We’ve given ourselves plenty of time to get up the KKH because we really didn’t know how long it would take. In fact we had to estimate/guess our exact entry date to China (the border is at the top of the KKH) ages ago when we were in Singapore in late Feb! So we are here a few days early and just sitting about relaxing which is nice. Day 1 wasn’t too good for Kate. She spent it either white as a sheet in bed or running back and forth to the toilet. It’s pretty much passed now but we do both feel a bit fragile and farting is a dangerous game! Apparently Kate never farts anyway but Will does his best to make up for her.
As well as the Austrian guy (Michael) we’ve also caught up with Danielle – A Kiwi girl riding the world solo. I say caught up because we’d found her blog before we left Australia and had e mailed her saying we were heading in the same direction. She’s been in India for ages and we never really thought we’d meet, but we have. She sure is a plucky lass!
She’s staying at a local guy’s villa.. Kayoom has spent time travelling and lived in Spain in the 70’s and is a really cool guy. His place is lovely, a real oasis of tranquillity. We’ve been sitting up there chatting, cooking pizza and pasta and chilling out. We had however forgotten what a bore washing up is! Another guy staying at the house is a Swedish cyclist now nick named "Hungry Man". His appetite is quite amazing, he had 3 serves of Kate's super stodgy tasteless pasta creamy window putty dinner. Incredible!
Also a mate of his who happens to be the local Minister for Tourism drops in now and then and we’ve been talking about ways to promote this fantastic region. We even took the bikes out for a little photo shoot to put on his website.
It is really not how we imagined our time up the KKH. We had thought it would be a bit hostile, rough & ready and hard work. It couldn’t be more the opposite. Will just had a haircut in town and the barber bought us drinks to say welcome to his country. The whole town is so friendly.
One thing that didn’t go to plan was the day when Michael first came round to see us. When he was leaving he discovered his back tyre was flat. His fully loaded bike was on its side stand so now very upright and unstable. He touched it and over it went falling into Will’s bike that then knocked Kate’s over. Oh how we laughed!
So in the next day or 2 we’ll head off north again. Our main challenge left on the KKH is the lake. Formed last year by a huge landslide, a 23km long lake now covers the road. Boats big enough for vehicles apparently now operate but... The locals on the northern side are blocking the jetty because they got diddled by the government on compensation payments. Also the weather has turned a bit iffy. They don't sail if it's windy or raining. The locals say that if no wind comes to blow the cloud away it will rain but if the wind comes they won't sail anyway. Answers on a postcard to "Is this the craziest road in the world? comp, 1 KKH, Pak".
For you map junkies, here is the route for the next few weeks (assuming we cross the lake);
From Gilgit up the KKH to the Khunjerab Pass into China going through Tashkurgan and Kashgar. Then the Torugart Pass into Kyrgyzstan then onto Bishkek. From there we’ll cross into Kazakstan, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, Belgium, France and finally UK.
The only niggle we have is the thread in Kate’s engine casing is stripped so we can’t get the oil filter cover to bolt down properly. This results in an oozing mess of shitty oil and dust down the bike that gets onto her foot. Also we have to do oil level checks twice a day. Boring. It’s fixable with a bit of surgery but not in the dusty hotel carpark and definitely not in any of the local mechanic shops.
We forgot to post these 2 pics up last time. The Fairy Meadow on KKH sadly did not have an Italian deli/greengrocers. It did however have something in common with the Fairy Meadow north of Wollongong in that we saw no fairies or meadows anywhere near it! The other pic is of a few local chaps giving the DR a good looking over.
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