September 25th
163km (345m vertical)
We were very lucky that yesterday's rain came on a hotel night. Everything was clean and dry this morning, and today's weather was great. I really enjoyed the ride.
We had sunshine and perfect temperatures around 70F with little wind. There were snow-capped mountains on the horizon as we rode down the tree-lined streets and through the farmers markets of this oasis-city. In the afternoon, we returned to the vast open desert...which was only somewhat less impressive after riding through it for four hours.
Tonight's camp is on a dried mud-flat, which is the perfect place to pitch a tent: flat, soft, no dust, no bugs. The only drawback is the lack of privacy on the huge, flat stretch of land... which makes for a long hike to find a suitable toilet spot.
Stewart rode in the van today, since his arm was still sore from yesterday's fall. Jimmy was also feeling stiff, but managed to cycle the entire day. We've covered almost 400 miles in the past 4 days, and my butt is getting a bit sore. Only one more day until a rest.
Busy market on the outskirts of Aksu:
Small house with crops and a view of snow-capped mountains in the distance:
Hot chillis drying in the sand. The locals seem to put these spicy peppers in many of their dishes.
Vast desert with mountains in the background:
Camp on a mud flat:
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