August 7-8 We had a restorative breakfast after "sleeping" on the bus last night. Good eggs, sausage, and toast plus wonderful coffee, then finding the eclectic Hotel Barnaul to stay for a much needed hotel night before setting out north along what we hope are better...
Last night was a big lightening storm and sunset over the steppe was actually very pretty. A few of us discovered that our tents aren't waterproof, like Pietro, who described his night of swimming when we all joined up for coffee this morning. The rain has continued, as...
We spent a nice night camping at ye another scenic landfill, waking early to continue onward to Semey. Finding suitable campsites is yet another of Sarita's jobs, and she has a knack for finding the right combination of elements we need for wild camping with...
Almaty traffic jams After days of desolate desert roads, the massive traffic jams of the city took us quite by surprise. Sarita was unfazed, having survives Abu Dhabi traffic, but for the rest of us, the lack of rules, painted lines, and the Will-named "hornstorms" cacophony. It...
I'm still lazy and not taking pictures from the fancy camera off of it, but here are a few from the phone. Kaz roads, random chickens, and other things you do to entertain 9 people on one bus driving thousands of miles together. Border guards,...
August 3 return to Kazakhstan We got up early to do some video work, with the girls making sand angels and also sport some mustaches for a fun segment. Sarita is so organized, and has the cheerful temperament of a Parris Island drill sergeant when needed. We...
Issy-Kul is cool! The temps dropped dramatically after we began climbing toward the alpine lake. Our first view of the sparkling water bolstered our spirits considerably. We spent a leisurely afternoon near the town of Tamchy in a wide open area facing the lake. Everyone went for...
August 1st: caught speeding (finally) About 9am a cop motioned us over asked for our documents, then directed Don to follow him back to the car. I bounded out alongside, to find a man in a dirty shirt and loafers with a full gold grill sitting...
Leaving Kyzlorda for Shymkent July 31st Amazing how much better we all feel after a half night of good sleep and a shower! Plus we had some real coffee this am in the odd little bar of the hotel Nomad Palace. It is about 45C now, and...
July 30 If I could photograph this searing heat, it would look like flames. It burns your eyeballs just to open them, and the hot wind blows without break. Parching and endless is this stretch of desert between Aralsk and Kyzlorda. We saw three horses, two standing...