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First stage Switzerland - Thailand
Part 5: Western Kazakhstan, July 2008 |
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After a ride through the more than 70 km wide delta of the river
Volga I have reached the russian-kazakh border. The formalities
were finished within 30 minutes and then I was riding curious about
the new country into the vast and deserted plains of the northern
shore of the Caspain Sea, riding past some wide scattered camel
herds and oil fields. |
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Picture:
Camels in the steppe. |
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The
few little towns on my way are hardly to outbid regarding their
sleepiness. Unfortunately the little towns are marked with a high
unemployment rate and missing perspectives for a better furture.
Only the oil industry has some jobs to offer. |
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Picture:
The center of Akkystau. |
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The
first city on my way through Kazakhstan was a pleasant surprise.
Since years the city experiences an economical boom, and today all
international major oil companies are present. Remains the hope
that also the country side of Kazakhstan can benefit from this boom. With the crossing of the bridge over the river Ural (just 500 m away from my hotel) I have reached now Asia. A moving moment. Half of the city of Atyrau belongs to Asia and the other half to Europe. I have reached this city after 10 hours riding, making my so far longest stage of this trip (194 km) in one single day. This was completely exaggerated considering the bad roads (but it is said that they are still the sort of the better ones in Kazakhstan), the heavy packed (45 kg luggage) bicycle and the strong head wind. So I rested in Atyrau again for one day. |
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Picture:
The backside of the Hotel Ak Zahik in Atyrau. |
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Bild:
The river Ural which forms together with the same named mountain-range
the border between Asia and Europe. (The left river bank belongs
to Asia, the right one to Europe). |
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For
the next 100 km after Atyrau i found myself on a very good road.
But the pleasure did not last for long and I had to ride the next
620 km until Aqtobe on incredible bad roads which made very high
demands to both human being and material. Moreover the distances
between little villages with shops with a very limited assortment
had become 300 km and more! Due to the poor road conditions many cars and trucks search a parallel side way through the desert. But after some rain those ways are also close to impassable and every kilometer becomes an endless battle against dirt and sticky mud. |
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Picture:
On one of the two major highways which are linking Western Kazakhstan
with the rest of the country. |
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So
it happened that I was between Atyrau and Aqtobe 5 days out in the
desert alone with myself. The endless and vast landscape has a very
calming effect on the human nature and empties the mind from all
active thoughts and feelings. That is the point where unexpected
inner freedom and happiness is arising and taking over my entire
existence. |
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Picture:
The endless and vast landscape found its reflection in my mind. |
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Picture:
The motor of Kazakhstan's economy is crude oil, and almost every
job has something to do with it. Oil is making Kazakhstan the richest
country in Central Asia. |
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Picture:
Some pot holes are so big that a small car could easily fall into it. |
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To
minimize the loss of water through breathing (I drink every day
about 8 liters of water and feel still thirsty in the evening) I
tie a big scarf around my face. The scarf also protects me from
millions of little and very fast flies which love to land in the
face. |
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Picture:
Self-portrait |
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When
I met Thomas from Berlin I enjoyed very much to speak with him in
German language. Since several weeks I communicated with only some
few Russian words, and I could order all the time only the same
food and answer the same questions about the where from and where
to. Thomas is touring with his motorbike through Russia, Kazakhstan
and Mongolia and like to reach Vladivostok in the very east of Russia,
just besides Japan. |
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Picture:
Thomas from Berlin on the way to Vladivostok |
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It
was always a welcome diversion from the monotony of the deserted
steppe and to get in contanct with locals having a meal in one of
the few "Chaikanas" (literally: Tee house) on my lonely
way. |
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Picture:
Edik with his sister and mother in front of the chaikana in Baiganin. |
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But
unless those few encounters I was all those days alone with myself
out in the endless steppe and always hoped that the common afternoon
thunderstorms with their canonade of flashing lightnings would pass
by. It might be dangerous to be out in this plains on a bicycle
in a thunderstorm. But fortunately most storms passed me. |
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Picture:
A huge thunderstorm over the vast steppe. |
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Everyday
some car drivers curiously friendly requested me to stop, offered
something to eat or drink and asked where I came from and where
I was going to. So also Daniyar from Aqtobe who stopped me around
the village Kandiagash invited me spontaneously to join a traditional
dinner and a joyful party with his friends. It's always a great
pleasure to experience this cordiality of the locals. |
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Picture:
With Daniyar and Almaz, my hosts in Aqtobe, in front of a memorial
of a female resistance fighter who had killed a huge quantity of
german nazi-commanders during world war II. |
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From
Aqtobe for about 250 km a very good paved road led to Karabutak,
sometimes I had the chance to eat in a nice "chaikana"
with good assorted dishes, and the temperatures were around pleasant
30°C to 35°C. |
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Picture:
Karabutak, the last "bigger" place for the next 360 km. A
"bigger place" means a village with maybe 100 inhabitants,
a shop with a few articles, two or three "chaikanas" and
some camels. |
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Picture:
Through the loneliness of the deserted plain, about 50 km south
of Karabutak, nobody to see near and far. In average I didn't come
across more than two or three cars per hour. Apart from that I had
the road for myself alone.
But already a few kilometers later the paved road turned into a
demanding off-road track for the next some hundred kilometers ... |
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For
500 Tenge (about 4 US$) in most of the "chaikanas" it's
possible to sleep. But there is no bed available, the floor must
be enough. The "chaikanas" between Karabutak and Aral are very simply equipped and no one needs a menu. They simply serve "something to eat", and this is mostly a bowl of mutton, a huge piece of bread and a pot of tea. Since long time already I had buried my expectations of vegetarian food ... |
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Picture:
Staff of a small "Chaikana" (father and his two sons,
the mother is in the kitchen). |
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The
further I got to the south the worse the road was. There was no
more pavement for hundreds of kilometers. The few cars and trucks
drove on parallel ways straight through the desert. But those ways
are mostly completly silt up and impassable with a bicycle. So there was no other choice than using the main road and to bump kilometer by kilometer towards the south. That was no problem as long as I did nothing else then riding bicycle, what means to keep my mind free of all active thoughts and emotions. To ride bicycle under such circumstances is easy, but to think about it would make it really very difficult. Doing like this I was able to enjoy even the hard sides of a cyclist's life. |
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Picture:
On the national highway M32, the Aral-Highway (north of the village
Irgiz). |
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The
further I went to the south into the Aral-Caspi depression the hotter
the climate became. Between 11 AM and 3 PM the temperatures rose
up to 42° C. A shady place which could provide a little protection
from the scorching heat was not available at all. Of course I had
to drink a lot of water and in one of those days I really poured
12 liters down my throat - and still felt thirsty! |
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Pictures:
Sometimes there was an old stretch of paved road, but the sun was
so intense that the asphalt had become almost liquid! |
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Pictures:
Sometimes truck drivers invited me to a watermelon what I never
refused regarding the heat of over 40°C. |
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Roughly
100 km before Aral again I came across a paved road. The worst stretch
through the desert was done! But also this raod had become soft
in the heat of the intense sun. |
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Picture: Paved road before
Aral. |
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Next
page / Part 6: Southern Kazakhstan |
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