Saturday 31st July

152880,,,,,,,Beautiful day, have done all the washing in the river, workman stop in lorry to say hello, they are very friendly but as drunk as lords!!! We do our first river crossing and stop for picnic --trees,, mountains it is so WOW!!!! Beverley has seen four white siberian huskies so far, I have just seen my first--so gorgeous,,,,we camp by the river again it's 35 in the shade.. happy....

Friday 30th July

152806....lovely sunshine today and warm....stop at shop for bread etc. they have an abacus for counting, no calculator.....getting higher now 1590 my ears can feel it!! Stop at a small town and walk around market, I buy a warm jacket, great now I can throw away my old jumpers which are so much trouble to wash and dry.....we see beautiful picture postcard villages, this area is stunning it is called Alty....camp at river again....a car stops, policeman he has run out of petrol, we give him what we have in our can we use for cooker, he tells us this area has no trouble and we will be ok for another 100k.....a family stop and the daughter speaks english, they say we are very brave.....we light a fire and settle for evening, cars and vans passing tooting horns and waving.......the people are much happier here!!!!!!

Thursday 29th July

Arrive in BNNCK looking for jerry cans for diesel for Mongolia, we have no idea what it will be like for petrol stations, we have been told they can be hundreds of miles apart, don't really think so, but we have to be prepared just in case.as we drive on we see a huge graveyard in the forest, not in a clearing but inbetween the trees - very unusual.....as we go towards the mountains the plants are getting bigger and taller and the leaves are huge..........we see a rope bridge for cars, but we are too tall .we pitch in a lovely spot by the river in a clearing just big enough to turn the Landy around.....

Wednesday 28th July

152525,,,,,,On road for 9am.....If this is summer in Siberia I can understand why huskies have such thick coats.......we see a genuine Russian cowboy with a hat and a whip.......there are huge rips in the earth where it has ripped open leaving huge gaping holes.....Lee notices that at least half of the cars are right hand drive....the houses are provided with hot water and you can see the steam rising from holes in the streets......went into a town and bought a new phone card and Beverley found an Oggi shop, and bought another couple of outfits, she loves Oggi fashion, we first came across it in Astana, then Almati and then here in Russia......driving out of town looking for place to camp we find an empty hanger and decide to set up here, it keeps most of the rain off us, enabling Lee to mend the headlights, good news as it is compulsary to have them on all day, and I was able to cook us all some hot food, it's only 15 degrees and very wet!!!!!

Tuesday 27th July

152322....temperature only 11 degrees....it's cold and I was cold in the night ---- grey skies -- on road for 12.30pm...1.45pm we see first police, all ok let us pass!!! 5pm after family discussion we decide to change our plans, to get to lake Baikal will mean travelling long distances for the next five days=====we all feel that we would prefer to just leisurely drive straight down to Mongolia, through the mountains and enter on the west side, we have all seen many lakes and feel that such an effort may end up with something we have said quite a few times before "Is that it?" ,,,, We find a good pitch for the night in a field behind a huge haystack, no mosies......we are just starting to watch a film as it is dusk, when the farmer and his wife arrive to collect a cart full of hay, they welcome us and let us know that they are happy with us camping there,, we watch them loading the hay and say hello to the horse, it is great to see the wooden tack that they use,,,,,,,

Monday 26th July

152156........After good night -- driving N.E.....2.40pm getting close to the last Kaz. town before the border!!!!! scarey Russia!!!!WE see huge fields full of sunflowers...we are heading for a storm----arrived at border called Kocok at 3.30 and managed to buy insurance!!!! Feel a bit sad to leave Kaz - we have driven over 5,000miles and it's been good--------------------4pm through first borde,,r checked car---4.15 second barrier--passports,,,now to Russian side------4.40 3rd barrier for passports....4.45 checked by dog at customs. 5pm through 4th barrier.... No problems then at the final barrier, where they Sprayed our wheels with disinfectant, and then asked for 100 dollars to raise the barrier,, Lee was not amused - he told them No money ---they tried again --- NO -----OK, 5.05pm we passed through!! Beverley comments that they are all like little hitlers------ almost immediately the landscape changes, it is much greener with loads of trees and its raining with black clouds!!!!.........5.45pm we stopped for a break, the mosies are enormous and we all get bitten again!!! 6.30 pm looking for a place to camp --- the hour has changed again it is now 7.30pm here......we have a full phone signal,but the phone will not connect, its just gives us a message we cannot read....

