Update: Sun 11:45

Headlamp

My spare headlamp has blown. I thought it had and it was confirmed when I entered an unlit tunnel from broad daylight into pitch blackness. Yikes!

Full beam ahead, captain!

Russian Visa

It's been confirmed by an agency specialising in Central Asia that the Tashkent consulate (the most liberal Russian consulate) has decided to made life very difficult for the traveler. Like Pakistan, the Russians are basically insisting that you get your visa in your home country however inconvenient that is.

There's a final option to pursue -- well, for the delightful A to pursue, I'm about to head into the mountains and go incommunicado :-) -- otherwise it looks like the fastest option will be to send my passport back to the UK (via DHL at some bargainous price, no doubt) and have someone (don't know who yet) process the visa application there.

It'a all good! For some value of good.