Kazakhstan: the country of wanderers (part 2)

 

 

 

Slowly, slowly. To the West, to the Caspian See.

In the beginning of the month we came back to Kazakhstan to avoid Uzbekistan because of some visa complication. Borders are problems ... but mountains also. We had to get around both of them.

Wandering, again. But this time, it was a mad race accross the country. A huge slalom to embrace the relief. From city to city, from station to station.

Taraz, Shymkent, Kyzylorda, Aktobe... Names on the map, points in our mind, stages on our route.

More than 2000 km - such a long way! We didn't expect so much of Kazakhstan. But the place is made of distances and expanses - that is how it is! We had to deal with it. To become real wanderers.

To Aktau! To the Sea!
We want to embark, we want to go forward.


[Another small Kazakh travel book. 5 days in cars, buses and trains]

छ

 

 

Talas – Shymkent

[Kyrgyzstan: somewhere – Talas // Kazakhstan: Taraz – Shymkent]


- transportation: hitchhiking, mini-van
 

- timing: 10 hours (7am – 5pm)

- arrival: Shymkent, hoping for trains

- people on the way:

• hh1: we were waiting since fifteen minutes before Talas when hh1 took us without asking for any money – which is quite rare in Kyrgyzstan! He was Russian, father of a big family, working in Talas but leaving in Bishkek. He was very nice to us: we had breakfast together in Talas and he brought us to a mini bus station in Taraz.
• the drivers of the mini-van to Taraz: we talked a lot with the drivers of the mini-vans. Indeed, we had to wait till the mini van would be full. And... it took quite a while (we were almost leaving for hitchhiking!). But finally, we left in a full mini-van and everybody was happy.
• the lady in the streets of Taraz: we were a bit lost in Taraz, looking for the main road to Shymkent. A kind lady came to help us in the middle of the street: she was very surprised to see tourists in her town! She brought us to a bus stop, talked to the driver for us, told him where he  should drop us for the mini-van to Shymkent and left us. She was very enthusiast to help and to talk a bit, even if communication was complicated. But it was very funny!

- food:

• restaurant with hh1
• dinner at Bakhyt's place: Kazakh potatoes!

Welcomed again in Kazakhstan!

 

- anecdotes:

• nobody on the road: the 31st of July, we woke up in the middle of nowhere, in the North of Kyrgyzstan. Indeed, the day before, we took a shared taxi which brought us to an hotel between Talas and Byshkek. We got ready early in the morning and went to the road to hitchhike… But no car. Nothing. We started to be desperated: who would drive here so early in the morning so far away from Bishkek and so far away from Talas? But finally, one car came… and stopped! And we were very lucky because hh1 was very friendly and helpful.
• the river Talas: before the barrage, the river Talas is forming a lake. When we passed there, around noon, the landscape was very amazing: the small hills were reflecting on the surface of the water. It was very impressive.
• Kazakhstan again! The border was really easy to cross. But finding a good taxi driver was much more difficult! Our taxi driver from the border to the center of Taraz was not very efficient… he didn't know his way and was not so good in giving advices.
• NO TICKETS TO AKTAU: we wanted to book a train of the line Almaty-Aktau… but the next available one was… in two weeks! We had to make a new plan and we decided to go by train, bus and hitchhiking, even if the way would be very long (more than 2000km!). We had no choice – but determination!
• tired body: apparently we were still very tired because Hannah got fever again and was very sick. Rest was needed! Fortunately we had the opportunity to have one day free in Shymkent – therefore the rhythm was less stressful and exhausting! 

- sleep: Bakhyt's place - we met Bakhyt in Malaysia in the beginning of June: she was a student and a friend of Azry, our first couchsurfer! Back in Kazakhstan, her home, and on holidays, she offered us to stay at her sister's place with her. She came to pick us up by car when we reached Skymkent and we were really happy to see her again. Moreover she was very welcoming and helpful: we had more than all what we needed! We spent one beautiful day with her and her family (especially her twin) and she helped us to catch a train to Kyzylorda.

Park - Shymkent

Shymkent – Kyzylorda

 

 - transportation: train

- timing: 9 hours (11:00pm – 8:00am)

- arrival: Kyzylorda, buses-land

- people on the way: passengers in the sleeper train

- food:

• dinner at Bakhyt's place
• breakfast and lunch at the bus station

 

Before leaving Shymkent, we left one of Fernanda's stickers in  front of Bakhyt's place!