Sunday July 25th

151925....on road for 9am driving east to Pavlodar -- 250miles --half way we stopped for supplies and topped up phone.......drove up path to camp for night behind some trees, Beverley found a cows foot -- lovely!!!

Saturday July 24th

off to visit Astana Tower, fantastic views of the city, you can see right to the finish of the city -- there are no outskirts, no houses..just the start of the desert.....then went to a shopping centre which had a swimming pool on the top floor, a strange shaped building, it looked like it was falling over......Lee fixed the Landy again, a policeman came over and told him to clean it......in the evening we watched Jackie Chan and then the Pirates of the Caribean 2 .....in Russian or should I say Kazakhie??? It was very well dubbed and the voices were very well done.....

Friday July 23rd

another day of shopping, we were chased by a car, it seemed that the young man just wanted to say hello, but as we drove off he followed us until we parked outside a shop.....his freinds, who had shown us the way to Astana, had sent him a photo of us on his mobile phone, he showed it to us absolutely delighted to have spotted us, then more photos so that he could send them a photo back.....we had a couple of beers with Ian, a motorcyclist we met at the hotel, he told us of a couple more buildings worth a visit....

Thursday July 22nd

Went for a good walk around the town through a beatiful park, back to hotel and rested.....lazy day........

Wednesday July 21st

151876 exactly 300 miles.......Last night at hotel we were just going to Landy to get our bags when Anne and Andrew walk in with Jessica and A.J...spent time chatting and catching up.......This morning we walk to get new car insurance, cost us only £3 for ten days, bought even louder new horns for the Landy....lazy day!!!

Tuesday July 20th

151576....good nights sleep.......we see a strange insect, it is about 3" long and one and a half wide, it has the head of a locust, six legs, two what look like long spinerettes and is grey, see photos --- 12pm on the road, we see an upturned trailer which was carrying water melons, ......on our left there is black sky and lightening - on our right a dead cow---pooh!!!! We are driving into the storm, then we see a van off the road stuck in the sand/mud, Lee drives down to help them and we sink also, we dig and drive ourselves out and get back on the road, then Lee takes the sandboards down to them, they escape, very grateful!! We drive away from the storm for hours, stopped by police and asked for money, because they said we were speeding; Lee refuses to pay them and they ask for a camera, Lee declines and they let us go........we arrive at Astana at 8.30pm and go to the same hotel as before....car insurance has now run out......

Monday 19th July

151306.........Up at 5.30am because of storm......a herd of cows pass us on both sides of the car, the bull comes and checks us out with a closer inspection.....on road for 7am raining, but soon clears...we go to see a lake it is massive, very beautiful......stop and camp about 5pm, much cooler now, the sky is clear, crossed fingers for tonight we are all very tired!!!

Sunday 18th July

151082.....yesterdays extreme heat turned into a storm -- no surprise there -- we have had little sleep and now all have new sets of mosie bites....cooler now and as we drive in the rain through the mountains it reminds me of Wales......3pm the storm continues with rain and lightening, the Landy is leaking!!!! We see a herd (if that's the right term) of camels perhaps 20 to 30 being rounded up by men on horseback.......

Saturday July 17th

150916.......8.30am and it's 31 degrees in the shade!! We get fresh water from well, nice and cold, fresh bread, tomatoes, peaches, melon and apricots, a great breakfast......there are lots and lots of donkeys here, but not many horses......2pm we pass through a huge gorge, desert and mountains either side of us, it is so hot 39 in shade, on top of cold fridge, at least 69 outside, luckily we have cloud cover today!!! We enter the State National Park of Charin....

