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Not only is she gorgeous but Michele is totally fearless and extremely talented. She has been working with adventure travel companies for a good number of years and has visited some of the world's wildest travel destinations. Above all else, she is a compulsive communicator and for many years we have enjoyed post cards dropping through our letter box. Now with the world-wide spread of the internet, Michelle has taken to sending emails. These are from her latest travels and she has agreed to let us share them with you. More will be added as and when they arrive so keep logging in!
24th July 2006 'Salamatsyz be' from Almaty, Kazakhstan! Flew in yesterday morning. If the weather hadn't have been so hot in the UK before I left then the 41 degrees C which hit me yesterday would have been more unbearable! Explored this very pleasant laid-back city with tree lined streets & several parks with fountains which I wandered through to cool me down. Also took the "confirms to world safety standards" cablecar (as announced over the tannoy) to Green Peak with views over the city & across to the Zailiysky Alatau "multicouloured" snowcapped mountains due south. They looked so inviting in the heat. Horses were the traditional way of life in Kazakhstan, now they eat them! Something I would prefer knowingly not to indulge in although I do enjoy trying most things at least once! Wish I spoke Kazakh or Russian as very few people speak English. Having some interesting conversations. Talk about "Lost in translation!" All set for the airport at 05.00 in the morning to meet my 17 happy grunters! We'll be travelling along some of the Old Silk Road, known as "Jobek Joli" to the locals here, into Xinjiang province of Western China & over the Torugart Pass into Kyrgystan to Bishkek where my bit finishes & another tour leader takes over for those continuing into Uzbekistan. I have 3 days to chill out before going around a 2nd & a 3rd time. I understand technology has caught up along the Old Silk Road so I will pop into the local internet cafe whenever I can, so do keep me posted of any juicy gossip etc. Michele XX 12th August 2006 Greetings from Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan! Another hot & sunny day, 35 degrees Have successfully completed my first tour around Central Asia & the Wild West of China & didn't loose anybody along the way. Just one camera & a bag of undies (not mine!). It all started 20 days ago when the group flight from LHR arrived 1.5hrs early!! Fortunately there was another tour leader on the plane who came to my rescue by gathering the group together at the airport (as they were wandering around aimlessly looking for a sign), phoned me, jumped in the bus & sped along to the airport in record time so they were only waiting 30 mins! Whoops! Pilot must have been on the extra strong beans! From Kazakhstan we travelled into Xinjiang Province of Western China (size of Western Europe). Home to the Uighurs! One of the 56 minority groups that live in China. They are very different from the Han Chinese: different language, different script, different religion & different appearance! Yes, they would love to be independent! Officially China only has one time zone despite being a huge country. In Xinjiang Province they also have their own official time which is 2 hrs behind Beijing! Our first night in China was spent at Sayram Lake, a mountainous lake at 2000m. We were lucky enough to witness the annual festival where 'girl chasing' & 'sheep tossing' are two of the area's major sports!! Also enjoyed a speedy speedboat ride on the lake looking for the equivalent of the Loch Ness monster which supposedly lives in the depths below. Next to Yining where we sampled the local honey beer. Very tasty & refreshing. Took the scenic route through the Tien Shan Mountains by jeep. Walked across a rock fall whilst the jeeps continued empty & fortunately managed to avoid the long drop below! My heart was beating a little fast as one started slipping backwards! Crossed the 'Desert of No Return', the Taklamakan Desert. That was a hot day, 43 degrees. Didn't play in the sand dunes for too long. Doug celebrated his birthday with an elaborate birthday cake which we ate with chopsticks! Tomatoes are classed as fruit here so they had decorated the cake with them!! We followed the northern & southern Silk Routes to Kashgar, the meeting point for traders for so many years & continues today with the famous Sunday Market. Bought Martin a decorative leather whip & a sheep to keep my head warm in winter!! From Kashgar we