Mountain lakes, drinking vodka with locals, high passes, and curb side mechanics – we had it all in this episode
If you have been following along our journey you would know that we had particularly bad luck in Kyrgyzstan. We were plagued with mechanical issues from numerous flat tyres to breaking down in the mountains with a burned-out clutch.
But all that misfortune comes to an end in this episode. It does start with a small accident, but from there we finally get to experience the Kyrgyzstan that we have been hoping for ever since we started this trip. We head up to Son Kul, a mountain lake situated over 3000 metres high, where we stay at a yurt camp and nurse the injuries, we got from the accident with some local Kyrgy vodka. Staying in these yurts is not to be missed – a warm reprieve from the cold conditions riding at this altitude brings.
We then head Southwest, aiming for Osh the 2nd biggest city in the country. Although along the way we are waved down by some locals who just want some photos with us. We spend a good 30 minutes chatting with them before they whip out the vodka and start doing shots on the side of the road – this is obviously NOT condoned when riding motorcycles – however we felt it rude to say no, so we had a single shot and went on with our day.
One of the amazing things about Central Asia is that you can pretty much wild camp anywhere as long as you aren’t in someone’s back yard. After a rainy day of riding our Suzuki DR650s we stumbled upon an abandon house which we used as a shelter from the weather. Setting up our tents under the cover of one of the remaining roofs.
The next day we make our way to Osh where we give our bikes some much needed TLC. We stayed at Osh guesthouse where they gave us a little space to use as a garage. This is a very real part of overlanding – Bike maintenance! We put on new front tyres, replaced the chains and sprockets, put some gasket sealant on the clutch cover, fabricated a new screen out of a plastic dust bin, and also regreased the steering head bearings. And the bike felt like a new bike! Treat the bike well and it will treat you well.
Finally we make our way to Lenin Peak, just outside of Sary Mogul. This was a highlight of the trip for us. Stunning scenery, a reprieve from the mechanical issues we had been suffering the weeks prior. We climbed to the base camp of Lenin Peak and negotiated to camp outside of a local’s yurt and paid them to cook us some dinner and breakfast. The next morning we trekked up to what is called the Onion Farm, about 4000 metres in altitude but still dwarfed by Lenin peak which sits over 7000 metres. We got some great drone footage and then headed to the border of Tajikistan.
Kyrgyzstan is a country we will never forget. We took the bad with the good, but when it was good… it was really really good. We will be back!
DR650 Windscreen from plastic bin - [ Ссылка ]
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In 2018 we set off from Australia on our Suzuki DR650 motorcycles riding overland to England. We hope to travel to remote areas riding dirt roads whilst camping and meeting local people along the adventure.
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