Russia > Desolate Kosh Agach

We take it easy in the morning. Life in the other tents is also slowly coming back to life. I guess some of them are nursing a hangover. The motorcyclists covered a long distance yesterday. Perhaps they will manage to reach Kosh Agach today. That would mean we would meet again this evening. For us, it’s a short travel day—less than two hundred kilometers to Kosh Agach. We take a walk along the Katun River. The view over the river valley is beautiful. Afterwards, we pack up the tent. We say goodbye to the Russian friends from last night—at least to those who have made themselves known. We head back onto the Chusky Track. In the village of Inya, there is supposed to be a Lenin statue in a rather unusual, somewhat odd location. The statue stands on the edge of the small village, facing the mountains. A few kilometers further on, at a café, you can see a face in the rocks. Inside hangs a painting that clearly shows the face. With this help, the real face outside can also be found. At the café, we are addressed in Dutch. “Is that yellow car outside yours?” A Russian man has lived in the Netherlands for fifteen years and taught at a university.

Russia - Although Kosh Agach is the driest place in Russia it has recently rained

He wants to know everything about our journey and helps us choose from the menu. Nice! Along the Chusky Track we stop to see all the sights. Other tourists, mainly Russian, also stop at every attraction. Katarina had pointed out to us the spot where the Chusky and the Katun meet. The numerous cars already indicate the location. Further on, near the waterfall, it is also busy. The road winds through the Chuya Canyon. In the background are the snow-capped peaks of Mount Aktru. After the mountain pass, the road descends. The landscape changes rapidly. Everything here is much drier. The road drops down into a steppe. It’s hard to imagine that just tens of kilometers back everything was green and lush. We descend into Kosh Agach. With only 150 millimeters of rain per year, Kosh Agach is the driest inhabited place in Russia. The town looks dry and desolate. Yet puddles on the road reveal recent rainfall. What a difference from life in the Altai Mountains themselves. From the Lonely Planet we had found a hotel—but where is it? Just as we park to look for it, a car stops immediately. “Can I help you?” The girl offers that we could also stay with her, but she only has space for two. Unfortunately, we expect to see the motorcyclists again tonight. She drives us to the hotel. From the outside, there is nothing to indicate it’s a hotel. Fortunately, inside it is. Using translation on the phone, we reserve two rooms. By around eight o’clock, the motorcyclists also arrive in Kosh Agach. They covered a thousand kilometers in two days—a remarkable achievement. Fortunately, the roads were good. At the same time, a Japanese motorcyclist arrives. He comes from Mongolia and crossed the border today because it will close for a week after the weekend due to holidays. According to him, the closure starts tomorrow. What now? We had heard about it but thought it would only start on Sunday. We’ll head to the border tomorrow and see what the situation is. If the Japanese rider is correct, there’s nothing we can do for now. In the evening, we take a taxi to a restaurant. There’s nothing near the hotel. Around midnight we return. The hotel is closed, but we can enter through the garden at the back entrance.