Hospital camp at Toktogul

Monday, November 11, 2019, it's time to say goodbye to Talrat and his family. After breakfast, we quickly pack our belongings and head to the city. We are still looking for an adapter for our LPG tank and Talrat gave us a tip. When we arrive at the recommended special workshop, an employee takes a quick look and dismisses us. There is no suitable part available for the system here either. Then we drive west after a small shopping. It is already early afternoon and we find ourselves in heavy traffic. We make slow progress. Since we don't know what road conditions await us on the pass to the south, we don't want to drive into the high mountains in the dark and decide to set up a camp a little south of Sosnovka, at the foot of the mountains. After setting up the tents, we have a coffee and a small dinner. Then it's time to get under the covers, as the cold descends from the mountains with darkness.

On Tuesday morning, around eight o'clock, the Dicke wakes me up. My four-legged companion is about to vomit in the tent and this time I'm not quick enough to throw him out. So my day starts with cleaning. It's still freezing outside and warming sun rays can only be seen in the distance in the mountains. So I lie down for another two hours. During a late breakfast, the sun also reaches our campsite and we can pack our stuff dry. After everything is packed into Schrotti's trunk, we gather some plastic bottles that are scattered around our parking lot. Then we drive our Moskvich up the mountain pass. The road conditions are unproblematic except for the pass, which reaches an altitude of about 3,200 meters, and can be managed by us on summer tires. We don't need the newly acquired snow chains. After passing through the Kuseyna Kolbajeva Tunnel, we take a short break, dispose of our good deed, and refill our drinking water reserves. On the way to the high valley, we buy a bag of Kurut and 2 bottles of Kumys (fermented mare's milk). In the high valley, we refuel and take a coffee break before tackling the next mountain pass. Schrotti does a great job again and the road conditions here don't worry us either, although the surrounding landscape is already covered in snow. As we roll downward towards Lake Toktogul, it slowly gets dark and we reach the lake in the darkness. The interior of our Russian car cooled noticeably again on the last kilometers, the connection of the heating to the cooling water circuit does not yet bear fruit and we are slightly frozen. After setting up our camp right on the lakeshore, we have a small dinner and some Kumys. In terms of relationship, I will certainly not become a Kirgiz, as the drink does not taste particularly good. Then it's time to get into the warming sleeping bag.

On Wednesday morning (November 13, 2019), we can have breakfast in glorious sunshine. Then we take down our tents and head to Toktogul. On the pass the day before, I noticed that one of our cardan shafts can only transmit power to the left front wheel with three out of the original six screws. Since the old screws broke, unfortunately I can't just screw new ones in. We need help. This time we are lucky at the first workshop we go to and a car mechanic takes care of the matter. After the minor repair, we go to the local bazaar and buy some groceries. Then we return to the lake, set up our tents again, and our small yurt finds a place too. After having a coffee, I work on a travel report again and chop some firewood. The evening ends around the fire under the tarpaulin.

We spend the next three days at Lake Toktogul. Both of us have caught a minor stomach and intestinal infection, presumably due to consuming the Kumys. With fermented mare's milk filled in used plastic bottles, nothing else could be expected. Marcus got hit a little harder, but I also spent a night close to the vomit limit and relieved my digestive tract by feeling completely emptied. In addition, we caught a cold which we probably owe to our cold car. Nevertheless, during this time I can solve our heating problem (it was just a lever on the fittings), bake bread, and complete some travel reports.

On Saturday, November 16, 2019, we feel sufficiently recovered to dare a short swim in the lake. The sun is shining, the water is crystal clear and far less cold than feared. The experience has been really good. We spend the evening again by the fire in our yurt and make plans for the next days.