drove along part of the Karakorum Highway to Karakul Lake. Stunning scenery with snow capped mountain peaks towering above us at over 7000m. Next we travelled over the Torugart Pass at 3752m into Kyrgyzstan where we were met by an incredibly slow bus with the biggest fridge I've ever seen on a bus. Blocked the view for everyone sitting on the left hand side! Saw lots of marmots scurrying around & peering out of their holes. Spent a night in a 'yurta' (yurt in Russian, ger in Mongolian). Not quite the most authentic experience as they are positioned in somebody's back garden. Enjoyed a bottle of Russian champagne with dinner @ GBP1.60. The one & only shower was hijacked by some 'doctor missionaries' who refused to share it with us! Have enjoyed the walks in the mountains, desert & mountain scenery, local markets, people watching & some tasty local cuisine. If only I spoke Kazakh, Uighur, Mandarin, Kyrgyz & Russian! Fortunately I worked with three excellent local guides. 11 of my group have continued to Uzbekistan, the others flew back to LHR this morning which leaves me chilling out at our modest 4 star hotel in Bishkek. Had a couple of swims in the pool this morning, may book a massage for this afternoon, enjoy a vodka & orange or maybe a glass of champagne on the terrace. Going walking in the mountains tomorrow then off to Almaty Monday morning to start again with a full group of 20! September 1st Back in bishkeh Priviat to you all on this first day of September, Wight Rabbits! (That's Isle of Wight!) Have completed the circuit yet again, another 2225 miles! It has been a very eventful tour this time so I am more than ready for a couple of days of R&R back at the hotel poolside sipping champagne before I go around one last time. Due to the increased security measures at LHR 9 out of 19 passengers in my group arrived only with their clear plastic bags courtesy of BA. Sadly even their cameras were left behind at LHR. They were not reunited with their bags until 2 weeks later as the Chinese officials would not fly their luggage into Western China & when it arrived in Almaty, Kazakhstan they would not allow it across the border. So it was flown to Bishkek & travelled to the Torugart Pass to meet us. We celebrated with lashings of champagne that night in our yurta camp with Mr & Mrs Yurta! Excuse me veggies amongst you but this tour I sampled for the first time in my life, horse meat! I've always resisted the temptation thinking about poor 'Black Beauty' but it actually tasted very delicious! From Almaty we drove to the ski resort of Shymbulak minus the snow passing by one of the largest ice skating rinks in the world minus the ice! Took the chair lift up to 2900m & walked back down to the resort. Kazakhstan is hosting the Asian Winter Olympics in 2014 & has some excellent facilities already in place. Watch out for Shymbulak featuring in 'where to ski next' brochures! Our jeep journey across the Tien Shan Mountains was more adventurous than the first time as one of the jeeps broke down so we hijacked another from a passer by who was excited about coming to our rescue. But it also had mechanical problems after we set off. The journey was long but we made it. The next day another rock fall has now officially closed the road until next year! So next time round we will have to take the much longer alternative route. In Kuqa our hotel is located near the Red Light district where Han Chinese woman wait eagerly for business. There is a huge contrast between the new Han Chinese town & the old Uighur town with its mosques & interesting back streets. Muezzins who do the call to prayer in China are not allowed to use a microphone & loud speakers. As China is an atheist country Islam is tightly controlled. Many mosques have been closed down. Government workers are not allowed to observe the fasting month of Ramadan. Women traditionally do not go to the mosques. Crossed the Taklamakan Desert along the Desert Highway, 522 kms. There are wells built at 5km intervals to water the plants growing on either side of the highway to prevent the sand from drifting across the road. Such a good idea! The wells have been provided by an English engineering company. Oil & gas have been discovered in the Taklamakan Desert, no wonder the Han Chinese have an interest in Xinjiang Province. In fact 3/4 of the mineral wealth in the whole of China is concentrated in this province! Arrived at our hotel in Hotan one evening to discover the Chinese government had taken it over. Although we had a reservation the management had not found us alternative accommodation. I insisted on speaking