A bit of a Landcruiser love fest today – We think Totty might have a boyfriend!
Troopy and Totty
Troopy and Totty
Fromeward Bound vs The Overland Armstrongs!
Category: new friends (Page 1 of 2)
Friends of Fromeward Bound; The Overland Armstrongs had a nice article posted today.
We get a ‘name check’ towards the end! And I quote:
The couple travelled on to Armenia, Georgia and Turkey before stopping in Greece, where they are now staying with a couple they crossed paths with earlier.
Read the full article here.
(This should be read after A Story with a Happy Ending – a somewhat unflattering portrait of Russia.)
On our final night, probably ever, in Russia we ended up camping close to the Georgian border in the forecourt of a cafe/petrol station (avid fans will recall my blog post ‘Service Without a Smile‘ and know how these work). It was really cold outside so, having eaten in the cafe, we smuggled in a bottle of wine and some beer to drink in the warmth. We were half way through a rather dull game of Scrabble (yes – Captain was winning) when the friendly security guard approached for a chat and to give us some sweets.
Setting
Due to the road literally being honed from the mountain side with the river raging below; small picturesque villages have settled where the valley, on occasions, widens and flattens. As occasionally happens, dusk started to fall before we had found somewhere good to camp. And so it was we found ourselves having to stop, before darkness completely fell, just off from the road in a large lay-by. It was far from ideal but at least we managed to tuck ourselves next to a small half built building.
Looking out across the road to the mountains of Afghanistan
Setting
At the moment we are driving from Khorugh to Dushanbe in Tajikistan. The road follows the Panj River as it meanders between numerous mountains. On one side of the river is Afghanistan and on the other is Tajikistan. At times the river narrows as it flits through tight canons and you come so tantalisingly close to the people and dwellings of Afghanistan. As this is a porous border there are Tajik soldiers manning several check points along the road but also keeping ‘an eye’ on any unwanted activity from ‘across the river.’
The view of Afghanistan from our camping spot
Quite often when people have seen some of the videos we’ve been making the first question is often “What drone do you use?” So here’s a post to answer that very question.
Driving into the old capital of Almaty after dark was an amazing experience (for me at least) as I got to gaze outside the window at all the sights. The fringes of the city are lined with kebab stalls, fruit markets, small shops and restaurants. Both cars and people mill around in amongst the swirls of smoke coming from the barbecues. In the dark the neon and strip lights also dance in the clouds of smoke creating a scene not dissimilar to a 70’s disco.
The metropolis of Almaty
[Update: As of September 21st, voting in now closed. The winner by a country mile is photo #5 taken by Captain!]
Who knew you could have so much fun with two bottles of red wine and a squirrel?
One of the best things about our trip is just taking one’s time. It’s such a luxury, that in this busy world of ours, we are able to be entertained by a wee squirrel for hours on end! Just sitting quietly watching a squirrel going about its daily business of eating, twitching and darting here, there and everywhere.
We took lots of photographs: each trying to capture the best photo and be crowned ‘Wildlife Photographer of the Year.’
Rather ironic, I suppose, that the day I ‘get arrested’ is the day I started reading Dostoevsky’s book. While in Rome and all that…..
The corruptness of the Kazakhstan police is well known among people who travel here; particularly to those that are driving here. And so it was our time eventually came to have a run in with them.
Our last camp spot in Mongolia was 10km from the Russian border. We chose a hidden spot behind a small hill off the main road. It was beautiful!
Within half an hour, from yonder, came three figures and a horse. As they neared you could tell that they were all children. They were dressed for winter, complete with woolly hats, even though it was a hot sunny day. Their clothes were old and torn but someone had wrapped them up in multiple layers to keep them warm. The youngest one wore a cool fake fur coat not dissimilar to my Micky Mouse fake fur 😉
We said hello and established where they had come from. I got the Polaroid out to take a photo after miming if that was ok. They quickly assembled into a group pose by the horse and smiled at the camera. Click. Their eyes widened as the print emerged from the camera. We waited a few seconds for the picture to begin to develop and then I took two more, in quick succession, so they all could have a photo each. With each photograph their smiles grew.
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