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It was bitterly cold as we left Arslanbob this morning and I was finally able to wear the down jacket that I’ve had in the bottom of my pack since New Zealand. We had to retrace our route down from Arslanbob, there being only the one way in and out of the area. Again, we had to manoeuvre around horses, sheep and cattle being driven down the road. Away from the valley the country changed rapidly, becoming steadily more arid and less attractive. We stopped at the market to buy provisions as we will be camping for the next two nights. We’ve been divided into teams for cooking duties – I’m in team 3 so don’t have to worry about menus and so on until the 4th June. In the afternoon we followed a river route past a large dam that had created a lake behind it. Tonight we camped on the shores of this man-made lake, otherwise known as the Naryn Reservoir. It’s an open spot, and very lovely, situated as it is between hills and water. Rather surprisingly the ground was covered with seedlings that looked oddly familiar. The cognoscenti among us confirmed these were wild marijuana plants. I wasn’t entirely convinced – they didn’t smell so to me, but what would I know? It’s been fun to go camping again with Cavan. We’ve proved we haven’t lost our knack for putting a tent up together, and the gear we brought along has proved to be excellent. Tonight it is windy and warm, but I’m picking it may get cold when the sun goes down, although at 6pm I’m still in shirt sleeves. I need Brett to help me tonight with my Rubik's cube. Bless him, he bought me one today so that I can get muddled on my own one. He is a dab hand at this conundrum, and it’s been fun to learn the techniques.
