Picture Gallery - images of trip - SIBERIA RUSSIA
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SIBERIA RUSSIA : Images from left to right:
SIBERIA RUSSIA - Back in Russia and the colourful exterior of the simple, and not so simple, wooden houses you see in the villages and towns; At the first main town we came to, Rubtsovsk , we managed to find a small auto-repair business and got Neil's truck repaired - with the use of a fork-lift they lifted the back-end of Neil's heavy F250 and belted out the rivets and replaced them with some bolts. The buys were a great bunch, and very helpful!
Watermelons, like Kazak, were plentiful and delicious and a great way to quench your thirst; Got to Biysk, and in the centre of town near Lenin Square (they were in every town!!) found a fairly big shopping centre with a large supermarket where we stocked up on supplies. We also found, eventually, a very pleasant hotel where we ‘registered' again, but it was good to have a flushing toilet and a bed you didn't have to climb down out of; The wide, walking thoroughfare and gardens just outside the hotel were a popular spot with the locals in the cool of the evening.
Now traveling in the Altai Mountains and found ourselves a really good, secluded camp – our Altai River camp ; The view along the river from our camp; Another group of Mongul Rally boys we passed along the road; As we headed on the country became much more mountainous.
It was a long slow haul to a high pass, passing a typical Russian village and as we came to another steep climb there was a farmer on a horse-drawn rake working his fields.
Climbed yet another high Pass and stopped at the top where there were a few roadside stalls and, a little off the main road, a low-key ski resort; A local mini van, full of Russian rafters, stopped and admired the vehicles and wanted their picture taken with Ron, Ron in turn got a picture beside their van; We passed close to a burial gound and its stone markers, admired by Gay. The Katun River is very popular with Russian tourists and rafting.
Just after passing through Aktash we could see snow-capped mountains – the first range was the SZevern-Chuyskiy Mountains while behind them were the taller, barer Yuzhno-Chuyskiy Mountains which straddle the border between Russia, Kazakhstan, China and Mongolia and reach a height of 4500metres; We found another nice camp a few km west off the main road was tucked in amongst a few pine trees between a very turbulent and dirty Chuya River and a small trickle of a stream that was crystal clear …. and freezing cold!
Tashanta was our last town before crossing the Russia/Mongolia Border and our last chance for cheap fuel. Gay tried out the fuel station's toilet which was imply a shed with a hole in the floor over a trench – very interesting!!! The fuel station's attendant had her kids (well we think they were her kids) at the station – they were very happy with some knitted caps (by Helen) and a couple of Koalas; Ron fuels up the jerry cans as well; There isn't much to a small village fuel station.
A few Mongul Rally cars were at the Russian border – they had been there for 24 hours or so – the border post only processing 9 vehicles for the previous day! We got thru in less than 3 hours – well, the Russian side anyway. Made it to the Mongolia Border, and again joined the queue with our now new friends from the Mongul Rally. Yet another 4 hour wait.
Bye, bye Russian, again, hello Mongolia!!
