Today will be an interesting drive when I drive up to the lake and then cross a bridge which in some ways is a masterpiece of modern highway construction in a stunning landscape. Well let’s see.
As I had time and it was early, I decided to take the longer but more interesting looking National Road option. The first part was a straight wide road westwards, with very little traffic but great views to both mountain ranges left and right. At a bigger junction I turned south towards the lake. I recalled I saw some switch back roads when I planned for that stretch back home, however, when I reached that stretch, it was simply breathtaking. I didn’t count but I would say, that there were easily 40 switch backs through an alpine landscape with green valleys, brown cows and pine forests along the flanks of the mountains. Considering, I started in a grey desert, and in a short time, I was catapulted to 2,000 m elevation with a stunning green alpine landscape that was a nice surprise.
However, when I stopped and tried to make some drone videos, it turned out, the drone was grounded and I was asked to download an application to register the drone in China. But with no internet connection in those mountains, I couldn’t register the drone and I had to pack it again and stored it in the bags. That means, there will only be some photos from my mobile.
After reaching the highest point of that road, a five km long freezing cold Tunnel upend up and when I came out of the other end, the lake lay in front of me.
Nothing had prepared me for the fact, that this very remote place, is also a very popular winter ski and summer photo resort with modern hotels popping up like mushrooms all over the place and the coastline road was one big festival of photo taking for weddings and other family events. It was so busy, that I decided to skip the coastal road and instead drive back to the highway entry gate to get on the highway, which conveniently also goes along the beach, only with no parking lots. While the lake is certainly picturesque, it’s hard to describe the frenzy along the beach line with its 100s of cars, motorhomes, motorcycle clubs (saw one big group of HD riders) and the photographer Studio Teams between. Must see to believe it.
Next stop were two tunnels and that great bridge, however, it looks like the tunnel was under repair and all the highway traffic, with all the trucks and cars and vacationers were guided to a narrow national road detour, which was also under repair. It got a bit crazy with the way some drivers couldn’t be patient and others completely scared about the narrow, curvy, bumpy mountain road, paired with endless long and super slow trucks going downhill. Glad, I could skip a lot of it, by simply overtaking everything and getting in front of the trucks and long queues. At least we saw the bridge from below, which is equally impressive to see and drive under the bridge in that narrow, beautiful valley. Everything has an end, and we finally ended up on the highway again, and after a number of curves and bridges, the canyon very suddenly opened up to a wide plane and we were back to the sand coloured deserts with agriculture patches and settlements. At the end was another, final security check, where I met Marek, another motorcycle traveller who also runs a motorcycle rental and touring business in Almaty.
However it gets even better, after tye check point it was only a few km to Khorgos and I saw suddenly two bikers standing under a bridge and it turned out it was Heri and Eltoroluwuk, the two guys with whom I crossed into China four weeks ago. We arranged for dinner and Marek also joined, and after four weeks, we all had our first biker talk evening, talking about things bikers talk about.
A great dinner at the end of a great day and a great China leg.
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