Day 23 Korkyt Ata Monum.-Kzyl Orda 220/7.217 km

We left at around 10am . The drive would not be far so lots of time. First water tanking at last night’s restaurant and then off we went. The 2 lanes new road lasted some 30 km and then it was under construction. Everybody off the road over the sandy old road or freshly cleared gravel/sand road. It was first left, then the right side of the road under construction. Every time we crossed it we though our ordeal was over. But no. Sometimes the dust of oncoming truck was so dense that you just had to stop and let it settle. The troughs’ and ridges were extensive. In fact the box on the back of the car started to tail off from the frame. So this 120 km took some 5 hrs to cover. In town we found a supermarket which made up for some of the discomfort. We drove all over town’s brand new lanes searching for sights or the museum. We only found the railway station and next door a post office so our first set of digital pictures could be sent home. When arriving at the out of town bush camp our travel companions got stuck so Rudy could proudly demonstrate his tow cable. Now we only need to find a way to fix the box back on to the frame in such a way that it does not tear more. Fred borrowed us a “spanband”, but I think we will try and find some for ourselves tomorrow. It just a temporary solution till we find a better one.
By the way, the temperature here the last few days has been between 28 and 32 deg C. But with strong wind it wasn’t so hot as it sounds.