Thursday August 1

After our few too many hours of rest in Kyzylorda yesterday morning, we had a very long way to go to reach the Kyrgyzstan border. We’ve had enough of the desert and have our hearts set on reaching the beautiful Lake Issyk-Kul up in the Tian Shan Mountains.

The fabulous 4 lane paved roads we’d finally found reverted back to the 2 lane remedial dirt, and the further south we headed the more crowded they became. We passed families splashing around in the rivers, construction workers hard at it in the stifling heat, and cattle patrolling the newly paved but unopened roads.

By sunset, the dirt rising up from the road had mixed with the low level fog that had settled in the farm fields, and the sun had that orangey gold glow as it set in the distance behind us.

We passed through the outskirts of Shymkent around 10:30pm. There was a pervasive and overwhelming smell of burning plastic mixed in with the dirt. The streets were full of more cars and people than we’d seen in quite some time. We rolled right past the car dealerships, billboards, mosques, and roadside cafes to continue on to the serenity we craved.

I woke around midnight to a wonderful cool crisp breeze wafting through the bus as we drove through some low rolling smokey hills. A golden orange crescent moon was on the rise to my right, and the Big Dipper brightly shined down on my left. Roadside apple stands, swaged with loosely strung bare bulbs across their tops, dotted the landscape. Each stand seemed to have either a young boy or an old woman sitting not too far away, waiting for someone to stop on this quiet stretch of road so late at night. I savored the moment as long as I could before drifting back off to sleep.

Early the next morning I woke to Stefano’s camera shutter snapping away. I imagined all the cool photos he was taking, but I could not crack my eyes open long enough to look, much less grab my camera for some of my own.

We arrived at the Kazakhstan border around 10:30am. No shakedown or drug sniffing dogs this time, thankfully, just your average confusion as they were unorganized and non-communicative.

Aaaah…Kyrgyzstan!
I say hello to the official behind the window as I hand him my passport. He looks right at me and asks me how I am (WOW – English!!) When I say “wonderful” he looks at me with surprise and delight, leans back in his chair and flashes me a huge grin and a hearty belly laugh! (Now THAT is a welcome!)

While we wait for the bus to be cleared, the belly laughing guard has come outside to meet us all and Pietro is showing him how to tie some knots. Meanwhile, one of the customs agents has come over to us girls and is doing his best to flirt with us, telling us all how bee-oo-ti-ful & charming we are! He wants to know which ones of us are not married and sarah does her best to make a love connection for him, to no avail. (I later read in the guidebook that kidnapping of fair maidens for brides is still common here – Yikes!!)

The guards are all busy signing the bus, and are extremely jealous when we tell them we are heading to Issyk-Kul, (an 8 hour drive away) as they want to come with us! After I’ve changed money and checked out the lunch options at the myriad of tents outside the official border control area, I head back to the bus to find that our flirty customs agent is on board. Sarah say’s he’s left his post, via car, to come have photos with us! No photos outside as he is still “on duty”! Before leaving, he asks for a photo with just me, and then gives me his phone number and puts his hand to his head with the sign for me to call him – yeah, will do, right away! We are just across the border, but are already in love with this country – this has definitely been our best & most entertaining border crossing experience yet.