Day 22 Friday 16 September 2011 Unknown village to Bishkek via Osh

Up at 7am to find some villagers taking measurements of the Morgan.  Laurette wakes me up and says that there appears to be measuring going on with bits of rope. The truck disappears and comes back later, with the load of hay that was in it earlier, but now with a 9 inch angle grinder & they proceed to take out the dividing wall between the back of the truck & the cabin so that the Puce Goose would fit in with the nose just behind the front seats.  Obviously a good financial deal for them to chop up the truck !!!!!!!  The grinder was powered by a man getting a ladder and twisting bare

ends of cable around the incoming mains under the eaves.

Modifying the van to remove the wall dividing cabin from rear so that Morgan would fit.

Local kids sitting in the Morgan. The loading was an event for the whole village.

Next problem was how to get the Morgan up into the truck. The locals found a deep culvert & backed the truck up to it. We then pushed the Morgan close to it. Next some timber had to be found to push the Morgan up into the truck. It was a close fit but eventually it was in.

Steering Morgan across the ditch into the truck.

Morgan loaded into truck.

Front of Morgan reaching into front cabin of truck.

In daylight it was interesting to see just how small & isolated this village was. Many families lived in yurts. All were curious & friendly & the women & children loved to have their photographs taken & to see then on the playback.

Two children of the truck owner at the doorway of their house

I rode in the Landrover as the senior man & his son were both taking the truck to Bishkek. Phil rode with them.

A very long & tiring day on the road, 18 hours in all, arriving at Bishkek at 3.30am.

What surprised me was the amount of traffic in Bishkek at this time of night. Bishkek was ablaze with flashing & neon lights, including many casinos.

More about our respective trips that day later. I was in the truck for 22 hours.