CHEBARKUL – SARYKOL

We poked our noses out and found even better sunrise outside. Since it’s impossible to sleep after seeing such a beauty, we took off unusually early today. In Troitsk bordertown we managed to fix the box of Janis’ bike and converted our long bikepants into shorts since the temperature is rising. It’s hot and sultry. The queue at the border looks like it might take some five hours but we just play our usual trick by going straight to the head of it. However, the border-guard is not happy about our behavior: he tells us to go back to the end of the queue, and our explanations about motorcyclists everywhere in the world not having to wait in line don’t really help. By that time quite a crowd gathered around us. People are being rather protective, telling the border-guard that “guys are going to the intercontinental” and that nobody minds if we skip the line. It makes him surrender. The other border-guards are telling us about two British women on their way from Thailand who crossed this border not long ago on a motor-rickshaw, so called tuk-tuk. So, there is a possibility to cross China on a bike, too. It is all totally different at the Kazakh border: unlike Russians, Kazakh border staff is kind and cooperative. Also road officers are all waving to greet us, not to stop for the documents check.