to the Manager (as I do!), 1.5hrs later his staff found us somewhere & I also asked him kindly to pay for our dinner for the inconvenience, which he did. Outside the Friday mosque in Yecheng I chatted to a local woman wearing a brown blanket over her head! She was also wearing gloves as she fondled my boobs! Maybe it wasn't a woman?? Young children in China don't wear nappies. Instead they wear clothing with a slit up the bum! I suppose it saves all the mess! Back to Kashgar & the Sunday market. We were entertained by the Karakoy fat tailed sheep who stand in a line wiggling their bums! The fatter the tail the more valuable they are. Also bumped into two people I know travelling with another tour company! A small world eh! Took some of the group on the Kashgar Eye @ 36p. These ferris wheels are popular in most theme parks around China. Enjoyed another swim in IssyKul Lake, Kyrgyzstan at 1600m. The 2nd largest mountain lake in the world after Lake Titicaca. August 31 is Independence Day in Kyrgyzstan so we were lucky enough to watch the parade in the main square of Bishkek & saw President Kurmanbek Bakiyev give a speech. Kyrgyzstan is now 15 years old! Celebrated with more champagne! Had a tasty meal out for our 'Last Supper' but after waiting 1.5hrs to be served, although I arranged a firework display in the meantime, we were unhappy about paying the 10% service charge which had increased to 15%! Had a polite word with the manager who said he didn't care we had to wait 1.5hrs & called the police! We paid 10% service charge so we could leave! Hmmmmmm! Taking a few deep breaths & a vodka & orange! Visiting a Kyrgyz hairdresser tomorrow! Watch this space Hello everyone. Survived my last tour! At the beginning, back in Bishkek I splashed out at a local hairdressers on a wash, cut & blowdry for £1.75! Fortunately my local guide was with me to help translate so it didn't end up short back & sides! 17 in my last group & only two people's luggage was left behind at LHR & as before they were reunited with it two weeks later at the Torugart Pass. Kazakhstan & Kyrgyzstan is full of 2nd hand vehicles mainly from Germany & ladas! On the way to China from Almaty we enjoyed our picnics in a cannabis grove!! Only twice did we not stay in our usual hotels in China. In Yining President Hu Jintau & his merry men kicked us out but at least this time the management had already found us an alternative hotel. The President was visiting a few towns in Xinjiang province whilst we were there so there was increased security everywhere. We were lucky to cross the border into China as the next day the border was closed for three days due to the President's visit. In the Nalati Grasslands we watched as a local nomad milked her mares to make 'koumiss' fermented mares milk which is ready to drink after 3 or 4 days. Babies are weaned on this as it is meant to be very nutritious. An acquired taste, which I have not managed to acquire, worth trying once! Took the longer route through the Tien Shan mountains. This route was also spectacular with snowcapped mountains surrounding us as we drove across the steppeland in our basic jeeps at over 3000m. Fresh snow had fallen during the night & the sun came out so there were plenty of photo opportunities. Saw many bactrain camels (in 2002 there were only 950 wild bactrain camels left in the world & now classed as critically endangered), sheep, goats, dzos (half yak/half cow), horses, a marmot, lammergeyer ( also known as a bearded vulture with it's huge wing span) & various eagles. Arrived after our full days drive to Korla. A huge metropolis & headquarters for the many petroleum companies in Western China. Flashing lights Las Vegas style with many Han Chinese ladies of the night lurking around. Despite the one child policy in China, Han Chinese who migrate to Xinjiang Province are allowed to have 2 children. The ethnic minorities who traditionally have many children are restricted to 2 children if they live in the towns & 3 children if they live in the countryside. Secret police will monitor the number of children each woman has. If she is caught pregnant too many times she is forced to have an abortion! If she has child the officials will do their best to destroy it after fining the parents. If they work for the government they lose their job as well! Back across the Taklamakan Desert, the 2nd largest desert in the world. Over the last 2500 years the desert has crept 60 miles southwards. Did you know 2006 is 'the Year of Deserts & Desertification!' A 2600 mile gas pipeline has been built across the desert to Shanghai. Along the Southern