unui imens lac la fel de albastru ca smaraldul, caruia nu am apucat sa ii facem poze deoarece s-a intunecat, dar va asigur ca este impresionant. Maine dimineata la prima ora pornim catre Bishkek, unde vom incerca sa vindecam Suzuki-ul, dupa care ne vom indrepta spre Almaty, Kazahstan, sa incheiem si capitolul Kirgistan (sper sa reusim sa facem asta maine pe lumina).
Va urma… tineti aproape
Also, nu uitati sa donati. O suma cat de mica reprezinta o sansa imensa pentru famillile nevoiase din Sibiu. Ei au nevoie de noi! Sa ajutam Somaro sa ii ajute!!
224, 334, 650 kilometers. This is, usually, our topic, the number of kilometers we have to drive. Well, for a few days now, we don’t talk in kilometers, but in altitude, how much the road goes up, how much the road goes down, that’s what Pamir Highway did to us. Although it’s been an extraordinary adventure, the altitude scares us and it is causing troubles to our cars, especially the Suzuki (it’s on fire). We have to stop every 15 km to give it water, Săndel is still holding on. We are watching the altimeter more than the beautiful girls on the street and the cars coming the other way.
We entered Kirghizstan yesterday, through the most friendly customs point until now, with a long and scary “no man’s land”, of around 20 kilometers, where there were people living, in squalid conditions (I wonder if they were of kirghiz or tadjik nationality ).
But, back on the subject. After all the extraordinary madness that was the Pamir, we made it to the kirghiz tarmac surfaced roads, a true rainbow for the cars, not the best in the world, but definitely the best lately. As soon as we entered Kirghizstan, the External Affairs Minister of Romania texted us the travel warnings, with the advice to head to the Embassy in Kazahstan. We quickly went online, on mae.ro, and what we read there made us decide to transit the country as soon as possible, but the Suzuki car didn’t agree with us. It doesn’t really care that, on our way to Kazahstan, there are extremist groups with terrorist purposes, like: the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the Islamic Jihad Union, Al-Qaeda , or the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, or that the terrorists are violent with the tourists, or that, 2 years ago, they were madly protesting, armed with AK47s. I saw a civilian, on the street, with a handgun shoved in his waistband and, in a grocery store in Tadjikistan, the seller kept his handgun on the chocolate shelf. But we are no longer scared, we are here, living one day at a time. We didn’t really interact with the locals, but, the ones we did interact with were warm and welcoming.
From Sary-tash, the city near the border, where we slept on a hardboard covered with a blanket, as mattress, to Osh, a bigger city, where we met many herds of cows and horses, on the street, these people really love horses and, in this century, they use them for personal trasportation.
It’s been an hour since we made it to a hostel in Toktogul, where we have real beds, a very beautiful garden and we had a tasty dinner. We are near a huge emerald like lake, that I didn’t manage to take photos of because it’s already dark, but, be assured, it is impressing. We are leaving to Bishkek tomorrow morning, where we will try to heal the Suzuki, and then, head for Almaty, Kazahstan, so ending the Kirghizstan chapter (hopefully, before it gets dark).
To be continued… stay tuned
Also, remember to donate. An amount, as small as it is, represints a huge opportunity for the needy families in Sibiu! They need us! Let’s help Somaro help them!
