I left the hostel and went to join Damien at his hotel so that we could travel together today to Almaty.
Traffic out of the city isn't bad and we get to the border to find a small queue of cars waiting to cross. Not sure if the border is closed or if there's a problem given the people here. Walk to the front of the queue to find a Fiat Panda 4x4 participating in the Mongol Rally. The driver tells me that they only allow a few cars in at a time and they have been waiting about 20 minutes to get to the front.
Sure enough, gate opens and a couple of cars are allowed through. This crossing is a mess, certain cars pass on the opposite side (exit from Kazakhstan) - I guess when you have special privileges anything is possible! There are lots of people at this crossing, foot passengers and taxis dropping and picking up people and street vendors.
Damien is also trying to repair a small rack on the sidecar (one of the jerrican brackets has broken) but at one point we miss the chance to advance as we were both caught out by the gate being opened - a couple of cars sneak past. Exit from Kyrgyzstan took about 10 minutes, quick passport check, stamp out. No check of vehicle documents!
Then we join the queue to get through the Kazakh border. This is working at a very slow pace. We go and park the bikes and then do passport control then vehicle control. Again there's the issue of having a passport from one country and a bike registered in another country. I make sure that it's correct as I don't want any issues with exporting the bike. Forms stamped with a "Welcome to Kazakhstan".
Forms filled in I get the bike to the physical control. No one seems interested to check my bags. A guard comes over and starts talking to me. I've no clue what he's saying to me. Then in very few English words tells me to go back up to the other check point.
Guard comes over and I'm asked if I've got narcotics. Ohh how we laughed about the topic but he repeatedly asked me. Form stamped and I'm good to go. Final gate, I come up to the stop sign, ready to leave. A car comes screeching to a halt on the other side. Guard opens the gate, it's a soldier who's in a hurry to get through. There I was thinking it was another delivery of food. He's impatient with me as I can't move the bike out of the way. I'm blocked to the left and there's a wheel stinger to my right. I then decide to take my time to back up the bike.
Kazakhstan has compulsory 3rd party insurance for vehicles coming into the country. Was warned to buy this as the police will check and issue you with a fine if you don't have any. I look around for the insurance office but can't see it (although there's a sign on the building). I walk into and out and back into the cafe and a guy asks me what I'm looking for. Insurance I tell him. Ahh, he's the insurance guy. Sit down in his office - think table and chair with laptop and printer in the corner of the cafe and you've got the picture. I get some pancakes while I wait for the paperwork.
Damien does the same and we are ready to leave. Some people come over and ask about his bike - BMWs with sidecar aren't that common here. They ask if the sidecar is an Ural! Yes, it's a German Russian hybrid bike!
We take the only road out and head straight to Almaty. It's over 30c and I've no idea of the speed limit and the cops seen to appear just as you increase your speed just a bit!
The road into Almaty is very boring, farm land either side in some places there's no sign of life. There's also a strong wind blowing so I'm leaning to my left whilst riding straight. I did miss the chance to stop at the sign "Almaty Oblast" but stopped to see a monument closer to the city.
On the outskirts of the city we stop to find a mechanic to try and weld the bracket for the sidecar. Mechanic takes about 10 minutes to do the repair and doesn't even want to be paid. It's off to find accommodation for the evening. We're worn out from the heat and ride today.
Total distance: 340km
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