Friday, 25 May 2012
Beyneu you Sandy Oasis
Mix a railway station, a couple of shops, four hotels, one- and two storey houses, a few government buildings and a school. Stir and let it settle. When ready, sprinkle with government propaganda billboards. What you get is your own little Beyneu.
Tuesday, 22 May 2012
Aktau - Beyneu
After three nights I check out of my hotel. 7000 Tenge a night is blowing my Kazakhstan budget. Happy to ride my bike again after two weeks lying idle in Baku and Aktau.
Damenbesuch, after meeting the first time in Baku, Dorothee from Basel is my cycling companion for the ride through the desert. I am happy for some company after riding and camping alone so far
Loaded with ten liters of water, heaps of food and enough suncream to bath in, we set off through morning traffic, past industrial estates, dusty suburbs.
Damenbesuch, after meeting the first time in Baku, Dorothee from Basel is my cycling companion for the ride through the desert. I am happy for some company after riding and camping alone so far
Loaded with ten liters of water, heaps of food and enough suncream to bath in, we set off through morning traffic, past industrial estates, dusty suburbs.
Ninth May
(Fotos to follow soon)
On 9 May Kazakhs commemorate their Soviet WWII victory. In Aktau, Lenina the main avenue is blocked for cars, Aktauians celebrating. Children riding horses and flying kites.
A fire and a couple flowers, other than that, little remembrance, loads of wartime glory.
A good old fashioned presentation of military might. Armoured vehicles, tanks, missile loaded trucks, howitzers and rocket launchers! Best of all, they were fair game. Kazakh kids riding the missiles on the back of a Kamaz truck!
Minivan mounted CCTV cameras keep a watching eye over it all. Military and ordinary police appear on high alert, walking up and down the street, scanning the crowds. Being watched like that gives me an eery feeling.
On a big stage, traditional dances and Russian classic techno adaptations are performed. Some really sweet and genuine, others more like open air karaoke. The crowds love it, so do I.
Like an alien, I stand out, but Kazakhs were focused on Kazakhs that day.
Aktau is a bizarre place. Famous for its nuclear power and desalination plant, in the middle of the desert, cut off from the rest of the country. Just how remote, I would find out the next days.
On 9 May Kazakhs commemorate their Soviet WWII victory. In Aktau, Lenina the main avenue is blocked for cars, Aktauians celebrating. Children riding horses and flying kites.
A fire and a couple flowers, other than that, little remembrance, loads of wartime glory.
A good old fashioned presentation of military might. Armoured vehicles, tanks, missile loaded trucks, howitzers and rocket launchers! Best of all, they were fair game. Kazakh kids riding the missiles on the back of a Kamaz truck!
Minivan mounted CCTV cameras keep a watching eye over it all. Military and ordinary police appear on high alert, walking up and down the street, scanning the crowds. Being watched like that gives me an eery feeling.
On a big stage, traditional dances and Russian classic techno adaptations are performed. Some really sweet and genuine, others more like open air karaoke. The crowds love it, so do I.
Like an alien, I stand out, but Kazakhs were focused on Kazakhs that day.
Aktau is a bizarre place. Famous for its nuclear power and desalination plant, in the middle of the desert, cut off from the rest of the country. Just how remote, I would find out the next days.
Wednesday, 9 May 2012
Aktau, Kazakhstan
Late in the evening the ferry sets off again. Into Aktau harbour, on deck I take in all the excitement. Two tug boats push our ferry to the dock.
Downstairs, I collect my bags from the cabin and I am sat in a waiting area. And, wait.
A border guard and a soldier come on board an hour later to pick me and the two Azeris up. In a minivan to the customs building, my bicycle stays on board.
Downstairs, I collect my bags from the cabin and I am sat in a waiting area. And, wait.
A border guard and a soldier come on board an hour later to pick me and the two Azeris up. In a minivan to the customs building, my bicycle stays on board.
Baku - Aktau
Day twelve in Baku, my Kazakh visa is now valid and a ferry is sailing to Aktau today. Twelve days of city life come to an end. Baku releases me from its claws. Goodbye to glamour and bling, I am on the move again.
A short but emotional goodbye from the family running the Caspian Hostel. The place had become a real home.
A short but emotional goodbye from the family running the Caspian Hostel. The place had become a real home.
Tuesday, 8 May 2012
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