14-May-2013 -- As the birds fly this confluence point is about 50 kilometers from Bishkek. By road it turned out to be closer to 80 km. I got a taxi and set off westwards on the M39 road. Around Kalininskoye we started trying out narrow, bumpy road heading north towards the c.p. One after another they all ended in a field and we had to return to the M39. Finally, just after the signboard of the Baltafka village, we found the right road which brought us to a point where we just had to walk 170 meters to the east to reach our target. The driver turned the car round and I trotted along over the flat field. But 137 m from the c.p. I came to an irrigation canal, three meters deep and partly covered with weeds and mud. Shoes off, trousers rolled up and down I slid. The bottom was only covered with half a meter of mud and water. I crawled up on the other side and continued carefully barefoot through a newly sprouted cornfield to the confluence point. In the mean time the driver got a shock. He did not see the irrigation canal from his car. He saw me walking along, and suddenly I was nowhere to be seen.

He obviously felt some kind of responsibility for this strange old fellow whose Russian was so weak that the concept of confluence point chasing had not been clearly conveyed. His relief was great when he saw me crawling out of the ditch and continuing towards the confluence point. On my return he was waiting for me ready to help out of the canal.

The first visitor to the c.p. did not mention the canal. Now that is mentioned. An easy visit.