On the road again

 After our little sojourn to the UK, catching up family old and new (shout out to Caspar, possibly his first) we gathered, once again, in Tashkent, collected the cars from the warehouse and set off, not for Namangen as previously planned but to Andijen. Why? you clamour. Well, there was a little comms break down and hotels were not booked and, for reasons that are not obvious to us, every hotel room in a city housing 3/4 million people was fully booked. So Andijen it has become. In fact, this is not as bad as you all fear (I know), because we have discovered the border we were heading for doesn’t cater for international travellers. What, you might ask, is a person who crosses a border between two countries, if not an international traveller? We have a brutal day in prospect tomorrow. 484km plus a border. I think it will be a long one because we have to go to Osh and then double back to virtually where we start but over the border. We go through a place called Jelal-Abad and head for Torktugal. In the dark. With dodgy lights 😬. I made a precautionary purchase of bicycle lights when back home, just in case. 

We also think there may be some sort of ‘reception’ for us at the border as Ham has been smooching away with the Kyrgyzstan ambassador who has promised to speed us through. What could possibly go wrong?

I am getting ahead of myself and, very rudely, have not introduced our two newest members. David Ayre, he of the heroic effort to get Nigel back to the rally way back in early August, and Joe Steel. David accompanying Ham and providing mechanical succour and general good blokeishness and Joe joining Chris in the Rolls. We have already established multiple connections even though we have never met. Top chap. (Please point out there is no distinction in these descriptions between either member of the new member team, Ed). 

Other notes from today. As we left Tashkent we were split up by the heavy traffic and varying Waze directions. The Vauxhall found itself in an unusual position of having multiple police waving us through the traffic whilst holding everyone else up. It felt quite Royal and not for the first time.  

Pollution. We spent too long in a heavily industrialised area which stank of ghastly fumes. How can people be expected to live in such chronic circumstances. Life expectancy must suffer. (This is supposed to be an amusing blog, enough of the politicking, Ed)

Joe

David and Ham

Lunch (or a spare wheel, it was hard)

Pollution