After 11 months of only one pair of shoes we finally cracked and splashed out big time on a new pair each.Mine are particularly delightful ,and Jon’s are particularly big [try before you buy !].They cost 100 roubles from a small market stall in Aktash…another small Russian altai town where some of the men have been drinking too much vodka ever since they got up.! (another example of men being useless…Liz!)
Fun camping in the rain again! Jon is trying to get the world service on our wee radio so we can find out how the world cup is going. At least its too wet for mosquitoes,and jon keeps me amused doing his different engine noises…..various motorbikes and his latest obsession,the Kamaz truck,which is the only one I get right.
Perfect camping.High,dry and beautiful…….The Russian Altai above the confluence of 2 big rafting rivers….very popular with Russian paddlers.The area is also great for proper mountaineering [big 4000m snowy peaks ]and off-roading. Its big and wild and beautiful….another place worth revisiting. So much to do,so little time……!but we are trying hard!
Our guardian angels are still on the case…..this time in the human form of Rita and Ulrich, 2 swiss overlanders in their spiffy Toyota “Sir James “. At the obscure border between Russia and Mongolia [the one Ewan Macgregor and Charlie did ]we faced a fine [straefe ]for breaking “protocol” ,having failed to register properly ,despite our intensive efforts [another story in itself of wasted hours spent at a police station on 2 days !],and also we’d have to backtrack 50 kms to pay the fine,and then there was no way we could actually cycle across the no-mans land between the 2 borders [more discrimination against bicycles]. Anyway,luckily the computers went down with power failure ,and the official man [in the picture ]relented,smiled,and hurried us on our way.The bikes had to go on the roof ,and we all drove across to Mongolia.
YES.Look.We really are in MONGOLIA…….we are having a few reality problems…..
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