Shymkent
Shymkent. Hot. Cycling. 14,288 km since Shanghai.
Hope you enjoy the new minimalist blogging style.
Edward
posted by blogger010797 @ 05:06
30 comments - add yours
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Edward
All text and images copyright © 2005 Edward Genochio
30 Comments:
Ed!
Nevermind the blog just as long as you remember to drink 4-8 liters of water every day.
Stretch your legs/legiments every evening.
And have a slightly wide Gel(not just foam) seat with a hole(not just a dent) shipped in if you need it...
If you go anywhere unhabitated on a road/track with no or hardly any traffic,then you are seriously
playing with your life.
In 40C+ in the shade,if there had been any shade.
On the main roads someone hopefully will pass before it is too late...
Tashkent next?
pinkglovesforever!
Asmund.
Amazing trip!
I really enjoyed looking through your previous posts. And I thought WYOMING was a huge barren landscape devoid of any features! I guess the road you've been traveling even puts Wyoming in it's place.
And to think it's all done into a headwind! Truly amazing!
Very inspirational... of course you'll have to write a book when you finally arrive at the end.
Don't go to Colchester it's horrible!
YOU might want to add some salt/ mineral tablets as my old chum if your drinking that much water you'll need to replace all the above which will be being sweated out at one hell of a rate.
Otherwise you'll pass out due to having flushed your system clean and that would be rather BAD... I'd rather not go down the route of death, kill, die and death but saying the odds would be stacked against you further...
All the best keep pedalling and I'm sure all will be fine.
from darkest surrey
"of course you'll have to write a book when you finally arrive at the end."
Naturally he is writing a book. It's working title is "But Isn't There A Bus?".
So there you go.
Oh and I turned 18 yesterday. I'd appreciate any belated well-wishing.
The time next to that comment is a lie. It's actually an hour later than that. My birthday's on the 15th.
happy birthday 18 eh! it's all down hill from there.
best wishes
C.
18 and staying up late, you are naughty.
Ed,
the Kazakh prime minister is visitng your alma mater on Saturday 2nd July. Anything you'd like me to tell him?
Keep up the fun...
TFXE
Ed,
I meant to ask how many languages are you dealing with or do you just talk louder and slower?
there must be in the region of 15+ different ones sofar probably more it's got to be like trying to make sense out of a bowl of alphabeti soup.
So whats the secret?
is it Smile lots, look crazy and talk in voices? Or are you a secret boffing with a head like a tefal fat fryer under the hat?
kindest regards
C from darkest surrey
PS have to apologise now I bought a 4x4 needed a vehicle for work and they don't make a electric or hybrid big enough for the job I do. On a positive note planted 2 apple trees in garden and am thinking about building a wind generator thing to power shed.
Seems all you need is a wind mill thing, a washing machine, 2 car batteries and an inverter should produce enough power to give lighting, TV/ computer, and charge the lawn mover up.
got to dash make the world a safer place.
keep pedaling also hows the book? as I'm going to try for the other one on saturday.
I hear Ed's a cunning linguist. *snort*
Definitely not in need of French lessons or whatever. *snort*
The majestic plains of Wild Woking proved a disappointment on the book store front.
I wandered all the way from Boots to the 4th floor of the Peacocks shopping centre found nothing! that resembles the book in question.
In the heat of the midday sun I took Asmund's advice and drank 4 litres. While crossing the great gap between brewery road carpark and the back of the council offices. Then discovered the distinct lack of facilities for disposal of 3.5 litres of wee.
All in all a disappointing day for a brave explorer of darkest surrey.
keep pedalling look forward to hearing how it's all going in the civilised world!
Where did Ed go?
From Shymkent he only had 150 km to Tashkent the capital of Uzbekistan.
But he would not be lurking in Tashkent for so long without writing in his blog. Or would he?
He probably went somewhere else from Shymkent. Most likely he is now on his way north-west to Russia.
He probably got a express visa in Almaty,but there may also be a possibility he will try to get it in the Russian Consulat in the town of Uralsk near the border.
If they still have a Consulat there and if they are willing to give him a visa.
Ed speaks jaw-dropping good Russian. So he may be able to sweet-talk them into giving him a visa anyway.
Ed`s good Russian may get him out of troubble sometimes,but Kazakhstan is among those countries where it can get him into troubble as well.
Many drunk young men don`t like people from Russia. Kazakhstan is full of local Russians whose families have lived there for generations,but only a foreigner would cycle around like Ed does.
