Slow & very inefficient

On Thursday 6^th June we left Tashkent, Uzbekistan & arrived at the border crossing into Kazakhstan at 7.45am to discover the border was closed to vehicles.  On we drove back past Tashkent for another 2 hours to find another border crossing.  This was accepting vehicles.  We began this process at 10am.

Like all the other border crossings so far, the locals just push right on into our queue.  At this place they were pushing each other to which a pregnant woman nearly fell over, a man was shoving women, women were shoving each other, border guards began shouting & shoving.  Luckily for us our Kazakhstan guide crossed into Uzbekistan to join us & managed to get the guards to open another door which we all politely queued at to the disgust of the locals who were still shouting & shoving each other.

Anyway, we get through as foot passengers into Kazakhstan in 2hours 30minutes which seems to be the going rate of our border crossings.  However, we end up having to wait for the truck to pass through.  No other coaches, trucks or cars seem to be moving.  In fact, the vehicle gates are not even open much of the time.  There are lorries lined up at the side of the little rural village waiting.

We find a bit of shade in the 2 cafes, 1 market stall & a waiting coach-the driver let me sit on & sleep.  I passed more time out the 40 degree heat in the café (which was like a rural farmer’s house utility room).  Border guards came in & out for food.  I ate more Plov & black tea=my staple diet in the Stans so far.

The café toilet was at the end of the rubbish strew paddock.  One of the best squat bog holes so far!  Made of mud bricks, mortar made of cattle/horse crap, hole in the ground nearly full, no door – but thank god because you would not want to shut it due to all the fly’s & stench.  Still, at least there was a bucket rigged up above a sink with actual hand wash in the paddock on the way back to the café.

The above description is a classic of squat bogs I have endured since arriving in Turkey/flew from Birmingham!  Getting use to them now.  Before I started this adventure, my plan was to take a photo of all the bogs I use – but they are just so bad I could not hang around to get the camera out.  The most memorable so far, along with that described above was a ceramic squat on the military highway monument, Georgia.  We don’t think it had been cleaned since 2010!  No one used it-we all squatted around the back of the shed.  The other was a tin shed cooking in the 40 degree sun at the back of a petrol station somewhere.  I can’t remember where, there have just been so many.  I constantly have loo roll in my pocket, because that does not exist in public loos at all.

A brand new squat bog still being built.  I think I christened it whilst the builder took a lunch break-he did turn his back so I had a bit of privacy.

 

Some essential advice for future Odyssey travellers:  Loos very rarely have a sink that works.  Most of the time it’s more pleasant to squat behind a bush anyway.  So, you can’t always wash your hands.  However, the Odyssey truck has a water spray containing bleach which works well.  EVERY time before you eat make sure you wash your hands.  The Odyssey truck has a hand wash bowl for every lunch & dinner we make – set up just before you pick up your plate to be fed.  My advice is to carry anti-bacterial hand wipes & even anti-bacterial liquid soap in your day bag to use at restaurants.  Wet wipes & liquid soap have been on sale in most shops & bazaars we have seen.

Anyway, back to today’s border crossing.  We had to hang around this village until 8.15pm for the truck!  This is a record so far to cross a border.  A grand total of 11 hours! (I have taken into account the fact that during the crossing we lost an hour because the clocks went forward an hour from Uzbekistan into Kazakhstan).

We then bush camped 1hours drive into Kazakhstan.

Our 2^nd day in Kazakhstan was a 12 hour drive to a bush camp just outside Aksu-Dzhabagly (aka Aksu-Jabuglija) nature reserve.

Lada.  The most common car since Georgia.  This 1 must have been owned by a boy racer

4 O'clock is beer O'clock on the truck

 

Our 3^rd day was a drive into the reserve & then a 3 hour canyon hike with a ranger, whilst a lucky 8 of the group (only 8 horses available to the annoyance of some), horse trekked through the reserve to the bush camp we set up.  Great views.

 

Our 4^th day was a 9 hour drive to a bush camp near the Kyrgyzstan border just outside a town called Merke.  It was so hot.  Another 40 degree day in the non air-con truck.  The bush camp had a welcome stream & lovely views.

 

 

Like Azerbaijan, we did not have enough time in Kazakhstan.  Pernille has the verdict on value for money because she spent about $400 & lots of stress trying to get this visa.

I am sat writing this post on the Kyrgyzstan border waiting for the truck to come through.  I realize waiting at these border crossings have their uses as it gives me the chance to catch up with this blog typing.  However, as we are off to a hotel tonight, some of the group are fed up waiting & seriously contemplating getting a taxi to the hotel about 100Km away so they don’t waste another day sat on a border.  Instead, enjoy the hotel luxury of a shower.

Photos of Kyrgyzstan look lovely in the Lonely Planet Guide stating 90% of the country is mountainous.  We are here for about 13 days.  We are all wishing that we spend more than 1 night in 1 place so we can properly chill out & not rush around just seeing the place but actually do adventurous activities.  In Uzbekistan we spent 2 nights in 4 of the hotels & 3 nights in 1 hotel which was a welcome change.  Before that, for the past 2 months, all places were 1 night except a few 2 night stints in Ashgabat, Yerevan, Tbilisi, Telavi bush camp, Kazbegi bush camp, Mestia, Goreme campsite, Pamukkale, Kusadasi, Eceabat & Istanbul.