8th to 10th of May 2011
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The road from Kyzylorda to Shimkent was basically ok except of some construction parts in between. But the wind was horrible again, partially I drove only 60-70km/h and some gusts of wind nearly turned my helmet on my head.
In Turkistan I had a stop, first at the wrong mosque and I wondered already why this is one of the most important mosques in the world (3x pilgrimages to Turkistan is like 1x to Mecca). A friendly old guy brought up on the roof of the “wrong” mosque showing me the other one over the “city” skyline.
I went there - to the Khoja Ahmad Yasavi Mausoleum (build around 1390) - but I couldn’t park my bike with all the luggage safely. When I stopped at the parking lot I was already the center of attraction. And the mosque was still 500m away. On a bench I had my lunch which I bought the day before in the supermarket and I took some pics from far away. That is one of the problems if you travel alone, you cannot leave your things and the loneliness itself.
The landscape changed after, more hills and green (I mean real green, not like that “dust green” spots I had before), trees reaching suddenly a height of 15-20m. I might have not realized but when you come from the steppe and desert…
Again it was close to 5pm when I reached Shimkent even though I got up at 6:30am.
Since the next day I wanted to go up into the mountains to Zhabaghly, I checked in for 2 nights.
That’s what I did the next morning. Surprisingly easy I found my way up there on a mix of good asphalt roads, gravel and some cart tracks. Many, many horses, sheep, cows, goats, smaller villages, meadows up to the mountain range and quietness.
On the way back the school was finished and all the kids were on the street making their (long) way home. The boys with suit, white shirt and tie, the girls with skirt, white blouse and sports coat.
The younger girls (maybe grade 1-4) even wear a big white quilling hair ribbon. Very beautiful and I thought of taking pictures but somehow I didn’t want to annoy them. So we just waved our hands…and the memory is with me.
The "wrong" mosque
And the "right" one...
In Turkistan I had a stop, first at the wrong mosque and I wondered already why this is one of the most important mosques in the world (3x pilgrimages to Turkistan is like 1x to Mecca). A friendly old guy brought up on the roof of the “wrong” mosque showing me the other one over the “city” skyline.
I went there - to the Khoja Ahmad Yasavi Mausoleum (build around 1390) - but I couldn’t park my bike with all the luggage safely. When I stopped at the parking lot I was already the center of attraction. And the mosque was still 500m away. On a bench I had my lunch which I bought the day before in the supermarket and I took some pics from far away. That is one of the problems if you travel alone, you cannot leave your things and the loneliness itself.
The landscape changed after, more hills and green (I mean real green, not like that “dust green” spots I had before), trees reaching suddenly a height of 15-20m. I might have not realized but when you come from the steppe and desert…
Again it was close to 5pm when I reached Shimkent even though I got up at 6:30am.
Since the next day I wanted to go up into the mountains to Zhabaghly, I checked in for 2 nights.
That’s what I did the next morning. Surprisingly easy I found my way up there on a mix of good asphalt roads, gravel and some cart tracks. Many, many horses, sheep, cows, goats, smaller villages, meadows up to the mountain range and quietness.
On the way back the school was finished and all the kids were on the street making their (long) way home. The boys with suit, white shirt and tie, the girls with skirt, white blouse and sports coat.
The younger girls (maybe grade 1-4) even wear a big white quilling hair ribbon. Very beautiful and I thought of taking pictures but somehow I didn’t want to annoy them. So we just waved our hands…and the memory is with me.
The "wrong" mosque
And the "right" one...
