#3: [09-Jul-23]

#2: [11-Aug-15]

#1: [29-May-05]

26-Mar-2026 -- This is the 19^th confluence visit on my walking trip from Portugal to Singapore, which began on February 26 ^th, 2025 at the south-westernmost point of Europe, namely at the lighthouse of the Cabo de São Vicente.

Last night we stayed just 900 meters from the confluence point at 43° N, 72° E! The point could not have been more conveniently located for us. To reach it, we were able to take a dirt road running parallel to the A2 highway. Fifty meters from the dirt road—or 100 meters from the highway—we found the point in a field that had not yet been tilled this season. To the south, we had a fantastic view of the western Tian Shan mountain range, whose snow-capped 4,000-meter peaks formed an impressive panorama in the wonderful weather. This was the nineteenth confluence visit on this hike and the 978th such geographic intersection point I have visited since my first one in 2003.

Today’s hiking day was fantastic—almost surreal. All day long we gazed at the bright, snow-covered mountains as we walked first along the railway line and later along a small road. Unlike yesterday, today was completely windless, and by midday it even became a little too warm in the sun. And as is so often the case: when the weather is fine, people are friendlier and more sociable. Every passerby asked about us. We were given bread, kefir, and drinks as gifts. On the now-green pastures, sheep and many horses grazed. Everything is incredibly peaceful.

At sunset, we reached a village called Karakemer, where there was no accommodation. Hoping to find a place with a local family, I wanted to ask at the grocery store. But even before we reached the entrance, a man stopped us and insisted on paying for our purchases. Although the entrance area was freshly paved with concrete, he assured us we could walk on it without worry. We trusted him and foolishly followed the man. The shop owner was not at all pleased, because all the other customers that day were climbing in and out through the window. Actually, we hadn’t intended to buy anything, but we did so anyway to allow the now-pushy man to perform his good deed. At the checkout, the man prevented us from paying, but he didn’t pay for us either. An argument broke out between the man and the shop owner. We used the opportunity to escape through the window without the goods and leave the absurd scene behind. However, the man continued to follow us and offered us a taxi service. By then we just wanted to get rid of him.

In the end, we wanted to leave the place quickly, so we took another shared taxi to the nearby district town of Qulan and had ourselves dropped off at a backstreet hotel.

CP Visit Details:

• Distance to a road: 100 m
• Distance to a track: 50 m
• Time to reach the CP from the road: 2 minutes
• Time at the CP: 8:05 AM
• Measured height: 601 m
• Minimal distance according to GPS: 0 m
• Position accuracy: 5 m
• Topography: flat, mountains in the background
• Weather: sunny, 17° C (felt temperature)
• Given Name: The Tianshan View Confluence

You are very welcome to visit my blog of the long hike. If you want to see where I am currently hiking, you can find my daily update on Polarsteps.