Garry McGivern’s cycling around the world, Sunday, 7th-October-2012, at the Kazakhstan Chinese border. Well, I’m not camping. I managed to get some tenge from the garage that’s next to the hotel. 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 went for a little ride earlier today, but there really isn’t anything here. The only things around here are the motel, garage, and 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.
Please Donate
Don’t forget the main reason behind my ride. I want to raise as much money for cancer research charities as possible. After my wife, Josie, died of breast cancer in 2007, aged only 42. Even the smallest donation helps. You can donate to Cancer Research UK or the Australian National Breast Cancer Foundation. Click on either one to donate. Every little bit helps to rid the world of this cruel disease.
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