Stage 103: From Osh to Jalal-Abad

Our tour started towards the north in bright sunshine. Aman made fun of me for needing sunscreen. At our first break, we tried a drink that I don't necessarily need again: Kumys, fermented mare's milk, with unidentified black pieces in it (spices?). The drink was described as yogurt with beer, which is quite accurate. We shared a whole liter of it, and interestingly enough, I seemed to tolerate it better than Aman. Still, I don't need it again! Our next break was in Uzgen, where we actually saw some tourists (and a party bus). In Kyrgyzstan, you share the road with herds of sheep, cows, and horses, which is always amusing, but you shouldn't be in a hurry. In the late afternoon, we arrived in Jalal-Abad, but we didn't want to stay here yet, we preferred to camp a bit further north. Jalal-Abad, however, was our contact point to get information about the road conditions. Many passes in Kyrgyzstan are closed until summer because no one wants to clear the roads. Between Jalal-Abad and Kazarman, there is an old road and a new road that Google doesn't know yet. After asking four people about the roads, we received five different opinions. From 'closed because of snow' to 'only closed for trucks' to 'both roads are definitely passable', everything was included. So, we decided to continue north for now and ask the locals who live near the pass. After all, they should know. We pitched our tents near a field and, of course, we were noticed. But it seemed that no one minded us, and luckily, we were left alone. We cooked again in the evening, and tea was a must, of course.