Rygsækrejsen 2015-2016: Kamchic pass - When will we see our truck again?

Back on the road. Except this morning we were waiting for a bunch of cars to take us over the Kamchic pass on the way to Ferghana valley. The truck had already left the day before. We knew that the first attempt to get the truck over the pass didn't succeed so we were crossing our fingers for a better update for breakfast. But the truck was still stuck at the police control post this morning. Apparently there had been an accident involving a bus some years back so busses are no longer allowed to cross the mountain pass. Even if they are completely empty. Due to the geography of the Ferghana Valley and the surroundings the detour involves crossing borders, obtaining visas and permits for the truck. And most of all it is time consuming. Maybe 3 to 6 days without the truck and our equipment. So of course every possibility of getting the truck across the pass were checked.

Anyway we were in for a morning rally. Nice new cars, 8 in total, three persons in each car and off we went. Very fast. Going between 80 and 120 km/h leaving Tashkent in a hurry. And these guys were even hired to drive nicely – can't think of how the other taxi drivers would drive. When we made it to the police control post at the pass our truck was still parked there which in fact was a good sign. As long as the police had not ordered the truck to leave there was still a chance it could make it over the pass. Anyway we got our backpacks which were on the truck – just in case. Continuing over the pass was so beautiful. And it's totally weird that busses can't cross since the road is actually quite good, there are two lanes and it's not steep at all. And trucks totally overloaded with heavy cargo can cross. Unfortunately due to the army's presence in the area pictures were not allowed, but the mountains were beautiful. At the top we passed through a couple of tunnels with armed guards outside and inside the tunnel.

When we did the lunch stop in the valley news came that the truck had made it across the mountain pass. Leaving our local guide – Jalal – with our driver to take care of negotiations apparently worked. With a fistful of US dollars to speed up the process. The local police boss even escorted the truck over the pass and since he was in a hurry to go home for lunch his police officers were told to “shut the fuck up and mind their own work” whenever they tried to pull our truck over.

In the meantime we did a little more rally driving before reaching the first stop of the day – a nice palace. The Palace of Khudáyár Khán - one of the last to be built. With no Jalal we had time to walk around on our own and just enjoy what was left of the palace which was beautiful but small.

Two more hours of rally driving we had the last stop of the day at a silk factory. It was a bit warm in the afternoon but we enjoyed being shown around the different parts of the factory to see and experience how the silk cocoons were boiled in hot water before being spun, dyed, dried and wowed. Very impressive and lots of skills going into each step of the process. We arrived at our hotel in time for a cold beer and some food with the group. Getting ready for a border crossing tomorrow and a new country. Exciting.