And a cyclist who speaks fluently Russian would naturally be a slightly hated person from Russia.
Anyway,Ed has been in troubble before. A bit more than two years ago two drunk(?) young men on a motorbike torpedoed Ed`s bike while he was riding it. The front rack was ruined and a pannier was rubbing against the front wheel.
Escape was futile.
So he just grabbed the handlebars on the motorbike accidentally tearing off the mirror. The two young men took off afraid that Ed would rip the motorbike apart with his bare hands...
It was probably a robberyattempt,but they would maybe have setteled for money enough for a bottle of vodka...
Anyway,if he is aiming for Russia,he would have cycled on to the town of Turkestan from Shymkent.
It has a very interesting,nearly completed,600 years old mosqe that is UNESCO listed.
Next town is Kyzylorda.
From the road it looks like a terrible industrial town.
Then comes the closed town of Leninsk or Baikonur as it is called now. Leninsk is the supporttown of Baikonur Cosmodrome. From B.C. every Russian Cosmonaut since Gargarin in 1961 have been blasted into space.
Russia rents Leninsk and Baikonur Cosmodrome from Kazakhstan.
The town of Leninsk is closed to outsiders,but Ed can find a roadhouse/eatingplace nearby at the main road. B.C. can`t be seen from the road but the huge trackingstation can.
Next town is Aralsk that 30 years ago was at the shore of the Aral Sea. Now the shoreline is many km away. Aralsk is a depressing and unhealty place. Every second shop seems to be a pharmasist.
There may be a track following the railway but the main road turns north from Aralsk. In 2004 about 200 km was bad road or track. But good enough for cycling. After a few days the road turns straight west via the village of Kromtau to Aktobe (Aktobinsk).
From Shymkent to Aktobe Ed will probably spend around two weeks. From Aktobe to Uralsk three-four days. Ed should be able to find internet in one or both towns.
After crossing into Russia Ed will be back in Europe. He will start to feel the pull towards England and home. Will it make him restless and eager to follow a "straight" line back to England or will he take his time seeing and doing as much as he can?
But then again he may really have gone to Uzbekistan and Tashkent and then left town without saying anything to us.
Maybe freedom for him now is not to keep a blog?
Ed?
pinkglovesforever!
Asmund.
I thought he was still on route to Iran?
Having had a look at the map it is possible that he's heading south it would make sense. It's what I would do if I spent ages planning a route, why not ride the plan?
But then what do I know.
I do know that waiting for a graphic to render is really boring hence I'm still in the office.
Yup i'd still be going to Iran, bloddy file still rendering getting very bored and Iran seems a good option.
Still rendering load of little tiny numbers buzz - buzz - beep - beep technology is good! Think about it, it's got to be Iran why grow a beard otherwise? He might as well use it, quality beard like that won't come along every day back in the real world.
Anyway I'm sure Ed will be intouch before this file finishes rendering.
Assmund what did you make of the Khazakstan? As I have to go there with work.
So crazy travel! is amazing. Remember using wheels if you finally get a car instead.
Wicked custom idea mate get wheels like that and bung'em on the mk11.
low rider, ultra slicks, sweet
What about the Mongolian bike rustlers?
Still in mongolia I guess? Unless they're planning a come back gig in Khazkstan?
Asmund - Ed is obviously dead. Let him rest in peace. :P
Can't believe it from a loyal Ed supporter to arbinger of doom!
Ed's probably just bunked off and went to Disneyland for some R+R.
I had been drinking and smoking naughty things when I posted that.
Worrying so much about Ed has made me an alcoholic, you see. *sniff*
I'll stop drinking the next time he posts. Honest.
I bet he's all fine and dandy out there - with all his bits 'n' pieces intact, in their right places and functioning properly. But I do really wish that he'd post soon. The tearaway.
It does worry a loyal Ed supporter, y'know. Particularly a female supporter. You know what women are like...
(... Not quite as bad as Asmund.)
gave up the drink you sure? no need to do something so drastic is there.
I must say this is a very minimalist blog now!
Asmund silent! Nobody shouting the odds about the Yanks or the UK government! Recumberant Rob quiet as a mouse! Albert Einstein nothing to say! Even Elvis has dropped of the planet! and Eddy Merck absolutely Nada, Nichts, zipall!
I guess everyone is watching the World Cup?
I've had the World Cup going on in the background, with my dad watching.
I'll watch it more when it gets closer to the final.
I sure hope our Ed is OK out there though, in Kazakhstan, in the blazing heat.
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