ing much of our lane but space for a
motorcycle to pass. Forward I went at
walking pace. Suddenly the bike was
out from under me, then on top of me.
Following behind was Chris. He also
lost control, both he and bike landed
on top of me.
What happened? A tin of sunflow-
er oil had been punctured in the acci-
dent and flowed onto the road surface.
That was the start of some uncom-
fortable days for me as 3km from our
hotel I had torn ligaments away from
my knee. I rode for four more days but
eventually the knee locked & I became
a passenger in the support vehicle for
the last two days.
With Jenny being medically trained
I was in good hands, getting the best
possible care and advice whilst man-
aging my injury. Fortunately, Chris
was not injured in the fall.
Leaving next morning in peak hour
traffic there was a man on horseback
moving a herd of about 60 horses
along with the traffic and nobody
seemed fazed.
We came to Toktogul Lake with our
resort right on the banks. I thought
the lake was huge until we got to the
next one which made this one look
like a puddle!
Bitumen: 340km of it to reach Bish-
kek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan and the
largest city in the country. There is a
fabulous market area where goods are
both plentiful and cheap. Whilst some
of the facilities for travellers in remote
regions may leave a bit to be desired
these cities have a lot to offer with
great accommodation, friendly locals
and tasty cuisine.
Near our hotel there was a yard
with around 80 adventure bikes being
packed into or removed from frames
that fit shipping containers. I never
did get to find out about the bikes, but
it was obvious that many riders get to
Bishkek.
It was a day to catch up on rest, eat
some tasty food, drink a few beers and
enjoy a trip to the market. Every time
that I visit such a market I’m amazed
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