Friday July 16th

150822.......Lee puts on new starter motor before it's too hot, we prepare to leave hotel, by 12pm we are on the road heading for a huge canyon we have been told about.....we had left some apples - under cover, in the car, they are cooked right through!! We start to drive up a mountain to visit a lake, but too hot, the brake master cylinder has now gone...--... back to Landrover dealer, but they have nothing.......drive back out the city and on.....landscape changes again, we camp on the side of a track with very tall bamboo all around....

Thursday July 15th

Very hot...Lee goes for a walk and finds a Landrover dealer,,,,Later we go for a drive and the starter motor is broke again, we get a tow start, and back to Landrover dealer ------ 3 weeks ago it cost us £600 to have the motor fixed.....today it costs us £170 for a brand new one!! Back at the hotel we park the car in the shade to cool down, the sun is so hot the car is impossible to work on.....later Lee takes off old starter motor..

Wednesday 14th July

Very hot, we spend the day walking around the town and finding markets....

Tuesday 13th July

We have a drive around, there are people everwhere hitching lifts, cars stopping all the time to give lifts, obviously the norm, the people seem happy, lots of smiling faces.....then we go for a walk around and buy a new horn for the Landy, horns are used constantly like a second language....

Monday 12th July

150585....272miles yesterday........Not much sleep last night, there was a strong wind storm..---...12.30pm stopped to watch a herd of horses galloping freely -- a beautiful sight.......2pm stopped at river for a paddle, the landscape is changing, there are trees both sides of the road and water everywhere, we see a canal and a lake, then at 2.30pm with no warning - we see in the distance right across our path, a snow topped mountain range, really strange to be so hot and to see all that snow -- 100km to Almaty-----We arrive in the city and drive around for ages looking for a hotel, then at the traffic lights somebody in their car says hello and asks where we are from, we tell him and ask if he knows of a hotel, "Yes", he says, "follow me", -- after perhaps 10 minutes we arrive at the hotel Astra, our guide just waves and drives off!!! The hotel is fully booked except for single rooms, we can have 3, we ask to see one, it has a double bed and room for a sleeping bag on the floor, we tell them one room will be ok for us, at this they offer us a mattress and sheets, all for around £50 a night for all of us.....to us the rom is large = after the Landy, we are quite happy!!!!

Sunday 11th July

150313,,,,,,,bit cold......back to salt flats and camels...drove down to a lake - very touristy----shame but just a bit too nippy for a dip-----2,30pm only 584km to go....

Saturday 10th July

150145.......good night..off for 10,30am----temp. dropped now quite cool

Friday 9th July

150078.....prepare to leave to Almaty====3.30 off we see a sign it says Almaty 1165km... on our map that;s about 3 inches!!

Thursday 8th July

sight seeing===Palace of peace and accord----brilliant building in the shape of a pyramid...the lifts have to go sideways to fit in shape--cool---we all love Astana it's a beautiful city!!

Wednesday 7th July

spent day shopping, bought a new horn for James (the Landy) sounds a bit like a mouse at the moment....evening spent talking to Didier in France and catching up..

Tuesday July 6th

149933......We had cut off a corner by going across the fields..now soon to arrive in the capital Actaha--in English Astana----temperature has dropped, still hot and sunny, the land is green with trees, we have not seen a tree for ages.....we arrive, there is a car broken down in middle lane -- Lee stops and gives him a tow --- now to find a hotel --- 1st hotel we find 5 star - £500 a night each -- they kindly give us directions to hotel number 2 --4 star - £150 a night for all of us -- we decide it's still too much for a few days, off to hotel number 3 ---whats a star???? -- £70 a night for all three of us, breakfast included, we book two nights...very large room three clean, large beds tv ect....and a bath!!!!!!!

Monday July 5th

149744......did repairs on tents, bits of sewing etc., - Beverley drives the first 10 miles this morning, through the fields, she is very good!! The land is completely flat, there are fields of wheat and some hay, miles long and miles wide, hay cutting is going on all over the place --- hot today 40 degrees in car.....the roads are so bad we are driving on small tracks using the compass--12.30pm Beverley takes the wheel for another half hour------1.30 and we run out of tracks ending in an empty derelict village--deserted--we see a lovely watering hole but as we approach it is all dung and mud!!!!After back tracking a bit and trying another track we eventually end up at the main road---motorway---well two way traffic ......on tarmac ---lasts for 100 miles then back to potholes........

