Stage 125: From Almaty to Kenen

It was more difficult than expected to organize an affordable day tour in Almaty. That's why on June 10th I headed towards Bishkek to try my luck there. It should be my longest route so far. To exit Almaty, I always went west. On the side of the road, I treated myself to a bottle of delicious kvas. Later on, I always followed the main road, there was no other option anyway. Due to the heat, my water was running low and for long stretches, I saw nothing but desert. It wasn't until Targap, after almost 100 km, that I came across a kind of rest stop with a few kiosks. It was about time to at least replenish my water supplies! Later on, I got caught in a proper thunderstorm and got wet again. This time I left my phone in the waterproof bike bag, navigation was unnecessary anyway. After the rest days in Almaty, I was so motivated that I forgot about the time and the kilometers. It wasn't until Kenen that I bought some supplies at the market under the curious eyes of the villagers. With strong headwinds and in the twilight, I continued a little further to find a quiet sleeping spot. After a total of 168 kilometers for the day, I settled down at a small lake southwest of Kenen (Google doesn't know it, but it exists). While cooking, I could enjoy the sunset and later admire the stars.