Silk Route we travel through the towns of Minfeng, Hotan & Yarkand before we reach Kashgar. With the Taklamakan Desert to our north & the KunLun Mountains to the south, often obscured by the summer heat, dust & sand. Poplar trees line the roads through the oasis villages & towns with locals travelling by horse or donkey & cart. In one village we saw some women wearing the smallest hat in the world. A black velvet hat which resembles an upside down teacup & worn on top of a white scarf. Another tradition which is dying out as it is not so popular with the younger women. I wonder why?? It's sad to see so many interesting old towns being demolished by the Han Chinese to make way for new huge, agressive looking buildings. Even during the 9 weeks I was there we had to be quick to see the last remaining parts of some of these interesting old towns with their quaint back streets, craftsmen & workmen in their small shops, mosques, bakeries & natural medicine stalls with dried lizards, scorpions & snakes for sale. As well as having to cope with 5 different languages there was also 3 different scripts to try & decipher: Cyrillic (Kazakh & Kyrgyz), Arabic (Uighur) & Chinese (Mandarin). September is harvest time: cotton, corn, melon & sunflower seeds drying on the roadside, castor oil seeds (which are deadly poisonous until they are processed), pomegranates & grapes. In Xinjiang province the locals are extremely clever at squatting with their feet flat on the floor. Something they must master form an early age thanks to the squat toilets. Dined at the former British Consulate in Kashgar, an important building during the Great Game era in the 19th century. The strategic conflict between the British Empire & Tsarist Russian Empire for supremacy in Central Asia. Recommended the massage parlour in the Kashgar hotel so two guys in my group went along to discover Chinese massage parlours offer more than a massage!! In the famous Sunday livestock market in Kashgar Hollywood had cordoned off a section to film a new movie 'The Kite Runner'. Based on the book of the same name written by Khaled Hosseini. An excellent read, many thanks Monica for introducing me to this book. Directed by Mark Foster (Finding Neverland) but no famous actors. The story is set in Afghanastan so most actors are Afghans & Iranians. The market scene was meant to be 1977. As we crossed the Torugart Pass into Kyrgyzstan it snowed! Really set the atmosphere along this mountain road at over 3000m. The marmots have already gone into hibernation yet a few nomads were making the most of the last grazing land before moving back down to the villages for the winter. Had an extremely slow bus which managed to reach an average speed of 20 kph! Finally arrived at our yurt camp at 22.30. After dinner some of us stayed up chatting & drinking vodka with cucumber until 01.00, relieved to have made the journey. Our drive to Bishkek was stunning with fresh snow on the mountains, clear views & sunshine. 94% of the country is mountainous. The average elevation is 2750m & over 40% of the country is over 3000m. The highest peak in Kyrgyzstan is Pik Pobedy (Victory Peak) at 7439m. The country has so much potential for tourism especially walking, horseriding & mountian biking holidays. Sadly it is a poor neighbour to Kazakhstan as it has no oil or gas & it's neighbours look down upon the Kyrgyz as peasants. From Bishkek we did a beautiful walk in Ala Archa Gorge National Park. Saw ibex & red squirrels. The only skiing available is privately organized heliskiing as there are no ski resorts yet! Returned to the hairdressers in Bishkek to have another bargain, highlights @ £7!! Cost me £60 on the Isle of Wight! Not sure if greeen really suits me through! Now safely back on the Isle of Wight, it's great to be home enjoying the Indian summer! Even went for a swim in the English Channel on Sunday followed by a BBQ on the beach & watched a beautiful sunset. Always lots to do, 9 weeks post to sort through & research for my next adventure................ I fly to Delhi on 10th October until the end of the year. Leading three different tours: Delhi to Kathmandu (with 3 days sailing along the Ganges to Varanasi), by rail from Dhaka (Bangladesh) to Delhi via Kolkata (Calcutta), Amritsar (to visit the Sikhs Golden Temple) & the hill station of Shimla. Plus a family tour in Kerala (southern India). I fly back on 31 December arriving hopefully before midnight! Hope you've enjoyed my diary over the last 9 weeks. With lots of love from the intrepid & crazy explorer!
Michele XX
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