 

- anecdotes:

• 10 minutes only: we came with Bakhyt, her twin and her oldest sister to the train station. They were super nice to us and insisted to keep us company. It was really kind of them! They were quite worried about us: two young women, alone in Kazakhstan without speaking Russian! Bakhyt's brother even called a friend of his, Joldas, who is leaving in Kyzylorda, to ask him if he could help us the day after! At 11pm, the train arrived at the station and we had to go very quick inside – 10 minutes only! We said thank you and good bye and left Shymkent by night.

 

- sleep: in the train 

 

 

Kyzylorda – Aktobe

- transportation: bus

- timing: 9 hours (3:30pm – 6:30am)

- arrival: Aktobe, again in the North

Bus ticket to Aktobe

 

- people on the way:

• Joldas: he was already waiting for us at the train station when we reached around 8pm. He knew that there was no train to Aktobe the same day, but one bus at 3:30pm! He brought us with his car to the bus station and helped us to buy the bus tickets. It was very nice of him.
• neighbor in the bus: we had a friend in the bus: a funny grandpa who tried to talk German with Hannah in the bus. He helped us with the translations in the bus.

- food: 

• breakfast and lunch at the bus station 
•  picnics

Orthodox Church in Aktobe

 

 - anecdotes:

• back to the sleeper bus! After waiting till 3:30pm at the station, we experimented again a sleeper bus. The previous one was such a long time ago! But this one was very uncomfortable. However we were happy to go so quickly in the direction of Aktobe.
• the movies…: in the bus, till very late, the TV broadcasted completely absurd police series. We preferred way more the  children songs of the Mongolian bus to the Gobi desert!
• Holiday in Aktobe: we had a very chilled day in Aktobe, while waiting for our train to Aktau. Wifi in the train station for our respective requirements, visit of the orthodox Church and a mosque, picnic in a park, a movie in Russian in the cinema (we were the only one watching it!), beer in a bar, walingk back to the train station, and nice Turkish dinner. What else?

The Beguiled, bad movie we saw in Aktobe

 

- sleep: in the bus, with difficulties

Aktobe – Aktau

- transportation: train

- timing: 29 hours (1:40am – 6:40am)

- arrival: Aktau, at the end of the world

- people on the way: 

• nice women in the 2nd class: we spent the day in Hannah's wagon with two women. We didn't have any language in common but we try to talk a bit anyway. They were visiting family in Aktau!
• family & friends in the 1st class: in Julie's wagon was a huge group of people going to Aktau for a wedding. All of them were very joyful! They were traveling with a lot of food (it was very impressive) and they seemed to look forward for the celebration.

Hannah's artistic activity in the train

 - food:

• picnics (mistake with the noodles!)
• breads and kefir 

Aktobe - Aktau: a long way to the South-West of the country

 

- anecdotes:

• the last two tickets: in Aktobe, around 6am in the morning, we bought the last two tickets in the train to Aktau. So lucky we were! However they were not in the same wagon: one was in first class and the other in second class!
• (too) short breaks: the train was stopping at each single small train station (even if there was nothing around)… but without leaving us the time to go outside to breath a bit! Indeed it was very hot and humid in the wagon because of the amount of people. We were even wondering if Julie could come back to her wagon for the night!
• to the wedding: nice atmosphere in Julie's compartment, thanks to the “wedding group”! They were almost starting to celebrate and were very welcoming. Mirat, 25, was open for all kind of conversations; his wife Arailym, 22, was very friendly and his father shared a lot about French and Kazakh culture. We had a lot of fun!
• Astana time, Aktau time: once again, we got confused with the time differences. Astana is one our in advance compared to Aktau! That's why we reached at 5:40am in local time and not at 6:40am. But we could see the sunrise at the train station before the arrival of our couchsurfer!

- sleep: in the train 

 

Caspian See, finally!

 

We are now in Aktau! We are welcomed by Sergey and his family and are waiting for a ferry boat to Azerbaijan. Such a long way to come here! Kazakhstan was definitely a intense and intensive experience.