Sunday 4th July

149592-------very windy in tent again---bad roads again...no signs...we turn right N. East.....Tyre blows out, Lee changes, all ok --- 2 cars stop to see if they can help, they tell us we are on the right road----passed village and just took the N.E. track, saw a herd of horses, looked like they were all limping, they all have their legs tied together--front to back---so sad -----see signpost for Actaha (Astana) still 673km---landscape changes to acres of planted crops---arrived at a town - almost a ghost town - asked a man if they had any diesel here, he said "yes, follow me" in Kaz of course, ,,,he takes us to the garage, with just one stop on the way to buy us 4 cans of beer for a present...filled up and drove onto traffic lights and asked people in car the way to Astana -- they said "follow us" so we did for about ten minutes thinking they were going our way, but when they reached the main turning ;they stopped --- could they take a photo before they left to go back to town -- these people are lovely!!!!!!!!

Saturday 3rd July

mileage reads 149353....Lee did all repairs - all ok--good job the nearest town or village is around 100 miles either way.....camped in desert--no mosies but terrific winds, we hardly slept, then it started to rain, if this is a biggy it,s possible that the ground to change to mud, so we got on the move quickly----Beverley said she was cold, although the temp. still reads 27--------2 hours and still raining, white and pink flowers are blooming,---arrived at large town the people are european looking----lost!!! we ask lots of people and have lots of photos taken, but nobody knows the way---found our way out to North to capital----the earth changes colour to a bright red, after a few miles bright orange, then normal sandy colour;, then the colour is green----green sand and rocks!!!!----made camp, man on horse appears and seems to say something about sacred ground, he rides off....we make tea and wait----car arrives, he is very freindly and invites us to his house for tea, ok, we follow him about ten minutes to village----it seems he is the mayor of the town, he gives us a beautiful book, with some english in....yes the ground is sacred---his wife offers us tea with bread, jam,biscuits, cream, sweats and salty meat - mutton I think --then all is followed by a very large dish of fermented mares milk - served cold----I cannot describe the taste to be like anything---Lee drank it too---they asked us to stay the night and offered us more mares milk and vodka,,,,,very kind but at this point we decided best to leave, - they gave Beverley a leather computer bag with a diary and boxed pen in -- lovely gift...

Friday 2nd July

10am hot..we all got bitten loads last night, there were thousands of tiny mossies..so small they were getting in through the nets, hopefully it seems that we have not got any bad reactions....11am the landscape is changing again, it's now green and swampy, agricultural and pongy!!! Heading for Kizylorda..getting closer to the town we see a bus stop with horses in, it's the only shade......found the bazarre...bought a new grease gun (we drove over the other one) ..pop and juice and samosas---Lees' face when he tasted the samosa--yum food......1pm now heading back N.E. it's gone deserty again---at 3.50pm the milage reads 149325 we have driven exactly 10,000 miles !!!!! Roads gone very bad again bumpimg and banging us around, then car on fire-- we all jumped out-- it was the battery..all ok...that's what you get if you shake a car battery very hard !!!!!

Thursday July 1st

Back to Aral for supplies...at the well a local lady gives us one of her water bottles and warns us that in the next few days there is going to be a heatwave of 70 plus ----decide to head up to Astana the capital in the north but will probably take us at least 3 days.......it is so hot that fresh bread is crispy before you can finish making a sanwich, and if you put a bottle of water in the front of the landy for a while it is hot enough to make a cup of tea, and the metal parts in the car burn to the touch, there is no shade anywhere, we haven't seen a tree for ages....this is good training for the Gobi !!!!

Wednesday June 30th

off to find Aral sea, must be somewhere, it is now 60 degrees in the sun.....-----after hours of being shaken in the car ;we have found the sea ----yuk! what a disappointment------we see the famous ships in the desert and then drive 5 and half miles to the sea and then sink into it....we dig ourselves out having to use the four sand boards---would of been in a pickle without them---driveing back we stop to collect a few shells and Beverley takes a photo of a fish in a bush, how it got there we do not know----it is a 8 and a half mile drive to the village which used to be on the waters edge----Lee is exhausted now, he had no sleep last night with his bad knee....stopped for the night -- Lee mended wiring and then changed a UJ--put tents up--no flies tonight!!!!

