Imagine you're in Big Brother - no communication with the outside world - no mobile, no television, no texting or email. Then imagine that Big Brother moved to Russia and you were the only English speaker. Combine that with the fact that Big Brother's just lost the luxury house, the warm shower, the toilets, perhaps most importantly the toilet paper, the warm beds ... welcome to Aksur. My days have been following a regular routine and the prospect of having a day off to explore the mountains, I'm sure, will bring back some enthusiasm. Breakfast is served at 7 am, when it's still dark and very cold, although a hot soup and tea can be quite inviting given the circumstances. Work starts early here - although I tend to hang around until about 9 am when it gets marginally warmer and possible to work properly. At about 10 am the sunshine hits the valley and instantly the freezing night temperatures rise and the sun begins to burn fiercely. Work continues, bar a lunch break and 'shower' in the stream from 12-1 pm, until about 6 pm. Then I escape the camp for a short one hour walk up the track to find the sun that's already set in the valley. It also offers some spectacular views of the autumn colours in the evening sunshine. Shame my cameras so crap at capturing it. After supper at 7 pm, there's not much to do in the camp except read and enjoy the fact that, for just a few hours, there's electricity. At 10 pm, the generator winds down and another day is finished.