The camper was in the full sun in the morning. Upstairs there was a breeze but downstairs, where Jamaliah sleeps, it was very warm. That still did not get her out of bed earlier. Since we are travelling on our own the departure time is slowly getting later and later. It does not matter too much. We do miss the coolness of the early morning though.

In Zaysan there was a local festival going on. We joined in the fun and found a seat on the stand. For some 3 hours we enjoyed the spectacle of Kokpar. Teams of 4 riders play a sort of horse rugby with the carcass of a headless goat. It gets picked up off the ground and has to be thrown into a circular goal at one side of the field. In the mean time the opposition rams into you with their horses and tries to pull the goat out of your hands. A lot of fun to watch. As usual there was a prize giving and food stalls.

Because of this deserved delay we did not make it all the way up to Marqakol lake but found a camping place at a stream just off the Chinese border. Several families were there enjoying the cool water stream and at the same time washing the carpet.