Tuesday 29th June

Another 30 miles of dust road--come to juction as we had hoped, found diesel and filled up tank fo about £22 --33pence a litre------now going south east towards Alal sea, on tarmac road, well for 5 miles anyway, back to normal gravel and huge potholes and chunks of road just missing---road blocked off for repairs again--in places there is thousands of pounds worth of machinery but you never see anyone doing anything, no matter what the time of day------got my lap seatbelt on tight - it stops me from banging my head on the roof---the car is full of dust, lots of twisters today----suddenly we see what looks like a huge lake but its a mirage---the temperature has gone off the scale it is 55 degrees plus!! As we pass lorrys we get engulfed with dust and can't see anything for a few seconds---eventually 3pm a bit of not too bad road----and a sign Aral 116km---------Arrived, huge place but not modern at all except for what is like a town square with statues-----rubbish is dumped everywhere, slums all around and many cows---we find a tiny shop, a young girl- maybe 16 - speaks to us in English, we ask her where the sea is, but she has ;no idea, and neither has anyone else they just say its a long way-----back to desert to camp for the night....

Monday 28th June

A good night 11am on road 37 in shade---more desert, roads are corregated--heading S.E. ...stopped for water, started talking to locals, they asked us to stay, we had tea and bread and Jam---the mother was called Lisa, she asked us to stop the night and have showers-- inside her house they had everything we have microwave oven ect. TV sateellite of course. Lisa asked us to come back again so she could cook us a big meal with all her family, as we left she gave us a home-made loaf and took photos.....drove on a while then stopped to watch the wild horses -- unbelievable-- what a day!!! Saw huge birds of prey.....stopped for supplies, but they had no diesell......after 101 miles we have had enough have been rattled to pieces, we have enough diesel for 60 miles and its about 35 miles to next town---crossed fingers on standby----camped---prairie dog holes everywhere...Lee killed a fly with his hand then wiped his hand with a tissue to remove tiny maggots Yuk yuk!!! Ther is absolute silence here -- no birds no crickets, just the odd fly which I believe belong to th prarie dogs and they are hiding......no good the flies are biting Lee, move on a mile and it's all ok.......

Sunday 27th June

50degrees in shade ..may be higher its gone off the scale!!!! Lee gave James (the landrover) a check-up---the back end of the chassis is broken and the roof is lifting above the windscreen -- all together a sorry sight-- leaking oil out of the transfer box at the rate of about 1 and a half litres per week-----will James survive?? ...4pm saw our first proper oasis -- not with palm tress, but trees and one lone house-----desert and more desert, camped --watched sunset--bed.

Saturday 26th June

only problem with the hotel was the mosies came in the vents, so got a new load of bites---could be worse----off to Aral sea 46 degrees in shade, we got lost and had to retrace our way by 60 miles---camped for night--no mosies!!!

Friday 25th June

7am -- 30 degrees in shade--roll start ok----11.30 police stop us--all ok---11.45 police stop this time they want money, they have accused Lee of being a drunk driver, they made him roll up our insurance papers and blow through them--said they could smell vodka, then asked for money---Lee said no - have no money-- they tried to get me to admit Lee had been drinking, and then accused Beverley of drinking.....very scarey!! Lee held his ground and said no, then they just gave him the papers back and let us go .......we arrived at ATKOBE at 12.30pm and found a garage that can fix starter but they want £450 , good day for the garage.....3.15 still waiting..hot very hot 43 degrees in shade--so glad for our fridge!!! Poor Beverley has a bad stomach today and the only toilet belongs to the garage, which is best not described, she manages to sleep in back of car while we wait,,,,,5.15pm fixed--price has gone up, but we explain we have no more..ok..5.30pm looking for hotel, and found one straight away---Hotel Daston Aktobe, it even has pizza on the menu----shower bath and wifi !!!

