I expected vastness in Russia, but I found even more in Kazakhstan. Besides the endless flat plains in the center and west of the country, there is nothing to explore. Since I would have to drive a lot, I decided to do this trip with a Chinese hitchhiker I had met in Georgia before. We even drove together as a group of three, since he was traveling with a Chinese girl for a few days.
There were only two places we were really interested in. Due to long-lasting renovations at the most suitable border crossing to leave for Uzbekistan, these places were slightly off our route in the Mangystau area. The detour was just 1700 km and brought us back close to our main route, which was 2600 km. However, it was worth it. First, we took a 130 km shortcut on a dust track to reach the iconic Bozjyra landscape.
After another day of driving, we reached the second place, known as the Valley of Balls. Again, we spent the night there.
As we made our way back to the main route, the Chinese girl departed as planned in the Mangystau region. The rather boring part of our trip began, as there were still 2800 kilometers ahead of us. We tried to make the best of it.
As we approached Uzbekistan, we saw a bicyclist from that country. We stopped him and learned that he was heading toward Mecca. As we watched him continue his journey, we realized that we weren’t the only ones stopping him. Several cars and trucks did so as well, all within a few minutes. We hope he arrives in Mecca in time and doesn’t get stuck along the way for years.
One last point of interest along our route was a cave in an area of Kazakhstan with some smaller elevations. After traveling together for more than a week, I dropped my new Chinese friend off at a railway station and left for Uzbekistan. I ended up spending nine days and traveling 4200 kilometers in Kazakhstan.
