This week’s on this day post comes from the 7th-October-2012, it’s taken a month, but I’ve finally managed to cycle across Kazakhstan. But now, I’m stuck at the Kazakh/Chinese border after not realising the border closes at the weekend!
Sunday 7th October 2012 – At The Kazakh/Chinese Border
Well, I’m not camping. I really didn’t fancy having to camp. The temperature has dropped so much in the past few days. Mind you. I call this place a hotel. It’s more like a motel on some motorway services, except there’s no motorway. I managed to get some tenge from the garage next to the hotel.
I went for a little ride earlier today, but there really isn’t anything here. The only things around here are the motel, garage, and the border crossing down the road, which two soldiers man, and that’s it. Although if I look out from the motel towards the north, there’s some pretty stunning scenery. Which I think are the snow-covered mountains of the Dzungarian Alatau mountain range.
I spent the afternoon watching a movie in the motel café with some of the truck drivers, who were also waiting for the border to open. There must be about fifty lorries waiting to cross into China. At least back in my room, I managed to find the Japanese Grand Prix and some Premier League football on the TV. But I really wish that I’d done my homework and found out the border closes at the weekend. I could have stayed in Almaty a bit longer.
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