Day 38. Tuesday June 28

  Ayagoz to Taskesken Bush Camp 23.

Distance:  99 km

Cumulative Distance: 4100 km

Time: 4 hrs 44 min

Speed:  20.9 km/hr

Feet Climbed today: 1200

Cumulative Climb: 82,443  ft 

AHR (Average Heart Rate) 96 bpm

Punctures so far: 2.     

Altitude tonight:  ft

Nice cool calm night in Ayagoz last night and a good sleep. A day of wind was forecast but the bones made no prediction except ’keep your fingers crossed’.

Just out of camp came Ayagoz itself. I thought it just consisted of the clutter of houses we could see from camp. Much bigger than that.

First a few of us stopped at the cemeteries just before town. The first was the Russian Orthodox one with graves enclosed by railings. Christianity (mainly Russian Orthodox) claims about quarter of the population but the government stresses its tradition of religious tolerance.

The vast Muslim came next with its brick enclosures around graves. Here and in other ones I saw, all seemed new, no old graves. The brickwork looked superior to the work evident in houses. Family and respect for elders remain very important for Kazakhs.

Within a few kilometres we came to the town proper where we turned right for Almaty. What I suspected to be industrial buildings were in fact a vast military base. These blocks and compounds lined both sides of the road for a kilometre or more. But not much activity at this unearthly hour of 5.30 am.

It was paved road all the way today, good in places,series of mighty potholes in others and deep longitudinal ruts in others. But the repair gang was out on duty and all will be smooth as glass in no time at all.

Traffic was heavier today mostly with trucks going in both directions. A truck coming in the distance was seen to weaving to the left and right trying to avoid the breaks in pavement. Meanwhile I was performing the same dodging procedure.

Scenery today was more varied than the last couple of days. More hills to break the steppe monotony and more colour. No long stretches of road but still any slight bend in the road is signposted well in advance.

The sides of the road were lined with this yellow sweet smelling weed together with giant thistles.

The wind we expected never came. Light airflow was there mostly from the side or slightly behind. Beautiful. Some looked at means I careered along as if to say that the wind will start in a minute. Around noon (I had arrived in camp at 10.30) wind picked up but nothing it could do to us now. Nearly everyone was in at that stage.

At a petrol station just before camp near a junction, two gentlemen came over enquiring where I was heading etc. They were most helpful giving me directions....to the left for Taskesken (6 km) and to the right for Almaty. And all without a word of language. Traditions of hospitality to the traveller is quite evident. Yesterday evening while Mike (NZ) were stopped having a snack on the side of the road, a car stops and out jump a young and old man over to shake our hands. Then called out the wife and granny and children and grandchildren to gather around us for a photo. Job done, more shaking of hands, back into the car and off. “What was that all about”, says Mike.

The Kazakhs as a people have been in this area for centuries but the boundaries of present-day Kazakhstan were an invention of the Soviet regime in the 1920s. These borders excluded some Kazakh people's and included some non-Kazakhs. There are many Kazakhs in the western provinces of Mongolia and even Kazakhs agree that their culture is purer there than in Kazakhstan itself.

Our campsite was just 3 km further on just off the side of the road....a real bush camp. My selected site was in the trees (hoping for a bit of shade) and soon had the appearance of a home.

An easy day of cycling and delighted that we cheated the forecast wind. All set now to reach our next Rest Day tomorrow afternoon.

Thank God for the health and thank God for the energy.