Aral - Ayteke Bi

On Monday, September 16, 2019, we have breakfast on the shore of Lake Schalkar in sunny weather. Then, after our seven things have found their place in Schrotti, we drive to our spare parts dealer in the city, not very confident. In the morning, I received a text message from Gabit, the store owner, with the simple but meaningful content 'не будет'. When we arrive on site, we quickly find out that the attempt to order a suitable wheel bearing has failed for the time being. I get the lamps that Schrotti needs for his rear lighting system from the man as a gift. Then we organize a suitable wheel nut wrench in the town and inflate the rear right tire with air, which is quite worn down and has recently been losing some air. After a short break at Qwas and a few waffles, we leave Schalkar and head northeast towards the M-32, which will take us to Aral and the remains of the same-named lake. It is already dark when we reach a rest area at the larger highway M-32 and pause for dinner. The road conditions demanded a lot from us again. We needed four hours for the 120 kilometers we covered, during which we heard all kinds of other things rattling and clinking in Schrotti instead of our spare parts warehouse. On the M-32, which can now be described as a road again, the familiar sounds of the bearings remind us to be careful. About 100 kilometers before Aral, we decide to set up our camp off a rest area due to the increasingly disturbing noise.

While enjoying breakfast in the Kazakh steppe on Tuesday morning, we are visited by two plainclothes police officers. After our documents are checked, there is time for some small talk. The guys are apparently looking for another off-road vehicle that is in the area. They are a bit surprised to see travelers in the area, as there is not much to see except for dry flat land. The two don't have time for a coffee break, though. Then we continue our journey south and have another encounter with the police. This time, the traffic police even turn around to stop us and point out that we need to turn on our low beam lights. The daytime running lights (an LED strip in both front headlights) apparently are not sufficient. After a short chat, we receive a warning and can continue driving. We arrive in Aral around noon and visit a few spare parts stores for our wheel bearing. Then we treat ourselves to a snack (pickled fish, a local sausage specialty, bread, butter, and Qwas) to pass the time until some of the shop owners return from their lunch break. After visiting all the relevant stores (unsuccessfully) and restocking our food supplies, we set off for the Aral Sea. On the way, we want to fill up with liquefied gas, but the seals for Schrotti's gas tank filler neck no longer allow it. We drive back to the city and I visit the shops again, but I can't find a replacement. There are rubber O-rings here and there, but none that are suitable. So we finally head to the lake without refueling. Here, on the second attempt, we set up our tents and enjoy the evening by the water. Unfortunately, swimming didn't work out, even after swimming several meters into the lake, the water depth is only about 5 cm and one sinks quite deep into the sand-mud mixture below. Plenty of water birds that still seem to be standing 100 meters further out in the lake make further progress seem pointless. So we scoop up some water for washing, prepare our dinner, and end the evening with a small bonfire. No wood could be found anywhere nearby.

While we are clearing our camping spot on Wednesday (September 18, 2019), a few locals come to visit and give us 3 fish after a short chat. If the fresh catch doesn't spoil over the day (temperatures will reach around 30 °C again), we have our evening meal taken care of. Then we drive to Aral, buy a few things, fill up with gasoline, and continue south. Our wheel bearing is now rattling continuously regardless of speed, and we decide to visit a workshop in Ayteke Bi. When we arrive there, it is already early evening and we have no luck anymore. We can still ask about the parts we are looking for in three shops, and I find a few O-rings, but we cannot arrange a workshop visit for now. Since there is no spot by the water to camp in the immediate vicinity according to my map, we decide to look for an affordable room for one night. The first hotel we try is too expensive, the second turns out to be a kindergarten/home, but on the third attempt I finally manage to reach a landlord by phone. He announces his arrival at the establishment in about 30 minutes. We decide to use the time wisely and enjoy a cold beer at a nearby bar. Then we meet the landlord and after some back and forth, we finally move into a room. In the courtyard of the guesthouse, we prepare our fish and enjoy some potato salad. The landlord's son speaks quite good English and keeps us company. However, he does not want to eat or drink with us, as he doesn't trust the fish. Finally, around eleven o'clock, we go to sleep after a warm shower.