Bel Velentina place in Aktash

From Barsugan I rode the main road in Altai towards Mongolia. Pine forest and mountain pass with the range covered by snow cannot be described again and again how beautiful they are. I really love mountains at this point. If you ask me to choose between a beach and a mountain cottage, I would choose the mountain cottage so long I can ride there and there was no hike involve.

My journey timing for the day seems to be working. Wake up and only leave or start journey after 10am, traveling when the sun is high and reaching the destination of the day before dinner. Today I went through two mountain passes. Not really high but due to the latitude that was already so up north, it was blanketed with snow. I was freezing even with full gear.

The start of climb to Seminskiy Mountain Pass

Seminskiy Mountain Pass Rest Stop

Seminskiy Mountain Pass 

I reach Aktash just in time for an early dinner and then it was time to decide if I were to push on to Bel Velentina place for the night or find a hotel in Aktash itself and visit Bel as a day trip next day morning. 

I decided to push on since it was only 20km away and the road was good. Bel Velentina place was a weird place where he had staked vehicles up in the air like a madman but in fact he on the other hand was one of the warmest and kindest Russian I had ever met in the journey.

A little Town - Onguday if I am not mistaken  

Bel Velentina place was actually introduced by Andrey in Barnaul. Truely authentic beyond a doubt and I was mostly freezing since his place was higher up in elevation means now I was staying definitely below zero degrees at night. I chatted a lot with his family around the fireplace. A big furnace fireplace and yet it was still freezing to me.

2nd Mountain Pass - Chike Taman 

Chike - Taman Mountain Pass Pit Stop

I had actually planned to forgo any sort of bathing, but Velentina insisted that I tried the Russian Suana / Banya. It was definitely the way to bath in the freaking cold weather. Hot steaming room with another super-heated room to un-cloth and re-cloth after a good bath. All the cold seeping into my bones especially the fingertips and toes got warmed up and tingly again and I knew I was good.

Russian Suana or Banya is like a survival mandatory requirement. It’s not really the cleansing feeling that was important but the warming up of the whole-body proper in the cold weather that actually makes me felt so much refreshed.

Going Higher to Bel Velentina place 

Bel Velentina - The man himself

A cosy little Hut Dorm 

Next morning with Bragge buried in snow, I said a little prayer before firing up the engine. It was cold alright and sputtered and died many times, but it was firing up so with patience and trying not to force REV the engine for it could damage if I do. After a few minutes the engine was puffing, and I left it running for nearly an hour to properly warm up.

Bel Velentina Place where Spiked Cars & Bikes become a Novelty for Travellers & Photos

The Fireplace at Night Keeping me alive 

When I saw this house, I regrated not having a Uniquely Malaysian Shirt to add to his Collection

Cosy Dorm for the night 

Sun was out, bags all packed up and road seemed clear at about 10am. I bid my goodbyes to Velentina and his family then started the journey back down towards Kosh-Agash. Initially the night before they suggested me to go further in or up to see Katu-Yaryk pass but that morning with all the snow and cold biting through my whole gear, I figured it was better not to risk going up higher in elevation for there would be high chance of snow or ice on the road.

Snow Covered in the morning

I headed down slowly and mostly the roads were clear and clean but at one of the rocky cliff pass where the roads were wet and broken, I went very very slow being weary of slippery tarmac and also ice. It was a good thing too for I could not see the black ice on the road and Bragge started to skid and slide and no amount of brake even though the bike was moving at walking speed could stop the skid.

I fell and the bike skidded forward on the ice downhill and as Bragge skidded away from me towards a right bend, I could only pray that no vehicle would pop up at that very time and crush my beloved bike. I think Bragge skidded at most 5 meters and then stopped. A passing vehicle stopped further up and came back to help pick up Bragge, and slowly both of us push / slide / roll off the ice further downhill till there was no more ice.

Morning Snowline at Bel Velentina Place

Pushing off once the Road was Clear of Snow 

Skidded & Fall on Ice

I quickly fire up and ride Bragge to a save spot to do damage assessment. Dented spotlight which I just bend back immediately. Bent foot brake pedal which I had to somehow bend back for it was stuck on full brake now making the back brake lock up. I had barely any strength to bend metal but somehow manage to tease it a bit loose so that the back brake was no longer locked up. Felt some pain on leg and hips from the fall but that was all.

I rode slowly to Aktash and there found a workshop to brute force bend back the brake pedal. Everything back to normal and now that I was back down in lower elevation with no snow or ice, it was a short ride to Kosh Agash for the night. 100 km but with so many scenic stops just to enjoy the view, it took me 3 hours.

Nothing much in Kosh Agash for it was just my last stop 50km from the border. Tomorrow, I would cross over into Mongolia and to be frank I am a little nervous.

Travelled on: Sep 2024