Jalal-Abad and the Northwest
Days 80, 81 and 82, 14150 km
Day 80 - We're back on our bikes! It's quite hot here in Kyrgyzstan, hot and humid. We anticipated some discomfort, but the 37 degrees in Osh, combined with the humidity, makes riding a real challenge. Simply put, we feel like we're boiling. It was definitely warm in Afghanistan, but it was dry. Here, we find ourselves soaked under our gear in just about five minutes. But that's how it is; we seem ready to endure. In addition to the heat, we're also battling a painful knee, backaches, a nearly broken foot, and food poisoning. All the fun of long distance motorcycling. Not to mention sleep deprivation. Talking to other we’re in good company, much better off still than the poor souls who had to quit due to broken arms, legs, and other injuries. So we press on despite the heat and finally arrive in Arslanbob, our first stop of the afternoon. It feels like we're somewhere in the French Ardeche, surrounded by walnut trees, making us question if we're really in Central Asia. We discover a fantastic campsite with a view of the lush hills and decide to call it a day.
Day 81 - I haven't felt it since we first started discussing the idea. But that's how it goes. We decided to tackle this mountain pass that should lead us to the beautiful Toktogul Reservoir. The only issue is that we lack route descriptions, just a faint line on our paper map indicating a very narrow and steep path. It's more of a horseback trail than a proper pass. Not the type of route your do with a heavy adventure motorcycle. In any way, we decided to give it a try. We ride for two hours into the valley, which is absolutely breathtaking, all off-road, navigating rocky paths and numerous river crossings. A few small falls here and there, but nothing too serious kept us alert. When we started climbing deep in the valley, it was too late for me to realize that the path was too steep, too rocky, and simply beyond my skill level. I fell twice on the steep climbs, unable to put my foot down when the bike stalled due to the incline. My head hit the rocks on the ground, but thankfully I was wearing a good helmet. Gion managed the climbs better and took over my bike in the sections that were too much for me. Until, that is, we noticed that my clutch was no longer functioning properly about halfway up. I engaged the gear, released the clutch, and... nothing. The clutch was burned out, and the bike wouldn't move anymore. A) We didn't make it to the top of the pass b) we had a heavy motor repair to tackle and c).. well, it just sucked and it was blood hot. I was not in good mood. Fortunately, the path was steep, and I had no trouble rolling back down to the end of the valley where we found a farmer and his family who allowed us to repair the bike on their property. We opened the motor, replaced the clutch plates, and reassembled everything. Luckily, when you lay these old bikes down, the oil flows to the other side, allowing you to fix the clutch without losing or changing the oil. 2 hours of work with the horses, cows and farmers kids keeping us company - and the bike was up and running again! By now, it was too late to leave, and the family invited us for dinner and allowed us to camp. We had a wonderful time experiencing Kyrgyz farming life up close.
Day 82 - We woke up to the sight of cows and horses all around us, with everyone already busy with their tasks. The kids closely followed their father, observing and learning at every turn. As we packed up the camp, we heated some water for our 3-in-1 morning coffee. By 9 am, after finishing our coffee, the family had already completed shoeing the horse and catching a sheep, while the riders prepared to lead the herd to the pastures with their horses and dogs. We opted to ride down the valley we have come up yesterday, deciding against attempting that pass again. We made an early stop in Jalal-Abad for coffee and lunch, and chose to spend the night there.
