Kazakhstan 2009 Romanian Expedition

Day 10, 11.08.09

Route:   camping on the steppe  near Qarabutah – Aralsk

No.km: 371

 
The camp in the morning

 Coffee time
 

The good road ( Aktobe – Qarabutah) is now over
 

 The bullbar’s fixture fails. Stop for repairs.
 

 The luggage  removed  to access the tools.

 
The earth track is provided with traffic signs.

 There’s no need of 4×4.

 The main road is under construction, so you have to drive aside it.

 

 
Traffic partners
 

The trucks and us

Camels on the roadside

It works with a limo too…
 

A boy riding asks for cigarettes.
 

 
We stop for taking  pictures of the camels.

 The falcons love the traffic signs.
 

 
Camels in the sunset
 

We arrive in Aralsk. We accommodate at Aralsk Hotel, the only one in town.

 

. There were only 3 rooms available, from which one was newly painted. So, we take just 2 yellow rooms (double rooms)  for 9 people!

 

Waiting for the roast mutton (shashlik), beers and shubat (fermented camel milk)

 

Part of the order alreadyarrived.

Day 11, 12.08.09

Route:  Aralsk – north of Aral Sea (Zhalanash– Tastubek )– Aralsk

No.km: 123

 Aral/Aralsk Hotel

Aralsk Hotel lobby  – first floor

We are  accosted by Guljanat, a young English teacher from Aralsk, which offers to provide us guidance in the area.

On the way to the  ship cemetery  promised  by Guljanat we stop for photographing camels.

 
 Zhalanash - former fishing village, now  8 km away from water

 Disturbing the camels

 On the bottom of the sea – North Aral Sea, former Zhalanash Bay
 

 

Of the many ships promised, we found pieces from two or three. The rest were sold  as scrap by local authorities

 

 We head slightly disappointed to Aralsk, on an earth track on the former bottom of the sea

Ship in Aralsk port

Ship in Aralsk port (2) 

 
Cranes of the former port of  Aralsk

 
On the main street in Aralsk

 
Guljanat and her sister accompany  us to the restaurant.

We order a traditional Kazakh dish (bershparmak) based on horse meat and which is eaten without cutlery. We receive 3 large plates   for 11 people + one bowl each with a sort of soup made from the ingredients used for cooking the bershparmak. 

Day 12, 13.08.09

Route:  Aralsk – north and north-east of  North Aral Sea – mouth of Syr Daria River - camping on the isthmus between North and South Aral Sea

No.km: 230

 
Following the advice of other travellers  from Russia, journalists for a 4×4 magazine,  we decide to give up  crossing the  desert to Ustyurt and Mangystau. The road is almost impossible to do with cars so loaded. For the 400-500 km that we have to travel we would have needed reserves of water and diesel fuel for 4-5 days, because the average km / day in that area (desert) is about 100-150km/day. That’s without taking into account that the earth tracks in the desert are tricky and one can easily get lost… After consulting the topographic maps and Gps-s, we decided, for that day, to reach Syr Daria River and to try finding the ships near Bogen village.

Group photo in front of  Aralsk  Hotel before leaving Aralsk
 

 
In search of ships and Syr Daria we  photograph some camels. 

 
A pool of fresh water (or less salty) – horses, cows, camels drinking
 


Qamystybas Lake

At  Bogen we found no ships. Like the  ones near Aralsk, the ships were sold by local authorities as scrap.

 Fortunately, we are allowed to cross the bridge under construction over  Syr Daria . In this way we can continue the route  between North and Southern Aral, avoiding a detour of several hundred km to reach the boats from Northwest of South Aral Sea. 

The dam between North and South Aral Seas

 Stud

 
Advised by some workers that loaded a truck with sand, we camp near the dam that separates the North and South Aral Seas. The same workers sell us  some diesel fuel (40 liters for 0.5 l palinka and  1000 tenghe = approx.7dolars).