In Borat country/Kazakhstan again

Zorro Jr. and his mission…..

Not crossing the Kazakh border at Taraz the day before but the next morning very early was done by purpose. As I am only permitted to stay 30 consecutive days, it gave me 1 extra calendar day.

Crossing the border went smooth and I was just on time before the daily group of border workers came in.

I decided to go immediately to the police office in Taraz, the first big city in Kazakhstan, to do the obligated foreigner registration. Also this went surprisingly smooth and I got immediately my needed stamp. Around 10 am I was done with the administration part and on my way again to Shymkent.

 

100 km before Shymkent I saw another biker taking a rest. He told his name but it was a too difficult pronunciation, so I called him Zorro Jr.

Zorro Jr. was a young kid of 20 years, just finished his studies and planned to go to Iran and back. A little weird as most of other travelers combining the “STAN” countries …

 

Zorro Jr.

 Together we continued and arrived late in Shymkent.
With more than 200km that day, Zorro was clearly exhausted (me too!). The only 2 words he could say the rest of the evening were “shower” and “sleep”.

The next morning Zorro Jr. told me that he likes to travel. He wants to go to Europe too and asked me if I was willing to help him to get a visa in case there is a need. Of course I agreed.

But then he told me why he wanted to come to Europe.

“Because in the Netherlands you are allowed to smoke joints” he said “and the marihuana is very cheap”

All right…..didn’t I just agreed to help him????? Maybe not the best thing to do....

Now the complete picture became also clear….a young kid alone on the way to Iran, well know of the best opium and other drugs in the world….

Zorro Jr. the cycling drugs trafficker….not a bad idea.

Our roads separated in Shymkent as Zorro Jr. continued to Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan. Whatever his mission was, I don’t really know. But Zorro Jr. was a good kid and I wish him all the best!

In the city Turkistan, I took a restday. Beside the normal cloth washing and bike maintenance I also did some cultural activity by visiting the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi.

Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi in Turkistan city



 
There they are……!!!

…..the camels!!!

 

The next 2 days were uneventful, except that I saw camels and some people that tried to rip me off.

Arriving in Zhangaqorgan, a small city 100km North East from Turkistan, people in a blue Lada offered to guide me to the best place in town to sleep. In reality, they brought me to a decomposed house. 2 young girls were in charge and asked first 8000 Tenge (+/- 30 Euro). Unrealistic high and after negotiating they lowered down to 2000 Tenge….

Afterwards I discovered why the price was that high: when I went to my room, I suddenly saw the blue Lada again, picking up his commission…..

On my way from Qyzylorda to Zhosaly I had 2 options. Taking the new M-32 road or an older road which is 30 km. shorter. When asking if the older road is still in good condition, I got this time 3 different answers.
Some people said “asfalto, da”, other said “gravel da, asfalto nietu” and the rest said “asfalto da, gravel da”.  

 

I decided to take the risk and took the old road. The first 130 km went well. Along the road there were "brem like" flowers everywhere, smelling magnificent, feeling you were biking in a SPA environment.

 

 

The last 25km, however, were gravel, making it a quite dusty ride…..

If I gained time or not, I don’t know. But I had a very nice ride and I later heard that the newer M-32 road was also still under construction.


The weather was perfect as well with almost no wind and cumuli clouds everywhere.



Perfect flying/gliding condition. Cumuli clouds as far as you could see

Several times I was even asking myself: what are you doing here on the ground, you should be in the air....!!!

 

Mary, the hard core traveler….

I was eager to go the next day as the route passed the cosmodrome of Baikonur. But in fact there was not too much to see. The rocket launch base is about 20km inland. The only thing I could see was an (old??) building with some satellite antennas.
 

Baikonur base





 

The next days the temperature kept rising. I was now riding in temperatures above 40°C.

Riding in an open area, high temperatures and dry wind makes you thirsty. I several times wished that I could jump in a swimming pool or had a nice ice cream.

But then suddenly, no way……a Dutch ice cream vendor from the "ijspaleis/ice palace" passed my way. I could not be hallucinating this time because I was riding at sea level, so it must be a “Fata Morgana”.

Clearly lost in the Kazakh Tundra. The poor Dutch customers....





....and by accident they got Russian Ice cream

Also a bus stopped along my way. I thought: again one of those people who wants to know where I am from, where I am going to and if my GPS is Sony's latest Xbox. 

A flying picture. I was the wrong man on the wrong spot at the wrong time 
(double click to enlarge, yeyeye)

Not this time as mother nature called for a collective sanitary stop.

Sorry, readers, I didn’t stop but I could not resist to quickly take my camera.....

Arriving in Aral I wanted to make a little short cut. That was not a good idea, as my GPS blocked again. Bye bye data of that day……

Aral is not more than a little city with still a lot of sand roads. The guest house I found by accident also hosted another traveler, Mary. Mary was a 26 year old tiny lady who was traveling alone from somewhere in Russia to Qyzylorda, a total of 2000km. She did not do it by bicycle or motorbike but by walk…..whaaaw, the hard core traveler.

When I asked her why she traveled her answer was very short but simple: “Because I don’t like to work……”

Mary and her "Colruyt" trolley

 

The sleeping machines

From Aral to Yrghyz was expected to be one of the most difficult, if not the most difficult, leg of this whole trip. It is difficult because beside some wild camels, there is absolutely nothing along the road….

But in fact it turned out quite well. I started very early, around 6 am. With good wind, at 10 am I got already the first 100km. But then the wind changed direction and got stronger. With no breakfast and empty stomach I got exhausted.

Recommended in the Michelin guide

Good there was that 1 house just on time where I could eat.

Again energized I continued and reached Yrghyz late afternoon. The owner of a road work company invited me to stay in his house and immediately we started to drink vodka and eating kurt, a kind of cheese ball…

First shoes out, then Vodka

I don’t know the real work of my host and his friends but what I do know is that they are sleeping the whole day…..
 

 

Full time sleeping

 

Baikonur, we have a problem……

I purposely choose for a bicycle with a Rohloff hub, a non-conventional gear.

And when buying my bicycle, the owner of the store told me:
“Don’t worry about your gear, it is a very robust, maintenance free system”
When consulting whether or not I should take also a spare chain with me, that same bicycle owner told me:
”No problem, your chain is the last thing you should worry about…“

Worn out chain: the 2 finger rule does not apply anymore....

Here I am, in the middle of the Kazakh tundra with a leaking gear box and a worn-out chain….

The necessary SOS spare part package is already on the way, thanks to A.K. However, to my friends of “De Bierton”, I would like to ask to stay stand-by for the next 2 months for an in the field repair job…..

I am now in Aqtobe. The next big city will be Uralsk where I must get my Russian (transit) visa. Hope everything goes as well as the last few days