The ferry from Alat, Azerbaijian to Aktau took 24 hours. We managed to catch a beautiful sunset on the Caspian, and I (Francisca) get to enjoy the last dinner of my 25th year with our fellow ralliers, all dressed up in suits, in the ferry dining room (ahem, more like cantina). We are awoken at 4 am and a bunch of armed Kazakh guards ask us to quickly pack up and leave the ferry, orders we are perfectly happy to comply with. We go through customs and then begin the process of paperwork for our cars, which takes another 8 hours of idly sitting in a parking lot. We are very good at waiting now.
Our first stop in Kazakhstan? A police stop. Our 7 car convoy is pulled over by an increasingly bewildered Kazakh policeman, who quickly finds out none of us speak Kazakh, Russian, and are quite a feisty bunch. He lets us go, with a reminder that our lights should be on at all times & that we should wear seatbelt.
Our second stop in Kazakhstan? A Burger King. We rejoice at the feeling of air con, wifi, and the taste of fries. 72 hour journey from Azerbaijan to Burger King was complete!
We spent that night in Aktau, bidding goodbye to some of our fellow ralliers, who needed to get through Kazakhstan quickly. Aktau is a lovely beach city by the Caspian Sea, clearly developing its tourism industry quickly. We meet one of David’s friend’s friend, Nourball, who grew up in Aktau. He tells us about Kazakhstan’s rapid development and expresses a desire for Kazakhstan to be seen as some joke in Borat. He also teaches us how to drink vodka Kazakh-style, with pomegranate juice and
We drive on & on through the Kazakh & then Uzbek desert, through the most unbelievably dreadful roads. Craters that would befit the moon and cottage cheese holes adorned the way, slowing our journey to a snail’s pace. Of very important note: THERE ARE CAMELS EVERYWHERE.
Our first stop in Kazakhstan? A police stop. Our 7 car convoy is pulled over by an increasingly bewildered Kazakh policeman, who quickly finds out none of us speak Kazakh, Russian, and are quite a feisty bunch. He lets us go, with a reminder that our lights should be on at all times & that we should wear seatbelt.
Our second stop in Kazakhstan? A Burger King. We rejoice at the feeling of air con, wifi, and the taste of fries. 72 hour journey from Azerbaijan to Burger King was complete!
We spent that night in Aktau, bidding goodbye to some of our fellow ralliers, who needed to get through Kazakhstan quickly. Aktau is a lovely beach city by the Caspian Sea, clearly developing its tourism industry quickly. We meet one of David’s friend’s friend, Nourball, who grew up in Aktau. He tells us about Kazakhstan’s rapid development and expresses a desire for Kazakhstan to be seen as some joke in Borat. He also teaches us how to drink vodka Kazakh-style, with pomegranate juice and
We drive on & on through the Kazakh & then Uzbek desert, through the most unbelievably dreadful roads. Craters that would befit the moon and cottage cheese holes adorned the way, slowing our journey to a snail’s pace. Of very important note: THERE ARE CAMELS EVERYWHERE.