John & Mick's BIG AdventureKaraganda to Lake Balqash
Day 24 – 672 kms (9068 kms total)
Fair weather today though a bit chilly to start. We left Karaganda through centre of town at 7am on a Monday. Roads are almost empty – a bizarre experience in such a large city. South of the town the landscape soon improved as distant hills came into view and we rose to slightly higher ground.
The hilly terrain didn’t last and we spent most of the day on a plateau with the wind incessantly at our right hand side, whether we were heading south or for a brief time, east.
We continued south to Balqash, which sits on the shore of Lake Balqash. We hoped from here to enjoy a waterside view as we rounded this crescent shaped water, but, apart from a few glimpses at occasional moments, the 300 km trip was spent far from the shore.
The only accommodation we saw was at Balqash and Saryshagan, but it was way too early to stop. Two police checkpoints around Shyghanaq pulled us over but just for a chat, a photo opportunity and a look at the bikes. We have had so many people posing for photos, with us, taking pictures of us as they overtake, or even videoing us riding – we must be the most pictured people in Kaz. At the second, the policeman asked if we had a “gift” for him. I offered him the flashing cigarette lighter we bought in Aqtobe. He said he didn’t smoke, but accepted it anyway.
We asked for hotel and were pointed at the shack across the street or to carry on 20kms where a big hotel was, with sauna, showers & restaurant. It sounded like a plan and 25 kms later around 6pm, just south of Burylbaytal we saw the only building that came close to looking likely.
Rooms they did have and we paid our 1400 Tenge and carried in our bags. Then found the restaurant is shut, the shower doesn’t exist and the sauna is off. However, the beds are comfier than last night, so we can eat our supplies of stale bread, cheese spread, smoked chicken pieces and apple in seated comfort.
All along the coast road of Lake Balqash, there are people selling sun-fried fish. The kept trying to sell them to us but they looked most unsavoury and in any case, they were as big as sturgeons! How they expected us to get them on the bike is anyone’s guess. We could have lived on one of them for the rest of the trip. They also stunk to high heaven!
It’s been hot and WINDY all day!
324 km to Almaty!!
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