Part V

Day 16, 17.08.09

Route: steppe camping – Quandaghash – Shubarqudiq – Bayghanin – camping in the steppe, somewhere between Nogayti and Saghiz

No.km: 322

Continuing the trip

Heading to Maqat

Beyond the clouds

We stop at a “KAФE on the roadside.

Sandstorm

Rally raid

Suzuki

Nissan

The sand from the Suzuki’s shields is removed.

We tried to help some locals having a tire breakdown. They didn’t have any jack or spare tire, so they just waited for a spare tire ( that one flat too) , eating sunflower seeds and talking. Unfortunately we couldn’t help. The holes were too large to be filled with the vulcanizing kit we have.

We go few kilometers further

And we camp

Day 17, 18.08.09

Route: camping in the steppe, somewhere between Nogayti and Saghiz

– Maqat – Dossor – Atiraw – steppe camping

Day 23, 24.08.09

Route: Mitocul Dragomirnei Village – Suceava – Bacau – Maracineni Buzau – Bucharest

No.km: 463

Maqat

Gate in Atiraw

Atiraw

The bridge over Ural River, the border between Europe and Asia

Last night in the steppe

Day 18, 19.08.09

Route: steppe camping – Ganyushkino – Krasnyy Yar Customs Point (KZ/ RUS)- Astrakhan

No.km: 338

Last villages in Kazakhstan

we still have smiley faces

The floating bridge from Krasny Yar. We are already in Russia, after the usual 4 hours of Customs.

Branch of the Volga

We check the maps to decide if we’ll return through Elista or Volgograd. We decide to spend the night in Astrakhan and to stay another day in order to visit the city.

Day 19, 20.08.09

Route: Astrakhan – Volgograd – motel near Kalaci on Don

No.km: 513

We give up the idea to spend one more night in Astrakhan. During the night, part of the stickers on cars were stolen, although we have paid extra money at the motel for guarding them.

Volga at Astrakhan

Church in Astrakhan

Astrakhan

Volga

We try to aproach the border with Ukraine to ensure that will exit Russia the next day (without registration foreigners are allowed to spend 3 days in Russia). We spend the night in a motel near Kalaci-on-Don. We take 3 rooms with shared showers and toilets. Cafeteria with quite good food.

Day 20, 21.08.09

Route: motel near Kalaci-on-Don– Morozovsk – Belaya Kalitva –Donetk Customs Point (RUS/UKR) – Krasnodon – Donetk

No.km: 537