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Humps and bumps in Kazakhstan
When we last updated we were just leaving our hotel in Astrakhan and off to the Volga Delta looking for a campsite called Berezhok which we’d researched. For once finding our destination wasn’t a problem, just a matter of dodging a few cows and horses on the way. Berezhok is more of a cluster of holiday chalets than what we would class as a campsite but the very gracious, English speaking owners, Aleona and Ruslan, were exceptional hosts and allowed us to park in front of their garage, fill our water tanks and even plug in our electric hookup! We had a lovely 3 nights there relaxing by the river, albeit having an ongoing battle with the ants, watching the various boats cruise up and down the Volga Delta. We even went for a paddle ourselves although we decided against submerging ourselves into the river water like the locals were. We had our first encounter with a snake (Caroline nearly stepped on it) and we enjoyed the company of the two resident dogs. One of the Russian guests got speaking to us in excellent English and brought over 2 cans of beer as a welcome to his country. He recommended we go back to Astrakhan on the Sunday for Navy Day and even offered to arrange transport with us so we wouldn’t have to take Mario back into the city. Another example of how friendly and hospitable Russians are. However we just decided to stay on the campsite for the 3 days to relax and read our books, before moving on for 2 days exploring the Delta and wild camping. Before we left Aleona and Ruslan sent us a gift of two huge pieces of watermelon which were devoured gratefully.
On leaving the camp we drove to the end of the first Delta ‘finger’ and found ourselves facing a small ferry crossing. We decided against taking Mario over the water and admired the lotus flowers and the cow bus stop instead! Our first wild camp was at the end of another ‘finger’ and we had the company of a family of dogs to keep us entertained. Our second night was spent nearer the border with Kazakhstan and this time a herd of horses were our ‘neigh’bours.
Wednesday we entered Kazakhstan – waking up early to clean the van inside and out for its numerous customs inspections. Just before the border we were a bit surprised to see the road continue over the river on what looked like a floating pontoon. This pontoon was far too unstable to take the weight of Mario so we opted for the ferry crossing instead, £3 well spent!
On reaching the border, needless to say after our experience entering Russia, we were both nervous and apprehensive due to the unknown of what we may be faced with. In reality, leaving Russia was simple, they didn’t even look in the back of Mario so the generator was no issue. We then drove for what seemed like ages through no-mans land and we when we started seeing road signs and junctions we thought we somehow must have missed officially entering Kazakhstan! However eventually a huge gold and white building came into view which was the Kazak passport control – certainly the nicest customs building we’ve seen to date. With the usual formalities done and a quick check over Mario we were on our way!
After sorting our insurance documents Bry noticed a car with a British number plate with lots of Mongol Rally stickers on – we were so excited by this we had to stop and have a chat. The two guys and the girl in the vehicle were actually from Seattle so imagine our surprise when they spoke to us in their American accents! They were soon joined by another British rally car this time containing two Brits. We all had a good chinwag, exchanging stories about various police stops, routes and running repairs. We were most impressed by the journey they were taking, driving from London to Mongolia in 25 days for charity. This made us realise we were doing more of a marathon than a sprint and appreciate Mario for the space and comfort he offers. After us signing their vehicles and exchanging web addresses we all wished each other bon voyage. Guys, if you’re reading this, we look forward to catching up in Seattle!!
We then drove for 4 hours on the worst roads yet! As a rule the roads are so bad people just drive down the middle and it’s a game of chicken to swerve into a pothole and avoid a head-on! Where the roads are even worse people just drive along the sandy ‘hard shoulder’ on whichever side suits. As you can imagine this is very tiring and very stressful, not only for us but for Mario too. Thankfully Mario is holding up but the pack of pasta we had in the cupboards made a number of escapes ending up in the sink more than once!
After yesterday’s journey and a pleasant evening watching the sun set on the ‘steppe’, we slept well albeit being woken up at 1 o’clock by horses outside the van, although this gave us another opportunity to stargaze! And when we woke up this morning we were surrounded by camels!
We are currently in Atyrau heading for Oktyabrsk and understand the road from here should be better. There’s even a rumour of a four lane motorway somewhere in Kazakhstan but we’re not holding our breath, we’re just glad we’ve got a month to get to the other side! However, we have so far found the Kazak people to be extremely friendly but also inquisitive as many have asked to climb in the back of Mario just to have a look (including the police).
Bry was pleased to be able to speak to his Mum on her birthday and hope she had a lovely time with Karen, Michelle and all the grandkids!
Don’t forget to check out our Gallery as we’ve uploaded some new photos.
That’s all folks!