Altai Republic. Few kilometers south of Aktash I saw for the first time snow-capped peaks of the Altai. It was Mt Aktru – 4044 m above the sea. The views here remind me Canadian Rocky Mountains. The mountains are in the beautiful autumn foliage. What a colours!
After some 60 kms from Aktash the landscape changes – it converts to the steppe, with herds of sheep and horses. Finally we reached the last Russian settlement before the Mongolian border – Kosh Agach – dusty place, with gravel side streets and granite Lenin monument. “End of the world” – this is the feeling here. Why they drink so much? – this is the second question related to the local people.
I decided to turn back – there is nothing interesting before the border… We made a little detour (8 kms each way) from Aktash to Krasnye Vorota – the stone gate on the bumpy, gravel road to Ulagan. Quite nice place. But the local people say that the Ulagan area is last safe in all Altai…