Thursday 24th June

Down hill start...passed watering holes and saw some sort of vultures,...this road is like a white knuckle ride but it lasts for hours, there is dust and dust!!! We see herds of animals in the distance -- this is how I had imagined Africa to look, the sand is sucked up into big twisters some can completely engulf the car---we stop at town to fill up with water and buy bread, they are very friendly, Lee is given a bottle full of millk and told to leave it in the sun for two days--this is the famous fermented mares milk that we thought was only in Mongolia!!! It's hot 46 degrees in shade....9.15 pm now 30 degrees---hoping to get a starter motor tomorrow, fed up of pitching up on a hill, tonights is very steep, hope we don't slide out of bed!!!!

Wednesday 23rd June

cooler today only 35 in shade....off up north to Actobe today, there is a long and a short road, we opt for the short...long is supposed to be quicker because of the bad road......we come to a salt lake still has the water in it, as we walk down to it our feet sink into the oil in the ground and it sticks to our shoes...I think the sun has got to me because for some reason I try and read the sign backwards--as if reading Russian is not difficult enough, backwards is ridiculous....we follow the track--we have only a tiny map of Kaz in our Russian map book---no compass as that decided to jump out of the window off the dashboard, luckily we still have Sandy the satnav, she has no idea where she is but can tell us north or south ect......we go off the so called road onto mud track it is better...now a hundred miles of bone shaking road....saw our first prairie dog ( aah! sweet just like a big gerbil) --saw horses sheltering in huge drainage pipes.48 degrees in shade......we stopped to camp but we were too near the road, or really too near a track which turned out to be another used road----so we went to move but can't start--starter motor dead!!! A lorry came along and pull started us, now we have to camp on a hill!!!

Tuesday 22nd June

very very windy....lots to see today, camels, horses, goats, graves, saw a house standing alone bit too much of a quiet location!! Stopped at oasis not a pretty one but the waters there, me and Beverley had a paddle and we did the washing......Me and Beverley are dreaming of a hotel again--no shower of bath since 3rd June--plenty of buckets but not quite the same---we did have a shower but that had to go with the trailer - no space for it......We are soon to arrive in Actipay, our first big Khaz town, it's near the aspian sea, which up to now, has been a big big disappointment, so we are not holding our breath!!Well it turns out to be a huge modern city with a better feel than the Russian cities, the people just seem to be much happier, we have heard some english being spoken---again people have right of way and just walk out into the traffic---trying to find a map we ask at a garage--no good--but two young men offer to show us the way to a shop where we can buy one--their names are Cherub and Fernando, after following them from shop to shop we are then passed over to their freind whom we follow for a while but between them all they cannot find us a map or a compass or a satnav!!! We drive on through the town and camp in the desert, good just a few mosies..........

Monday 21st June

had a good night --not to many bites, which is good because we have dozens already---the visas for Khazakstan start today, so off we go........country 18 and it's hot 45 degrees----we crossed a river on a very iffy bridge--saw a herd of horses running free!!!11am arrived at Russian customs and handed in all our papers---they did not check anything that we were made to delare on entering Russia----passport control o.k.---2 hours and we are through====now 10km no mans land to Khaz customs====they split us up===me and Beverley to walk through--Lee with car---after a long wait we got through and met up--now Lee set off for passport control and we waited in car and waited and waited---elderley lady in car next to us keeps wailing at us to go to her...but we cannot...we can't understand what she is shouting and why is she there....I.m very sorry but it's very scarey just being here I can't get involved with other peoples problems------after another 20 mins Lee comes back he needs 500 rubels for customs man---special price for tourists==50 rubels for anyone else!!! 2.30 Lee has to sort out insurance--well at least we may get some this time---he comes back just needs bribes now so we give them our walkie talkies and a knife and a pen they want more and more but we say no---ok then---3pm we enter Khaz........we see more wild horses and houses made of wood with flat roofs---so not much rain here then----graves everywhere======Beverley says "Is it me or are they camels over there?" they are everywhere!!! ....pitched up on flat sand area and cooked rice ect....can see house in distance=====A shepherd comes to say hello (no english) he stays and eats with us, he invites us to go sleep at his house, we decline and thank him...he fetches his neighbour and we drink water together, the shepherd tells us he has 400 sheep........